Use of milk boosters increase output by seven litres daily

Milk boosters can be pellet or flour-based, and usually contain highly absorbable rumen bypass protein, rumen bypass lipids and fats. 
They are also compacted with high-energy products, enzymes, yeast, micro and macronutrients, as well as calcium and mineral salts.

High production 
Working with farmers, Yakub Bachu—a livestock production and animal husbandry consultant—has shown how the use of milk boosters increases milk output by three to four litres in standard Friesian and Ayrshire cattle that weigh about 500 kilogrammes and produce 15-20 litres of milk daily. 
Under good management and refined feeding methods that ensure the cow has its base requirements in energy and protein met, he says, this increase could reach six to seven litres of added production.      

Converting feed into milk
Milk boosters increase gut microbial growth and activity so as to reduce wastage and convert more feed into milk. There are various varieties of milk boosters available to farmers on the market, but most are not tailored to the particular geography and feeding programmes of specific farmers.

Bachu, formerly a livestock research assistant at One Acre Fund, has been involved in the agribusiness value chain as a farmer, within the corporate space and as a freelance consultant for eight years.  This has made him acutely aware of the challenges farmers face in transmuting the promised high yields on the back of packaging bags to actual production on their farms.

More proteins 
The milk booster makes more metabolisable protein available to help a cow meet the amino acid requirements for maximum milk production and feed efficiency. It is mixed with dairy meal or sprinkled into a Total Mixed Ration (TMR). For every cow he says, 100-200 grammes is given daily depending on the cow’s production level, weight and post-calving stage. 

Ratio 
It not only improves milk production but also staves off a significant drop in milk output after production plateaus and starts to drop once the cow reaches its peak; usually after 80-100 days.  At early lactation when milk production is at its peak a farmer can give 150-200 grammes daily, falling to 100-140 grammes at mid-lactation and to just 100-120 grammes at late lactation.

Dual purpose 
The milk booster is dual purpose; besides added milk production, it improves the cow’s health and provides macronutrients such as calcium critical during pregnancy. 

Bachu recommends that farmers give 60-80 grammes of the booster one month to calving and gradually increase intake by at least 10 grammes to reach 100 grammes a couple of days to the calving date. 

“Essentially, I am targeting to get the cow rumen to work efficiently in converting feed into milk and at the same time provide the animal with balanced nutrients for support of tissues and stimulation of udder alveoli to increase  milk production,” says Bachu. 

“To realise maximum benefits, we work with farmers to implement modernised feeding methods; you cannot just feed freshly cut grass from the shamba directly to the animal, it will need to be weathered and/or fermented. We also take into account the particular geographical location and tweak the milk booster formulation,” says Bachu. He also conducts manure evaluation to determine the extent of digestion and fermentation of consumed feeds.

Withering, chopping and fermenting feeds all helps to improve intestinal digestibility and reduce the amount of energy a cow expends in chewing cud and digestion..

Sweet potato vines offer livestock more proteins

Livestock farmers can boost the Napier grass protein content by including sweet potato vines as well as storage roots in making ‘super’ silage. The commonest Napier grass varieties have a crude protein content of between seven per cent and 8.5 per cent.

In making use of the vines and non-commercially usable storage roots after harvesting, the materials, which are discarded after harvest, can be chopped and mixed with Napier grass for use after three months or more.
Silage of sweet potato vine and roots offer livestock crude proteins of up to 14.75 per cent. This is significantly higher than common Napier grass varieties.

Researchers Sammy Agili-International Potato Centre based in Kenya - says the best combination of the vines and storage roots should be in the ration of 3:1 respectively.
A combination of the vines with Napier grass in the ratio of 5:3 respectively gave 9.7 per cent crude protein with a digestibility of 80 per cent of dry matter.

Vines among other nutrients is a core component of milk. The silage has a digestibility of 82 per cent.
“Well-made sweet potato silage is a wholesome and nutritious feed for all classes of cattle, goats and pigs.  The silage is prepared by fermenting vines and storage roots, which are stored in absence of air,” the researcher says in a published finding.

In mixing the three, the ratio of Napier grass to vines and storage roots should be 5:3:2. However, during the ensiling period, the succulent vines and roots can present a challenge because of their high moisture content, which can cause rotting. The researcher says farmers using the silage boost milk and meat production by more than 10 per cent. 

For small-scale farmers, the ensiling can be done using 17 litre buckets, which can be consumed once. 
This saves the rest from spoilage after opening.
This is a perfect solution for farmers who discard the vines and the storage roots and peels after harvesting.

 Source: Farmbiz