Component Feeding of Dairy Cows in Tie Stall Herds Overview George Pick and Gabriella Varga Herds in tie stalls can achieve levels of production equivalent to cows fed a TMR. Real farm scenarios will be presented to demonstrate successful and profitable strategies for delivery of feedstuffs TMR vs. Component fed TMR Reduced selectivity or sorting of individual feeds More accurate determination of total dry matter intake (DMI) Greater overall control of feed usage by cows A larger selection of feedstuffs including less palatable byproducts and commodity feeds Component-feeding Lower capital costs for systems used for handling, mixing and delivering feed to the cow Potentially more precise delivery of protein, energy, and mineral supplements to meet individual cows nutrient requirements TMR-fed Herds Component DHIA parameter Average Average Number of cows 54 46 Days in Milk 178 184 Cull Rate, % 35 34 Rolling Herd Ave Milk, lbs. 23,798 22,998 Fat, lbs. 867 826 Protein, lbs. 721 684 150-Day Milk, lbs. 79.7 78.6 Fat,% 3.8 3.8 Protein, % 3.2 3.1 SCC Actual, 1000 s 299 206 Griswold et al, 2005 Component fed vs. TMR Component fed vs. TMR Item Component TMR P value Item Component TMR 4%FCM, lb/d 56.3 56.3 NS DMI, lb/d 40.5 39.6 NS Eating min/d 198 243 0.01 Rumination min/d 584 498 NS length of period, min 40.4 32.7 0.04 Tot chewing min/d 736 741 NS Maekawa et. al. JDS 2001 Time < ph 5.8, h/d 13.3 8.0 Min ph 5.14 5.40 Max ph 6.52 6.63 Mean ph 5.77 5.99 Maekawa et. al. JDS 2001 1
Order in which feeds are fed Strategies: Feeding Procedures Order of Feed Delivery 6.6 6.4 Forage+HMEC,Supplement Forage, HMEC+Supplement ph = 5.87 ph = 5.77 6.2 6 5.8 5.6 Ruminal ph A.M. Hay/Baleage Corn silage Grains Concentrates P.M. Hay/Baleage Corn silage Grains Concentrates Hay last 5.4 5.2 What would you change & why? How much impact will those changes have? hour Nocek, 1995 General Thumb Rules Forage before grain Ideally, feed hay first. If hay not available, silage Energy feeds before protein Energy feeds typically take longer to be broken down in the rumen Feed protein and mineral containing items reasonably close to a feeding of items low in these nutrients, i.e. corn silage MOVING RIGHT ALONG. CUSTOMER STATEMENT SUPPLEMENTING INGREDIENTS FOR MAXIMUM HEALTHY PRODUCTION Since I have been feeding a TMR I have not been able to get that really high milk production that I once had. 2
QUESTION How many people think that they could do a better job feeding their customer s cows if feed costs were not a concern? Ration questions How many people feel that not all ingredients are of the same quality? Does a corn distiller enable the same performance that a roasted bean in a strong, healthy and high producing dairy cow? TMR LIMITATIONS? Feeding strategies Does a TMR provide all that a cow needs to reach her maximum production potential? Why or why not? High forage diets are wonderful for the health of the herd! Almost always the cheapest sources of dry matter. TMR LIMITATIONS If not built correctly forage NDF or total NDF can be an issue. Gutfill can be reached without meeting cow s energy or protein demands. If done correctly does it match the herd s potential? Many times this is a gut feeling or a judgment call by the nutritionist. WILL A TOPDRESS SYSTEM BE DONE Will the farm take the time to weigh the correct amount of supplement? Will the same person be topdressing or will many different people be doing the job? 3
WILL A TOPDRESS SYSTEM BE DONE Are DHIA records available? If they are available are they accurate? Does the farm understand the importance of adjusting the topdress to the production data from records? WILL A TOPDRESS SYSTEM BE DONE If the proper cows are not given the correct amount of topdress, profit generated by eligible cows can quickly be gobbled up by cows that had little production potential to start with. WILL A TOPDRESS SYSTEM BE DONE Observe fresh cows closely when choosing how much and when to give topdress. Advise to: Watch manure closely Make sure TMR is (mostly) eaten before topdressing. If slowing down on TMR/hay intake stop topdressing. Forage first! : Ration strategies What is starch % of TMR? Where is dry matter intake set? What is protein % of TMR? Where is NDF set at and what is it made up of? : Environmental Considerations What time of year is it? Are the stalls going to allow more production? How much time are cows on concrete? Do the cows have an ample water supply? : Cow condition observations Do the cows seem to be walking well or are their feet sore? Are their backs arched or is something obviously wrong. Are they thin or are they putting weight on instead of milk in the tank? Are their hair coats shiny? Are the cows energetic and alert? 4
