Rumen acidosis occurs at 60% of all high-productive dairy farms. The pH in the rumen of animals affected by rumen acidosis is too low (less than 5.5; normal is 6.5 to 7.0), causing the rumen flora to malfunction. This results in disappointing milk production, low protein and fat contents and problems concerning fertility and claw health.
Rumen acidosis is a metabolic disease of cattle. It is usually associated with the intake of large amounts of highly fermentable, carbohydrate-rich feeds, which result in the excessive production of acids in the rumen. The increased acid causes the rumen to stop moving (atonic). This depresses appetite and production. Besides that, the change in acidity changes the rumen flora, the acid-producing bacteria will take over. They produce more acid, making the rumen acidosis even worse. The acid is absorbed through the rumen wall, causing metabolic acidosis, which in severe cases can lead to shock and death.
Rumen acidosis causes a lot of losses in dairy farming. Its symptoms are thin, poorly digested manure and poor cattle performance. The main cause of rumen acidosis is insufficient fibre in the animals’ rumen.
Many dairy farmers add extra fibre, such as straw and hay, to their animals’ feed rations or increase the proportion of stems in their grass. However, such measures lower the average feed value. The right solution to the problem is to combine effective fibre with feed value. This will minimise the risk of rumen acidosis and ensure healthy cattle with a high milk production.
The aforementioned symptoms affect your cattle’s health. They can be prevented with Barenbrug’s NutriFibre. Soft-leaf tall fescue combines effective fibre, enhancing your cattle’s rumen activity, with digestible cell walls, ensuring a high feed value. NutriFibre enables you to feed your cattle maximum amounts of concentrated feed without any risk of rumen acidosis.
NutriFibre has proven to be successful in practice. A feed ration containing NutriFibre ensures much better rumen activity than a standard feed ration. The new technology greatly reduces the occurrence of rumen acidosis, partly because the soft-leaf tall fescue stimulates your cattle to ruminate more and produce greater amounts of saliva. Silage containing NutriFibre enhances cows’ rumen activity and reduces the risk of rumen acidosis, making for healthier cattle that perform better.
Healthy cattle are any dairy farmer’s prime concern. NutriFibre offers your cattle silage with more effective fibre, substantially lowering the risk of rumen acidosis.
NutriFibre® is the new grass technology for silage. The foundation of NutriFibre® is soft-leaf tall fescue, a development stemming from the Royal Barenbrug Group’s international breeding programme NutriFibre® technology combines mineral efficiency, high protein production, digestible, effective fibre-rich cell walls and rooting intensity.
