# What nutrients does a cow need (in general)



## LuandLu24 (11 January 2015)

I'm not sure if this is allowed but if there are any farmers or cow no it alls i need your help!

What nutrients do cows need? it's part of my uni work and i'm really stuck as google is useless haha. 

I need to know all the different nutrients like how much protein etc.

Thanks.


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## jrp204 (11 January 2015)

http://www.hhmix.co.uk/products/dairy-feed/


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## Exploding Chestnuts (11 January 2015)

A cow: milch of beef? young or old? in-calf? ...........a  dry cow or a milking cow, a beef stock herd or beef fattening. Calves get a special diet as well: with dairy breeds they are usually bucket fed milk and weaned on to nuts and hay early. Beef calves stay with their mothers for  6 to 10 months.
In general one feeds youngsters silage in winter and grass in summer.
When they are being milked they get fed concentrates according to their milk yeild and stage of lactation with a basic maintenance diet of plenty of silage.
http://www.traffordgold.co.uk/diet-rationing/dairy-cows/
ME = Metabolic equivalent [energy, measured in MegaJoules , usually]]
CP = Crude Protein
DM = Dry Matter
NDF is Non Digestible Fibre [I think]


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## i-love-wellies (11 January 2015)

As bonkers 2 said it very much depends on the type,life stage and body condition score of the cow. For instance a dry dairy cow will have a very different diet to a recelty calved cow thats milking twice per day- as the milking cows maintence requirements are much higher than that of a dry cow. Her requirements for energy and minerals such as calcium will be much higher due to the physiological pressures of producting so much milk. In fact usually the cows maintence reuirements at this time are so high that she cannot physically comsume enough to maintain herself ans she will go into negative energy balance (NEG) this is where she is basically giving out more energy than she can take in. They all need a certain level of protein, fiber, vitimans and minerals etc but it will vary greatly. On a grass based system the aim is for the cows to live of the grass as much as possbile in spring/summer without the need for concentratres. If your looking at places like the US though those cows will be different again as they are not grass based systems!!


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## Exploding Chestnuts (11 January 2015)

Now I have been searching for something clear, yet scientific to put in your project, try page 7 onwards
http://www.eblex.org.uk/wp/wp-conte...growingandfinishingcattleforbetterreturns.pdf
NDF is some new idea but relates to fibre which cows can digest, which is most fibre.
Don't forget ad lib fresh water, this is considered a nutrient by most, but not by nutritionists!


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