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We
feed our ruminants a variety of feeds which vary in quality from
year to year. The types of feeds used may vary depending on market
prices.
It
is important to know whether a particular ration will be suitable
for the animal and what effect the ration may have on production
levels. For many years, nutritionists have struggled to set up computer
models to predict what the animals will do with a specific ration.
We
have purchased a number of these models and can currently evaluate
a ration using the UDP/RDP system, or the ME system or the more
recent PDI system for dairy cows.
Rations
for beef suckler cows, fattening cattle and sheep are still assessed
on the UDP/RDP system.
No
computer model is perfect, so we can check what the cow is doing
with her ration by looking at her condition score, her milk yield
and milk quality and we can collect blood samples to carry out metabolic
profiles. We like to work with your nutritional adviser and supplier
where possible. This way we seek to avoid inadvertent feeding of
an unsuitable ration.
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