Feeding the Dairy Cow - a video for small scale farmers

Learn practical tips and background information so you have a well fed cow that will produce the most milk, have good fertility and be healthy. This will improve profitability.

I am a dairy vet who has been working with small scale dairy farmers in Africa for the last 15 years.

Your cow needs energy, protein, fibre, vitamins and minerals. Energy requirements for milk production are very high and many farmers underestimate how much energy is needed. You will see examples of the energy requirements at five different stages of lactation depending on the amount of milk produced. If you feed the correct amount of energy, then you maximise milk production, fertility and profit.

Feeding good quality, high energy or concentrated energy feed gives a very good return on investment. Milk production will drop if a cow does not get enough energy. Cows need good quality forage and the diet must be supplemented with vitamins and minerals as necessary.