Article by Dr Carel Muller
Directorate: Animal Sciences, Research & Technology Development Services,
Elsenburg
T
he correct feeding of dairy cows is the cornerstone of a successful dairy farm. The feeding
cost of dairy cows in a herd constitutes approximately 60-75% of the total production
cost of milk. As milk is the main source of income for a
dairy farm, the total daily milk yield and the feeding
costs of all the animals in the herd are therefore the
main factors affecting the farm’s profitability. For this
reason, cows with the highest genetic merit for milk
production should therefore be used in the herd. These
cows should be fed in such a way that the highest milk
yields are produced at the lowest feeding cost. Cows
producing the most milk at the same concentrate level
use less feed for maintenance resulting in a higher
gross margin above feed cost (Table 1).
Table 1. The effect of the daily milk yield on feed intake, feed cost, percentage used for maintenance requirements
and income above feed costs for a 400 kg dairy cow
Milk yield
Feed intake
Feed cost*
Maintenance
Income*
(kg/day)
0
(kg/day)
10.1
(R)
26.26
(%)
100
(R)
–26.26
5
11.0
28.60
71
–12.60
10
11.9
30.94
54
1.06
15
14.1
36.66
44
11.34
20
15.8
41.08
37
22.92
25
17.6
45.76
32
34.24
30
19.4
50.44
29
45.56
35
22.0
57.20
25
54.80