Should you supplement TMR rations in the parlour

摘要

As far as the nutrition adviser with Keenan, David Donaldson, is concerned, it shouldn't be necessary for cows fed a complete diet to receive a top-up of concentrates in the parlour. According to Mr Donaldson, the cow should get all her nutritional needs from the ration in the trough: "Basically, one of the things that drives a cow to eat is how much milk she is giving. If she is milking really hard then blood sugars go really low and she simply eats more," he says. The more efficient converters of food in the herd can produce up to 30% extra milk than the average herd member without needing additional concentrates, he says. Complete diet feeding doesn't push for a high peak yield, but aims for a lower, more sustainable apex, which is maintained until drying off.