犊牛及青年牛饲养管理.ppt

dry hay is bulky and can reduce dry matter intake of calf starter dry hay is lower in both energy and carbohydrates dry hay is less digestible than calf starter If the grains, protein supp and other additives provide required abrasive value hay is not required, if not chopped hay is a good option. Remember calf starter is the key ingredient to encourage rumen development, not dry hay Dry Hay Feed 90%starter:10% chopped hay to appetite An advantage of feeding this mix is that we are helping prepare rumen micro-organisms for the diet to be used following the starter diet which will contain hay Hay should not be fed separately from the starter of the ration because this enables the calf to select only hay; hay alone will not provide adeequate energy. The added labour and decrease in energy by adding 10% chopped hay is a small price to pay if stomach development is improved Time of weaning should be determined by DMI rather than age Weaning a calf does not mean it should receive less attention than a newborn MINIMISE STRESS Leave calves on the same starter & in same hutch or pen for 2 to 3 weeks Note: Post weaning slump may be caused by improper absorption of rumen fermentation end products due to poor rumen and omasum development. If you are experiencing post weaning slump it may be worth the effort to re-evaluate your pre-weaning feeding program. Fermented Feeds NOT RECOMMENDED because: The amount of forage is small and it is difficult to keep the silage fresh at this amount (1 – 1.75 kg DMI) The VFA’s in the silage may effect intake – especially if there are excessive levels of butyric acid (silage pH > 5.0) Pasture is not recommended either as it may inhibit DMI and expose the calves to parasites 15 – 16 weeks Fermented feeds may be introduced in the form of a TMR or free choice silage Introducing fermented feeds the last week of the transition phase will help reduce stress of diet change I.e replace 40 – 50% of the dry hay with the TMR or silage Ferment