Food, it is one of the essentials that all life on earth have in common; we have to eat something. Different species have different requirements and ways of getting food, but we all still have to feed ourselves one way or another. So, you might ask what my post is about today. Well, try to contain your excitement… I’m going to show you how we feed cows through pictures! I’m also going to write about the process.
I’m going to start by showing you from the bunk. When it’s harvest season I will show you about harvesting the feed and what it goes through in the field. We feed the cows at least once. In warmer climates we will feed usually twice a day because the heat will cause the feed to go bad.
This is a feed bunk. Feed is stored in here with a cover over it. The cover keeps it fresh and keeps it out of the elements. This bunk is full of corn silage, which is an important feed stuff in the agricultural industry. Corn is not the only feed we feed cattle, we also feed hay silage, dry hay, minerals and viatmins and many other products and by-products. There are also a few other storage types, but I will not discuss these today.
Before we go any further, I need to have a term lesson. Get your thinking caps on!
Ration – This is what we call the recipe we mix for the cows
Mixer Wagon – This is the device we use to mix the recipe together, it’s used similarly to a blender.
Feed – This is just what we call animal’s food.
Whew, that was not to bad. Alright, with that behind us let’s get to making the feed!
This is our family’s mixer wagon and the tractor we use each day. In the winter we only mix feed once because it’s cold the feed will stay good until the next morning. In the summer we will mix feed twice so the cows always have fresh food in front of them.
The person mixing feed will go to the bunk and take a scoop out and put it into the mixer wagon. Inside the wagon there are knives spinning to make sure the feed is mixed completely uniformed.
Each mixer wagon is equipped with a digital scale. The person that’s mixing the feed has the ration with him or her and they watch how many pounds of each ingredient they put in to make sure it’s as exact as possible. Dairy producers constantly monitor the feed to make sure the cows are getting exactly what they need.
After all the ingredients are added the feed is mixed to the perfect constancy. We mix it all together to make sure the cow gets exactly what she needs in each bite. Not too much or too little. If all of us ate like that we would not have many of the health issues we have today! This is the end product.
Farmers take great care to make sure their animals are fed to their exact needs so they stay healthy. Everything we do on the farm revolves around doing what’s best for their animals and land. More often than not, the animals are fed and taken care of better than we take care of ourselves. This is not just a job, it’s a passion.
Thanks for sharing! It is so interesting to see exactly how cows are fed everyday with all of your equipment. What stuck out to me is that you need a wagon just for mixing the food together for the cows; that’s pretty cool! I really like that you make a specific recipe for them; it shows that you care about their health.
The article has really sparked my interest. I am going to bookmark your web site and continue checking for new posts!
Awesome post. I learn something interesting from different blogs every day of the week. Thanks again for sharing!