Milly Gaines
Calcium is an essential mineral for cows, with deficiencies leading to health issues such as milk fever and weak bones. While calcium supplements are available, they can be costly. A cheap way to add calcium to a cow's diet is to include calcium-rich foods such as alfalfa, legumes, and hay. These are all part of a cow's natural diet and are often cheaper than grain-based alternatives. In addition, using computer programs to evaluate and balance diets can help ensure cows are getting the right amount of calcium without wasting expensive feed.
How to cheaply add calcium to a cow's diet
| Characteristics | Values |
|---|---|
| High-quality forage | Good silage, haylage, and hay |
| Feed additives | Commercial yeast and direct-fed microbial product |
| Software | OSU CowCulator, TAURUS, BRANDS, SPARTAN 3, CowBytes |
| Vitamins | A, D, E, B |
| Fruits and vegetables | Apples, bananas, carrots |
| Grains | Corn, oats, barley |
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What You'll Learn
- Feed cows high-quality forages, such as good silage, haylage, and hay
- Use budget feed additives, such as commercial yeast and direct-fed microbial products
- Provide cows with vitamins and minerals, such as vitamin A, D, and E, and macro and trace minerals
- Utilize computer programs for diet evaluation and balancing, such as TAURUS or CowCulator
- Include grains and alternative feeds, such as corn, oats, barley, and soybean meal, to reduce feed costs
Feed cows high-quality forages, such as good silage, haylage, and hay
Cows' natural diet consists mainly of grasses, legumes, alfalfa, clover, and hay. Hay, haylage, and silage are all types of forage, which is often the cheapest source of nutrients for cattle. Forage production is all about quality and tonnage. The maturity stage of the plants to be harvested has a very important impact on the resulting hay or pasture quality. Earlier harvest or grazing results in higher protein and digestibility, while later harvests result in lower nutrition content but greater yield.
For dairy cows, good silage, haylage, and hay can reduce the need for grain and other feed supplements, which are likely to be more expensive. High-quality forage can be made from corn silage and alfalfa, while dry cows are often fed low-potassium forage to avoid metabolic problems. For beef cattle, a mixture of grass and legumes is often the desired crop.
To make silage, the goal is to preserve forage nutrients for feeding at a later date. This is done by converting plant sugars to organic acids through fermentation. The resulting acidity "pickles" the forage. High water-soluble carbohydrate levels in corn silage can cause a rapid decline in pH that inhibits the growth of clostridia, which can cause cows to eat less, produce less milk, and increase the incidence of metabolic diseases.
To achieve high-quality forage, it is important to consider the cutting height and timing of the harvest. The recommended cutting height for a healthy alfalfa stand is about 1 inch, while higher cutting heights of 3 to 4 inches improve the crop's nutritive value but reduce yield. Hay crops should be cut in the late morning to maximize drying time, and silage must be fed soon after removal from storage to avoid spoilage due to oxygen exposure.
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Use budget feed additives, such as commercial yeast and direct-fed microbial products
Commercial yeast and direct-fed microbial products are budget feed additives that can be used to cheaply add calcium to a cow's diet. These products are cost-effective and can improve feed efficiency and dry matter intake.
Yeast is a probiotic material that has been used as a feed supplement for livestock for over 40 years. It is a low-cost material compared to other feed supplements and can improve animal performance. When used as a feed additive, yeast supports gut health, improves nutrient absorption, and promotes the growth of beneficial bacteria in the animal's digestive tract. It also helps to reduce the negative impact of heat stress on cows by improving thermoregulatory functions and increasing peripheral heat loss. Additionally, yeast supplementation can lead to changes in the rumen microbial population, rumen fermentation, intestinal nutrient flow, and diet digestibility, resulting in increased milk yield.
However, it is important to select the right type of yeast additive to fit the specific goals of the operation. For example, a rumen-specific live yeast probiotic can improve feed utilization and help overcome variations in feed quality caused by environmental conditions. On the other hand, the imbalanced supply of amino acids in yeast can negatively impact growth and biological functions, so this should be considered and corrected during yeast processing.
Direct-fed microbial products (DFMs) are feed additives that contain live, naturally occurring microbes. They are often used as an alternative to antibiotics to improve the health and production performance of animals. DFMs can enhance rumen function, stabilize ruminal pH, promote ruminal fermentation, and improve feed digestion. They have been shown to improve milk production, feed efficiency, and health performance in dairy cows, especially during transition and lactation periods when cows are under stress.
By budgeting between $0.50 and $0.75 per head per day for feed additives, such as commercial yeast and direct-fed microbial products, producers can achieve cost-effective dairy cow diets without sacrificing milk and milkfat production.
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Provide cows with vitamins and minerals, such as vitamin A, D, and E, and macro and trace minerals
Providing cows with vitamins and minerals is essential for their overall performance and health. While vitamins A, D, and E are crucial, minerals are also vital for cows and can be divided into two groups: macro minerals and micro or trace minerals.
