Don't give cattle sweaty grain

After harvesting, fermentation processes are still ongoing in fresh grain, and this must be taken into account in the context of the prevention of diarrhea in cattle.

The German cattle nutrition specialist, Prof. Dr. Manfred Hoffmann, recalled an important nuance in the article.

“When fed with fresh grain, cattle always experience severe digestive disorders, reduced feed intake and relaxation (diarrhea), as well as various consequences of rumen disturbance. This is always associated with a short-term increase in somatic cells (number of cells) in milk. Digestive disorders occur in all varieties and breeds of cattle, regardless of age.

The reason for the violations is that the life processes in the grain have not yet been completed by the time of harvesting.

In the first days and weeks, an enzymatically controlled ripening takes place, which can be more or less intense depending on the degree of ripeness.

Fine-grained components, which are mainly composed of starch, glucans and pentosans, undergo a de-swelling process during which the individual components are chemically, physically and structurally transformed. The grain's own enzymes (starch-splitting amylases, protein-converting proteinases and fat-splitting lipases, as well as electron-releasing oxidases) are responsible for this. This process produces water and releases carbon dioxide. The grain, as they say, "sweats". It is extremely important at this stage to ensure sufficient aeration of the grain, otherwise mold and yeast can multiply. Over time, the activity of enzymes and, consequently, the intensity of metabolism decreases, and the grain becomes stable. These processes take 4 to 6 weeks.

Therefore grain must be stored professionally for at least 4 weeks after harvest and before it can be used as feed.

This means a dry matter content of over 86 percent and no mold at all.

As with any feed, there are certain restrictions on the types of grains due to their specific ingredients and properties, i.e. indicative values ​​for the maximum amount that should be fed per animal per day. The required quantity is determined by the calculation of the cost and ration.

If one type of grain is used for dairy cows, the limit is usually 4 kg per cow per day (650 kg bw), excluding corn and oats.

When using two types of grain, the amount can increase from 5 to a maximum of 6 kg.

If animals have hoof problems, the consumption of wheat or wheat products should be largely avoided.

When using purchased compound feed, it is necessary to know the appropriate type of grain and its proportion in order to comply with the restrictions and correctly calculate the ration.