Corn silage<\/em> \u2013 this is where we take the entire corn plant (stalk, cob, husk and kernels) and chomp it into tiny particles. Corn silage is a popular forage for cows because it is high in energy and easily digested. <\/p>\nHigh moisture corn<\/em> \u2013 we combine the corn at a high moisture (around 25%) and store only the corn kernel in our silo. The kernel is then hammered into very fine pieces almost like a dust and added to the ration. The starch is easily digestible. <\/p>\nDry Hay<\/em> \u2013 The alfalfa is allowed to dry and baled at a low moisture (18-20%). The alfalfa hay is baled and are 3\u2019x3\u20198\u2019 and weigh around 800 pounds. <\/p>\nHaylage<\/em> \u2013 Alfalfa is chomped at a higher-moisture (50 \u2013 60%) and stored in our silo where the forage ferments and is preserved. Dry hay and haylage are both fed for protein and fiber. Since the cows are ruminants, they are very efficient at digesting fiber. <\/p>\nEach group of cows has a specific ration which they are fed daily by Chef Donald (my Dad). <\/p>\n
\n- The heifers eat between 10-30 pounds (depending on their size) of high-moisture corn, alfalfa and pellets.<\/li>\n
- The dry cows consume around 50 pounds of wheat straw, grass hay, corn gluten, corn silage and mineral. The mineral changes as they closer (within a few weeks of calving). <\/li>\n
- The milk cows eat around 100-110 pounds of feed daily. Their ration includes dry hay, corn gluten, corn silage, protein, high moisture corn and corn silage. <\/li>\n<\/ul>\n
Free choice water is always available to all of our animals, regardless of age. A cow producing 100 pounds of milk will drink about 30 gallons of water and produce 45 pounds of urine and 120 pounds of manure.<\/p>\n
It takes a village to raise a child and it takes an amazing team of professionals to manage a successful dairy farm from generation to generation. <\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"
I recently saw this meme floating around Facebook. Sitting here eating my super tasty Prairie Farms roasted red pepper dip with some crackers, I pondered this question: Nanny \u2013 Nah. We have a pretty amazing babysitter who cares for our kids daily from 7-5. Personal shopper \u2013 I\u2019ll pass. I truly do not mind grocery […]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":2,"featured_media":2621,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"_genesis_hide_title":false,"_genesis_hide_breadcrumbs":false,"_genesis_hide_singular_image":false,"_genesis_hide_footer_widgets":false,"_genesis_custom_body_class":"","_genesis_custom_post_class":"","_genesis_layout":""},"categories":[398,395],"tags":[588,586,587,589,300,355,585,584],"yoast_head":"\n
What do dairy cows eat at our family farm? ~ Mackinson Dairy Farm<\/title>\n<meta name=\"description\" content=\"Have you ever wondered what a dairy cows eats? In order for our cows to provide us with a high quality product (milk) we work very close with our nutritionist.\" \/>\n<meta name=\"robots\" content=\"index, follow, max-snippet:-1, max-image-preview:large, max-video-preview:-1\" \/>\n<link rel=\"canonical\" href=\"https:\/\/mackinsondairy.com\/your-cows-eat-what\/\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:locale\" content=\"en_US\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:type\" content=\"article\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:title\" content=\"What do dairy cows eat at our family farm? ~ Mackinson Dairy Farm\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:description\" content=\"Have you ever wondered what a dairy cows eats? 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![\"\"](\"https:\/\/mackinsondairy.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2017\/10\/FB_IMG_1508874778296.jpg\")
<\/a>I recently saw this meme floating around Facebook. Sitting here eating my super tasty Prairie Farms roasted red pepper dip with some crackers, I pondered this question:<\/p>\n![\"\"](\"https:\/\/mackinsondairy.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2017\/10\/20170220_162907-01-228x300.jpeg\")
<\/a>On our farm, right after a calf is born they receive colostrum.<\/h4>\n