: Cow performance observations How is peak milk? Heifers vs. Milk cows? How is butterfat and protein? How does the dairyman feel reproduction is going? So with all of these things said, wouldn t it be neat to throw some of your best tools against the challenge of getting more milk while maintaining cow health and profitability? This can be done through higher quality ingredients What production level should we begin to topdress at? 75 pounds? 85 pounds? Depends on what the herd is used to making. Important to find out what the dairyman believes the cows are capable of producing. Set realistic goals for what can be accomplished on the dairy. Discuss costs and profit potential. Assuming a normal, conservative baseline TMR has the following nutrient specs: 30 to 32 % NDF 25% starch 17.3 to 17.5 % CP At maximum topdress, where should the nutrient specs of the total ration be? Minimum 30% NDF Crude protein at maximum 18.5% Starch maximum of 27% Forage percent over 53% 5
NDF % NDF should be no less than 30%. Should ask yourself How wet is the diet? What ingredients are wet? Which are dry? Is any BMR forage being fed? Are they feeding and hulls or cotton? Straw normally a very nice addition and can be built in as a safeguard. How does manure look? Forage diagnostics: NDF and ADF Provide adequate pounds of fiber in the ration for the fresh cow: Total NDF intake Forage NDF intake Total ADF intake 13-16 lbs/d 11-13 lbs/d min 8/lbs/d 75% of fiber (NDF) should come from forage CRUDE PROTEIN % FORAGE % Open for discussion. Crude protein of 18.5 % for high and early lactation cows at max topdress. How does manure look? What are sources of protein? The higher the better! 52 to 53% is where I like to see forage % of ration DM at maximum topdress. More is better! Must not trade health for production. STARCH % Ration strategies Starch %: no more than 27% Is the corn stable high moisture or dry corn? Are the cows heat stressed? What is grain grind size? How does manure look? When building topdress do not add things that are not necessary. Wastes hard earned dollars! May be necessary? When? Stressed cattle (heat stress) 6
TOPDRESS POUNDS PER MIX % OF MIX CANOLA 3.59 900 45 GROUND CORN 3.59 900 45 BLOOD 0.45 80 4 FAT 0.5 120 6 MILK STEP POUNDS TOPDRESS ME MILK 2000 MP MILK CP % STARCH % NDF % BASE TMR 0 72.7 75.3 17.2 23.4 34.1 70 2 77.6 80.1 17.5 23.9 33.5 75 3 80.1 82.5 17.7 24.2 33.2 80 4 82.4 84.9 17.8 24.4 33 85 5 84.7 87.4 18 24.7 32.7 90 6 86.9 89.8 18.1 24.9 32.5 95 7 89.2 92.3 18.2 25.1 32.2 100 8 91.5 94.7 18.4 25.3 32 TOPDRESS POUNDS PER MIX % OF MIX GROUND CORN 4.33 1084 54.21 R BEANS 1.34 337 16.86 CANOLA 1.34 337 16.86 BLOOD 0.48 120 6.02 FAT 0.5 120 6.01 2000 MILK STEP POUNDS TOPDRESS ME MILK MP MILK CP % STARCH % NDF % BASE TMR 0 81.8 70.4 17.4 25 32.3 70 2 87.4 76.8 17.7 25.8 31.7 75 3 90.1 80 17.8 26.1 31.4 80 4 92.7 83.3 18 26.3 31.2 85 5 95.4 86.5 18.1 26.5 30.9 90 6 98.1 89.7 18.2 26.8 30.6 95 7 100.8 93 18.3 27 30.4 100 8 103.4 96.2 18.4 27.2 30.1 The bottom line: $$$ Summary One pound of topdress = 12.5 cents per pound. Average mathematical response = 2.5 pounds of milk per pound topdress. 2.5 pounds milk (@ 16$) = $.40 2.5 pounds milk (@ 18$) = $.45 2.5 pounds milk (@ 20$) = $.50 2.5 pounds milk (@ 22$) = $.55 The feeding system does not dictate potential herd production, but the management does! Forage quality is the most important factor for optimizing FORAGE intake in component-fed and top-dressed herds. Ration formulation should focus on meeting minimum total and forage NDF intakes Feeding management should focus on controlling factors which contribute to slug-feeding and reduced forage intake. TAKE HOME MESSAGES Discuss goals with customer Need a trusting relationship Are cows healthy? Fresh cow details Good quality forage minimum 50 to 53% at max topdress Minimum NDF 30% at max topdress Ingredient quality in topdress Work to enhance profit on the farm! QUESTIONS??? THANK YOU! 7