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Welcome to the third addition of our Nutrition Series, a six-part video and article series brought to you by Dairygold and Alltech Ireland during April and May 2020.
Liam Stack, M.Agr.Sc Dairygold Ruminant Technical Manager
PostCalver Gold is a high energy ration with a high inclusion of native cereals and a high inclusion of maize meal. This maximises the energy density of the feed making it easier for the cow to meet her energy requirements.
Protein source: Some raw materials like sunflower are high in crude protein but low in available protein. PostCalver gold only contains raw materials that are high in both.
The excellent raw material profile maximises milk yield, milk protein percentage and herd fertility performance
a) Stabilises rumen pH – a low rumen pH lowers feed digestion, feed intake and milk yield.
b) Promotes the growth of fiber-digesting bacteria.
Your cows diet contains c. 40-50% NDF (fibre). This fibre is only 45-65% digestible.
By stimulating fibre digesting bacteria, Yea-sacc releases more energy from the most undigestible fraction of your cows diet.
By encouraging intakes and releasing more energy from the feed eaten, Yea-sacc is proven to:
– increase milk yield by up to 1.6ltrs
– improve fertility performance by up to 20%
Minerals are available as inorganic or organic. Inorganic minerals are rock sourced minerals or they can be byproducts of industrial processes. Feeding inorganic minerals leads to mineral interaction and high levels of mineral losses from the cow. This has animal and environmental implications. In nature, organic minerals are plant based minerals. These minerals do not interact with other minerals, they are more available to the cow and therefore have a lower environmental impact.
Bioplex Copper, Zinc and Selplex are minerals produced by Alltech which act the same as natural organic plant based minerals within the cow.
Through their higher level of animal availability, Bioplex copper, zinc and Selplex are proven to:
– Lower the amount of minerals excreted into the environment by the animal
– Improve immune status
– Improve fertility performance
The higher the Vitamin E status of the cow the better her overall immune system works. Low immunity leads to increased risk of mastitis, higher SCC and a greater vulnerability to any infectious organism that may attack.
Your cows Vitamin E status is lowest around the point of calving. Within PostCalver Gold (and pre-calver gold minerals) we feed elevated levels of Vitamin E to maximise your cows Vitamin E status.
Biotin is a water-soluble B-complex vitamin that is produced by the rumen microbes. Additional supplemented Biotin can improve hoof health, hoof hardness and milk yields.
Addition of Biotin to a dairy cow diet leads to:
Poor fertility, mastitis and lameness are some of the biggest costs on dairy farms. Every lame cow costs you between €280 – €300. Published research has shown
that feeding c.20mg Biotin per day had positive effects on:
– White line separation,
– Digital and Inter-digital Dermatitis,
– Healing of Sole Ulcer
– Lameness in Seasonally Calved Dairy Cows
Published research has shown that feeding c.20mg Biotin per day increased milk production by between 1.3- 1.6 ltrs per day. These trials also reported higher intakes
(c.0.87kg).
