Researcher Striving to Offer Hassle Free Supplementary Feed
DENMARK – Expected to result in huge savings for the industry, researchers at Aarhus University have been developing a supplementary feed for dairy cows that reduces feeding disorders and improves feed efficiency.
Scientists at Aarhus have said that dairy cows have the genetic potential to produce more milk than is seen in the today’s yields. The remaining potential can be met with energy-rich supplementary feed stuffs.
Problems in the past have arisen from feeding supplements to cows causing them to have reduced feed intake and lose condition as a result. This is largely due to pelleted feedstuffs not staying elevated in the rumen.
The project, ‘Functional feed supplement for efficient dairy cows’, is headed by the Aarhus University in cooperation with industry partners aims to develop supplements so they can be used without effecting nutrient intake. This is done by altering the physical structure of the feed.
Lower density pellets or liquid supplements could be used to add to the cows nutrition without having an adverse effect on the rumen.
The scheme is being run alongside a robotic milking system. This is due to the intrinsic importance of supplementary feeds to milking robots
The programme is funded by the Green Development and Administration Programme under the Ministry of Food.
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