What grass do cows eat: what can and can not be given and grown for livestock feed

The main source of food for cattle in the summer is green fodder. The product contains a lot of useful substances. But before letting the animals out on the pasture, it is important to find out what kind of grass cows usually eat. You also need to know about poisonous herbs that are dangerous to the he alth and life of cattle. Green fodder is used not only as a summer fodder. Hay is also made from it, which is actively used in the winter diet.

What grass is suitable for cattle feed

There are many varieties of green fodder growing in pastures and meadows. In addition, various types of grasses can be sown by yourself, as well as prepare food for the winter period.

In the pastures

Pasture vegetation is divided into four categories:

cereals;
legumes;
sedge;
forbs.

90% of cereals can be used as food and are highly digestible. The rest are either poorly digested or even dangerous to he alth.

Grains are divided into the following groups:

Hygrophiles. Grow near water or in ponds. This includes reeds, perennial rice and more.
Xerophiles. They grow in the steppe and semi-desert zone. This is fescue, feather grass and so on.
Mesophylls. They prefer mountainous and forested areas. This group includes wheatgrass, foxtail, bent grass and others.
Saline marshes. Inhabitants of steppes, deserts, semi-deserts. Found in s alty soils. This category is represented by mulberry, beskilnitsa, coastal.
Annual plants. Examples include oats, millet, campfire, etc.

The next group is legumes. In the wild, they are found in forests, in flood meadows. This variety of pasture grass is more nutritious and has a more pleasant taste for cows. In addition, the mowing period lasts twice as long.

Of the total number of legumes, 85% are easily digested, 8% are not suitable for human consumption and 5% are poisonous for cattle. Known plants of this species: clover, goat's rue, sweet clover.

The sedge category includes large, moisture-loving plants with hard foliage. In view of these properties, grass is not among the favorites of cattle. The sedge group includes:

moisture-loving inedible plants;
moisture-loving eatables;
well eaten.

The last group of pasture plants is forbs. It includes more than a thousand families, whose representatives grow in mountainous and forest areas, as well as in deserts and semi-deserts. Of these, about half are well-eaten plants, about 40% are poorly digested, and about 10% are poisonous. The most popular herbs in this category are wormwood, dandelion, coltsfoot, horsetail, yarrow.

What can you sow?

Forage grasses are specially grown on artificial pastures, including:

Annuals:

Sudanese grass - a cereal plant, the bush of which reaches 0.5-3 meters in height; characterized by a light green color of leaves that have a lanceolate shape;
ryegrass - grass can reach one meter in height; leaves light green, elongated;
white mustard - grows up to one meter in height; stems covered with hairs; during the flowering period, the bush is framed with white or yellow flowers;
spring vetch - height is one meter; creeping shoots; the plant is high in protein;
phacelia - the stem reaches a height of 0.6-0.9 meters.

Perennial herbs. The advantage of these plants is that they do not need to be planted every year. Among the most common representatives:

alfalfa is a winter hardy and drought tolerant plant characterized by medium height, green ellipsoid foliage and purple flowers;
white clover - has creeping shoots, can grow on clay and sandy soils, quickly adapts to various habitat conditions;
sandy sainfoin - the length of green shoots can reach 0.8 meters, the foliage is green, bare above, pubescent below;
meadow grass meadow - a green bush reaching a height of 0.7 meters.

Artificial pastures are of two types:

short-term;
long-term.

Cultivated pastures are of the following types:

legumes;
cereals;
cereals and legumes.

The choice of crops to be planted is determined by many factors, for example:

climatic conditions;
type of soil;
moisture and acidity of the soil.

What can be made from grass?

In winter, cattle have to be given pre-prepared food. There are four varieties of herbs for winter feeding:

Hay. Roughage, the proportion of wet grasses in which is not more than 17%. To prepare it, do the following:

mow grass in pastures;
dry plants in the sun;
turn them over with a rake from time to time;
collect grass in sheaves or press;
Store in a clean and dry place.

Straw. It is made from dry stems of legumes and cereals. Humidity level - 20%.
Silos.Vegetation is treated with lactic acid bacteria. Humidity - 60%. The blanks are placed in a special pit, root crops, vegetables and sourdough are also laid there. Then they are pressed, covered with a film and a month later the finished product is obtained. The silage has a yellowish tint and a sweet smell.
Hylage. Humidity is 55%. Legumes and legume-cereal plants are used to prepare food.

Poisonous grasses for cows

Cows should not be given the following types of plants:

marsh rosemary (paralyzes vital organs);
warty euonymus (in small amounts provokes bloating and diarrhea, in large doses leads to death);
black henbane (causes convulsions, violent behavior, swelling of the scar);
spotted hemlock (causes weakness, paralysis of the central nervous system, death);
veh poisonous (paralyzes the respiratory tract, provokes increased salivation);
anemone ranunculus (affects the excretory system and gastrointestinal tract);
dope smelly (causes paralysis, leads to malfunction of the heart and brain);
St. John's wort (a cow develops tumors);
buttercups (the plant provokes diarrhea, bloating);
gusset (paralyzes the central nervous system, leads to dysfunction of the cardiovascular system, provokes vomiting and diarrhea).

Feeding livestock with green fodder is the most important component in keeping animals. Both natural and artificial pastures can be used. But at the same time, it is necessary to know which plants are suitable for feeding cows, and which are harmful and life-threatening.