The live weight and main blood phase indexes of normal healthy cattle are shown in the table below.
Cattle eat forage quickly, eat more, chew carelessly, ruminate after eating, ruminate for a long time, and have the habit of chewing backwards in the trough.
Digestive characteristics of dairy cows
1. Ruminating cows feed fast, and the feed can be swallowed only by chewing in their mouths.
After eating, the appetite wall of the tumor begins to contract rhythmically, and the swallowed feed is sent back to the mouth to chew again, which is rumination.
After cattle eat, the feed enters the rumen, which is soaked and softened, and generally ruminates 30~60 minutes after feeding.
Rumination includes four processes: vomiting, re-chewing, mixing saliva and re-swallowing.
According to the determination, the duration of each rumination is 40-50 minutes, and the next rumination is carried out after a period of rest.
It takes 5 to 7 hours to ruminate 6 to 8 times a day and night.
Therefore, the digestibility of crude fiber is strong, with a general digestibility of 50%~90%, which decomposes cellulose into acetic acid, propionic acid and butyric acid.
These short-chain fatty acids are absorbed through the stomach wall, providing about 3/4 energy for cattle.
Feeding characteristics of cattle
2. The food stored in rumen is strongly fermented and decomposed by microorganisms in rumen, forming a large number of lower fatty acids and bacterial proteins for cattle to absorb and utilize.
At the same time, a large number of gases, mainly carbon dioxide and methane, are continuously produced.
According to experiments, a 500 kg cow can produce 1~2 liters of gas per minute.
These gases are expelled from the mouth through the esophagus. This process is called burping.
On average, belching 17~20 times per hour.
If you eat badly, the frequency of burping will be greatly reduced.
If you eat too much fermented leguminous forage or bean cake feed, the rumen will ferment abnormally, and a large amount of gas will not be discharged in time, causing acute abdominal distension, affecting production and even leading to death. Therefore, special attention should be paid to the timely treatment of abdominal distension once it is found.
In addition, the saliva secretion of cattle is large, which can secrete 100~200 liters a day and night, and the high-yield cattle can exceed 250 liters, which is also the reason why cattle drink a lot of water.
To sum up, in the feeding management of cattle, according to the digestive characteristics of cattle, using rumen microorganisms can make full use of cheap green roughage and crop straw. Ensuring that cows drink enough water, giving them enough rest time and quiet environment for normal rumination is beneficial to production performance.