Maintaining nutrition level in your livestock is crucial for the health and productivity of your farm animals. Whether you have domestic livestock or you are farming them for commercial purposes, it is crucial to maintain nutritional levels in the animal.
Just like humans, livestock has a set of nutritional needs that should be met accurately to ensure their health and growth. Here are the most effective ways you can improve and maintain nutrition in your livestock.
1. Invest In High Quality Feed
One of the best ways to ensure proper nutrition in your cattle is by investing in high-quality feed. You should always invest in good quality hay, fodder, and other feeding material you use for your livestock.
Poor quality or stale feed can cause illnesses among livestock, such as stomach bugs, and other diseases that may decrease their nutritional intake and make them weak. Good feed provides adequate nutrition to the livestock.
2. Ensure Nutritional Values
Another most important factor to consider when feeding your livestock is ensuring inclusion of each food group required by the type of animal you have in your farm. Each species requires different levels of nutrients and they should be given in the adequate amount.
Make sure that you are offering the right quantity of carbohydrates, proteins, fats, vitamins, and minerals. You should be careful about micronutrients as well as macronutrients to ensure health and safety of your livestock. If any animal on your farm is not getting the required nutrients, they will become undernourished which will affect the productivity of your farm.
3. Practise Proper Feeding Protocols
The way you feed your livestock matters as much as what you are feeding them. Therefore, make sure that you are following the right protocol to feed your farm animals so that they get the adequate feed.
When buying cattle feeders, make sure that you choose a design that is appropriate for your cattle and offers a safe feeding point. The feeders should be clean and they should allow animals to take food efficiently.
4. Provide Clean And Adequate Water
Proper hydration is crucial for the animal. Cattle can be greatly affected by their water intake. Make sure that you have an adequate supply of water on your farm. You should also make sure that water is clean and drinkable for the animals.
Waterborne illnesses are common among farm animals. Therefore, make sure that you clean the water system properly and ensure that your cattle is adequately hydrated, especially during summer.
5. Consider Supplementing Their Diet
Sometimes feed is not enough to provide adequate nutrition to your livestock. You might not be able to find the right type of feed or your animals might be lacking in some minerals or vitamins. In such situations, make sure that you are supplementing their diet.
If your cattle has pregnant females or they have recently given birth, you should make sure that the female members of your livestock have adequate supply of calcium, phosphorus, and other essential nutrients required by them.
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