Feed additives and supplements for dairy cattle
Mineral supplements for dairy cattle are mixtures of vitamins and minerals. These dairy cattle feed supplements are typically fed to animals to deal with deficiencies. Dairy feed additives are compounds fed to dairy cows for reasons other than supplying nutrients. Feed additives for dairy cows increase production and feed efficiency of dairy cows or improve health, improving lactational performance of dairy cattle. Selko offers a range of dairy feed additives and mineral supplements for dairy cattle, in combination with services and protocols to help you optimise the performance of your dairy herd. This range of dairy cattle feed additives and mineral supplements for dairy cattle includes dairy feed additives that:
- Improve cow rumen fermentation and hindgut health of dairy cows
- Reduce the impact of negative energy balance on dairy cow performance
- Reduce the incidence of subclinical and clinical milk fever in dairy cows
- Increase the lactational performance of dairy cows and the production of milk solids
- Improve fertility of dairy cattle
The range of mineral supplements for dairy cattle includes trace mineral dairy feed supplements without sulfates. Mineral supplements for dairy cattle that contain sulfate sources of trace minerals are known to negatively affect rumen health and gut barrier function42. All of our trace mineral dairy feed supplements and dairy cattle feed additives are based on the latest scientific insights about the transition management of dairy cows and are presented to you under the Selko programme for sustainable dairy farming umbrella.
Choosing the correct mineral supplements for dairy cattle.
Dairy cattle feed supplements containing sulfate salts of trace minerals can be toxic to bacteria in the rumen and in the hindgut and can also hurt the gut barrier function. This will reduce fibre digestibility and increase the risk of a “leaky gut” in dairy cows. Replacing dairy feed supplements containing sulfate salts of trace minerals with Selko IntelliBond mineral supplements for dairy cattle containing the hydroxy form will increase by 2% of total tract NDF digestibility. Using high-quality mineral supplements for dairy cattle that are based on independent research will lead to a significant improvement in lactational performance.
The heritage of phytogenic feed additives for dairy cattle
Selko phytogenic feed additives in dairy cattle are based on a heritage that is 2,000 years old. More than 800 plants have been identified with a known effect on virtually every body function of humans and animals. Many of these plants could have a potential benefit if used in dairy feed additives, but only less than 10 of these plant extracts have been commercialized in phytogenic feed additives in dairy cattle.
Most phytogenic feed additives in dairy cattle are essential oils containing natural plant extracts. Producing dairy cattle feed additives with plant extracts of consistent quality requires expert knowledge in a variety of fields. In the early stages of the development of feed additives for dairy cattle, plant extracts are produced from plants harvested from the wild. The amount of extract present in the plant varies between the plants tested. Once a plant extract that can be used to develop dairy feed additives has been identified and characterized, the genetic variant with the highest yields needs to be domesticated. This will enable the producer to grow a few thousand plants that are identical and will yield similar amounts of plant extracts, which can subsequently be used in phytogenic feed additives in dairy cattle.
Most feed additives for dairy cows that contain plant extracts need to be encapsulated to ensure delivery at the target organ in the animal. There are only a few laboratories in the world that master this encapsulation technique for dairy feed additives, which makes this technique one of the unique assets used in Selko feed additives for dairy cattle.
