Erratic weather conditions plus unpredictable price increases can affect the ration or feeding program for livestock. But don’t worry, and we have tips on getting the cheapest feed for livestock that is economical and still nutritious, also safe and efficient. Before that, let’s first review animal feed and its types.
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What is Animal Feed?
Animal feed is an intake in the form of organic or inorganic materials that can be consumed directly by livestock, both ruminants (ruminants), non-ruminants, and poultry. This feeding aims to meet all the basic life needs of livestock, including growth, reproduction, production, lactation, to health interests.
Why is Animal Feed Important?
The feed has a very important role in raising livestock because it uses the highest cost component, which is around 70 percent of the total production cost. In addition, just like humans who need a balanced nutritional intake, livestock also needs various nutrients according to the type of livestock, age, growth phase, body condition, reproduction, body weight, and surrounding environmental conditions.
A good feed can meet all the nutritional needs of livestock. Conversely, livestock that is fed poorly will have the opportunity to cause disease and cause production disruptions which in turn can be detrimental to farmers economically.
Types of Animal Feed
In general, animal feed is related to feeding raw materials that have been processed into pellets, crumble, or flour form (mash). However, in terms of its type, animal feed as the main intake is divided into two, namely, forage and concentrate.
Forage is coarse feed derived from plants and given mainly to ruminants in fresh or withered form. Forage is usually in the form of leaves and grass, and can also be from seeds or nuts.
Meanwhile, concentrate feed is a mixture of feed ingredients sourced from forage and agricultural waste, which has a high nutrient concentration, relatively low crude fiber content, and is easily digested.
Tips to Get the Quality Cheapest Feed
Instead of reducing the ration of feed, which is very risky, it is much wiser to cut feed costs by giving the cheapest but still nutritious. How to?
Consider Silage Feed
Silage is usually used as a feed reserve for livestock because it is more economical, of good quality, and lasts longer. Giving silage to livestock is not only aimed at extending the shelf life of the feed while maintaining the nutrients in it but also utilizing agricultural waste.
Silage is animal feed produced through the process of preserving forage and agricultural waste, such as straw, in a fresh condition using a moisture content of 60-70 percent and stored in an airtight container for approximately three weeks. The airtight place in question can be in the form of a plastic bag, drum, or using silo.
When compared to hay (preservation of feed through drying), making silage has advantages, including:
- Not easily damaged by rain when harvested.
- Not much-wasted leaves and grass.
- Carotene in greens is more awake.
- Easier to digest than hay.
Good silage is liked by livestock because it has a sour aroma and taste, does not smell rancid, does not clot, does not become moldy, does not become slimy, and will physically have a yellowish-green color.
However, it is recommended that beef cattle consume silage in the form of coarse feed and dairy cattle in limited quantities. Silage is also good for sheep and similar livestock but is not recommended for pigs and horses.
Use the Best Silos
In addition to the wrong manufacturing process, silage feed production can fail due to silo leaks. That is why it is so important to pay attention to the quality of the silo material.
What are silos? The place where silage is stored is called a silo. Silos can be horizontal or vertical. On large-scale farms, silos are usually made permanent.
A good silo is made of metal in the form of a cylinder or a hole in the ground in the form of a concrete pond. However, there are also high-quality silos made of resin, film, drums, or plastic. In principle, the silo must be airtight to achieve a vacuum and the formation of an acidic atmosphere in storage so that the fermentation process is perfect.
Optimize Grazed Grass
Compared to other types, grazed grass, especially elephant grass and weeds, is still the best and cheapest feed for livestock. So, how do you prepare and store this feed ingredient?
- Supply grazed grass as early as possible while the weather hasn’t turned extreme to face the famine season.
- Afterwards, store the silage that is already in the pit or bale.
- To grow well, also secure silage fertilizer and prepare reserves for at least two uses
- Examine soil samples so that fertilizer use can be adjusted optimally.
- Apply lime only when necessary and avoid lime on silage soils before the grass is harvested.
Handle Livestock Properly
Separate productive and unproductive livestock. Separate also between pregnant and non-pregnant cattle, entering mid-pregnancy or at the end of pregnancy, and currently in lactation. This is because each livestock will have more or less nutritional needs according to its conditions.
Alternative Feed
Several types of feed are recommended. Call it from food waste, damaged plants, product processing residue, fruit that has become waste, vegetables, and also grains that have rotted. Don’t miss weeds.
Apart from silage, various alternative feed processing techniques can be economical and practical solutions. Among them are Urea Molasses Block (UMB), hay techniques, to straw feed that comes from ammonia and fermentation.
For the results to be profitable, also consider several things before giving the cheapest feed through some alternatives. Starting from feed costs, transportation costs, handling costs, and the nutritional value of feed, to how the feed is stored and handled to reduce spoilage.