Macro Minerals
There are seven macro minerals that need to be analysed and balanced within a cow's diet: calcium (Ca), phosphorus (P), magnesium (Mg), sulfur (S), sodium (Ca), chlorine (Cl), and potassium (K). Calcium and phosphorus work together and are the main mineral constituents in bone development. Additionally, Ca is important for muscle function, and P plays a key role in metabolic functions. For grazing cattle, legumes like alfalfa are good sources of Ca. However, P is often deficient in these forages, so supplemental P is usually needed. The optimum Ca:P ratio is between 1.5:1 and 2:1, and this ratio changes with the age and production stage of the cow.
Micro or Trace Minerals
There are six trace minerals of significant importance in a cow's diet: cobalt (Co), copper (Cu), iodine (I), manganese (Mn), selenium (Se), and zinc (Zn). Trace mineral deficiencies can be addressed with trace mineralized salt or additional mineral supplements. It is important to evaluate your mineral program and determine if supplements are meeting the needs of your cattle. The mineral content of forages and water can vary, so sampling them is valuable to understand better what your cows require in a supplement.
Vitamins
Vitamins A, D, and E are essential for cows. Vitamin A is inexpensive to include in mineral mixes and commercial feed products. It can be supplied by injectable products, liquid drench forms, or standard mineral packages. Vitamin A deficiency has been observed in beef cattle, and signs include lowered fertility and calving percentage. Vitamin D is formed by the action of sunlight or ultraviolet light on certain sterols. Animals kept indoors do not form vitamin D, so they may require commercial vitamin D products or irradiated yeast, which is high in vitamin D2. Young animals have a greater need for vitamin D than mature ones.
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Utilize computer programs for diet evaluation and balancing, such as TAURUS or CowCulator
There are several computer programs designed for diet evaluation and balancing. These programs can process a large amount of information in a short time and contain vast databases with information related to cattle requirements, nutritional content of feeds, and economic variables.
TAURUS, for example, was developed by the University of California, Davis. It is one of the more complex systems, which involve several intrinsic parameters such as ruminal fermentation and microbial synthesis. To use TAURUS, you would need significant expertise and training in cattle nutrition.
CowCulator, on the other hand, is a user-friendly software developed by Oklahoma State University, adapted for Oregon. It can be downloaded for free from the OSU Beef Cattle Sciences website. CowCulator assists users in comparing the nutrients supplied to the requirements of the cattle. To create a diet, users select the feed or forage of interest and enter the amount provided for that specific ingredient. The amount can be input as pounds per day or as a percentage of the diet. CowCulator then calculates the amount of energy and protein needed for each unit of weight gain in growing cattle using an estimated weight at which cattle reach a standard stage of maturity and fatness.
It is important to note that while these programs are useful tools, they should be used in conjunction with basic concepts of cattle nutrition and field observations of cattle performance and health. This ensures that the nutritional status of the herd is adequate and that the diet is not detrimental to the animals' health and well-being.
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Include grains and alternative feeds, such as corn, oats, barley, and soybean meal, to reduce feed costs
Grains and alternative feeds, such as corn, oats, barley, and soybean meal, can be included in a cow's diet to reduce feed costs.
Barley is a whole grain that is rich in fibre, vitamins, and minerals. It contains calcium, copper, magnesium, phosphorus, and zinc, which contribute to improved bone structure and strength. It also contains potassium, folate, iron, vitamin B-6, niacin, riboflavin, thiamin, selenium, and more. The vitamins and minerals in barley support cardiovascular functions and help to prevent inflammation.
Oats are another grain that can be included in a cow's diet. While the calcium content of oats is unclear, cooking oatmeal with a cup of almond milk can provide an additional 300 to 400 milligrams of calcium.
Soybean meal is a good source of calcium, with 244 milligrams of calcium per 100 grams. It is also high in protein, potassium, iron, phosphorus, magnesium, and other nutrients.
Including these grains and alternative feeds in a cow's diet can provide a good source of calcium while also reducing feed costs. It is important to note that a well-balanced diet for a lactating dairy cow typically costs around $8.27, but there are ways to reduce these costs, such as feeding high-quality forages and substituting more expensive ingredients with less costly ones.
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Frequently asked questions
Calcium-rich foods that cows enjoy include alfalfa, legumes, clover, and hay. You can also add essential vitamins A, D, and E to their diet, which are important for bone development and muscle tissue.
You can use calcium supplements, or calcium-rich grains such as oats, corn, and barley.
Fruits and vegetables such as apples, bananas, and carrots are high in calcium and other nutrients like vitamins and fiber.
The amount of calcium a cow needs depends on its age and health. Younger cows need more calcium for bone development, while older cows need calcium to maintain bone strength.
Alfalfa dehydrated pellets, distillers’ grains, or alternative feeds like canola meal are high in RUP, which is beneficial for lactating cows.
