Rumination data can help ration formulation
Feeding dairy cows has always called for feedstuff flexibility, but that's especially been the case in recent years. Variable feed quality, feed availability challenges and roller-coaster feed prices have driven dairy producers and their nutritionists to explore alternative ration ingredients while trying to protect cow performance and maintain profitability.
At the same time, cows must adapt to these nutrition changes and producers need to stay on top of whether cows do this successfully. Rumination monitoring is a good way to track how individual cows, as well as a herd, respond to ration changes..
Written by Shane St. Cyr Published in Progressive Dairyman Canada
{gallery}363{/gallery}