• A sudden introduction to a diet that differs from the previous one ( even if it ’ s only forage ) could cause acidosis , rumenitis , red gut and other rumen related disorders .
• Why :
• These feeds commonly contain highly digestible nutrients , like energy in the form of starch , which can cause sickness in an unadapted animal .
• The fibre lengths of pelleted feed is too short ( between 3 to 12mm in length ). Longer fibre length allows the rumen optimal rumination , slowing the passage rate of feed , and allowing all the microbes a chance to do their job .
• Another point to remember is if some of the animals should get a full belly of this feed for a few days , they will run the risk of possibly getting ill and being diagnosed with one of the above mentioned disorders .
• Self-mix semi adlib feeds should have the fibre lengths of greater than 2.5 to 3.5cm . Diets with longer fibre lengths , allow the rumen to work properly . When self-mix feeds satisfy the above mentioned criteria and are then compared to pellets , the feed poses less of a risk to the animal ( rumen related disorder ), if and when an animal should over eat . These also need to be fed gradually increasing the intake over a few weeks .
• REMEMBER : ADDLIB HAY MUST ALWAYS BE SUPPLIED IN A SEPARATE BOWL
Water and water supplements
• Fresh , clean water should be supplied to the animals daily .
• Water bowls need to be cleaned periodically
• Do not place the feed bowls to close to the water source , the animals will simply walk from the feed to the water , and what is still in their mouths will fall into the water , so by letting the animals walk a few hundred meters to the water , they will have enough time to actually swallow the feed
• If there are any concerns about the quality of the water , get the water analysed for its chemical composition . Send the results to a qualified animal nutritionist or veterinarian with a good background in water quality for interpretation . After paying for the analysis and advice – follow it !
• Water should be offered to animals in clean square or volume-based water containers – where it is easy to determine the amount of water at any given time .
• There are supplements on the market that can be added to water ;
• Mineral supplements
• Mineral and vitamin supplements
• Supplements that assist in digesting browse and graze in the dry months .
2016 JULY 11