Detailed Explanation of Key Technical Points for Winter Feeding and Management of Yellow Cattle
Representative breeds of Chinese yellow cattle include Qinchuan cattle, Nanyang cattle, Luxi cattle, Jinnan cattle and Yanbian cattle. Winter breeding of yellow cattle is very important, so how should feeding and management of yellow cattle be carried out in winter?
In winter, yellow cattle are in a state of feed consumption, and feed utilization rate and slaughter rate are both very low, thus forming a vicious cycle of “full in summer, fat in autumn, thin in winter, weak in autumn”. After a winter, yellow cattle can lose up to 25%-30% of their body condition. To solve this problem, the following technical measures should be taken.
1 Pay attention to heat preservation
The cattle shed should have good heat preservation performance. It should not leak rain, not be drafty, the ground should not be damp, and it should be clean and hygienic. The room temperature should be kept at 10-18°C.
2 Ventilation of the cattle shed
Because the warm shed cattle shed is tightly closed in winter, the temperature difference inside and outside the shed is large, and in addition to cattle breathing and heat dissipation, excretion of manure and urine, and other reasons, the humidity inside the shed is high, and the content of harmful gases such as ammonia, carbon dioxide and hydrogen sulfide is too high, affecting the normal growth and development of cattle. Therefore, the cattle shed must be ventilated and aired in a timely manner.
3 Maintain hygiene
The hygiene of the warm shed cattle shed must be maintained in order to ensure the normal growth and development of yellow cattle. ① Remove cattle manure in a timely manner; cattle manure should be removed every day when feeding the cattle. ② Clean the cattle shed and feed trough; after feeding the cattle every day, sweep up the mixed feed and promptly sweep the feed trough clean. ③ Disinfect the cattle shed once a month, using a 1% concentration sodium hydroxide solution to spray and disinfect the floor and walls of the cattle shed. When the ammonia smell is strong, use peracetic acid for disinfection. White lime can be used for disinfection at the entrance of the cattle shed.
4 Scientific feeding
Feed is the material basis for fattening cattle to gain condition and grow meat, and feed must be reasonably matched. The daily ration is: 5 kg dry green grass, 8 kg silage corn stalks, 10 kg distillers' grains, 3 kg cornmeal, 0.5 kg soybean cake, 100 g urea, 50 g salt. Feed three times a day, namely at six in the morning, twelve noon and six in the afternoon. Feed should be added little by little and frequently. Each feeding time should be 1-1.5 h. Do not let the cattle eat too full, so that the cattle maintain a strong appetite at each feeding, thereby improving feed utilization rate.
5 Provide sufficient drinking water
In winter, cattle mainly eat dry forage, so sufficient drinking water must be provided. Insufficient drinking water not only affects cattle feed intake, but also affects cattle digestion and utilization of feed, making the cattle's coat and skin dry and their spirit poor. Cattle should drink water 2 times/d, and drink water 1 h after feeding. The water supplied should be clean and hygienic, and the temperature should be suitable (about 20°C).
6 Sunbathe more
When the weather is clear, take the cattle out of the shed to bask in the sun, and at the same time brush the cattle's body. This can prevent the occurrence of skin diseases and external parasitic diseases, and can also promote blood circulation, enhance the cattle's resistance to cold, and is extremely beneficial for yellow cattle to gain condition.