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Tips On Feeding Fats In Dairy Rations


Tips On Feeding Fats In Dairy Rations

Feeding proper ratio of fatty acids in the diet can help cows improve yield tremendously.

1) Feed a blend of fats

  • Remember that not all fats are created equal.

  • For example, palmitic acid will help with milk fat while oleic acid will boost yield and promote bodyweight gain.

  • Hence, proper ratio needs to be adjusted at the right time for optimal benefits.

  • Once cow reached peak milk and they are at ideal body weight, oleic acid should be reduced.

  • During peak lactation, more palmitic should be used as it helps with milk fat.

2) Feeding fats to fresh cows

  • It may be worth considering feeding fats to fresh cow.

  • From research, cows did not lose extra bodyweight compared to control group without fats.

  • Instead, by feeding cows with a blend of 60:30 palmitic acid to oleic acid resulted in 4.5kg/cow/day increase in energy corrected milk (ECM) over fresh period.

3) Feed fats to boost milk from forage?

  • Studies have shown that feeding palmitic acid resulted in a 2-4% unit improvement in neutral detergent fiber digestibility when fed at 0.75 - 2% of total diet dry matter.

  • Hence, adding fatty acid into diet can help to boost milk from forage.

  • This is especially useful when farmers are faced with poorer quality forage.

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