Feeds & Feeding

Danish dairy cattle

The Danish dairy industry is a global leader in dairy cow productivity. The Danish positition is achieved by modern practices for feeding, breeding, housing and managening dairy cows in the cowfriendly temperate habitat of Denmark.

This page will introduce the Danish practices concerning feeds & feeding of our dairy cattle.

Feeding dry cows

Compact TMR

NorFor feed evaluation

Danish Holstein cows offered a Compact TMR based on grass and corn silage

Feeding dry cows

For decades Danish dry cows were fed a single ration from dryoff until calving. This strategy works fine as long as low-density rations are fed and it is accepted that cows have a moderate yield in early lactation. Feeding rations with high nutrient density before calving is very risky with a one-ration dry cow program.

Phase feeding of dry cows with two or three rations is the solution for herds aiming for high milk production on healthy cows.

With phase feeding a low density ketogenic ration is feed in the Far-OFF period. In Denmark perennial ryegrasses are common feed crops and make up half of the locally produced forage crops. Grass is the dominating ingredient in a Far-OFF ration aimed at having a low nutrient density and being as ketogenic as possible. Straw is used to balance the ration.

In a two-ration program dry cows are moved to a Close-UP ration 17 – 24 days before expected calving. The actual day depend on how many days per week cows are being moved. The aim is to move cows 21 days before expected calving. The magic of phase feeding makes it possible to feed Close-UP dry cows a very high nutrient density up to calving without inducing the traditional overfeeding syndrome of single ration dry cow programmes.

Far-OFF dry cow ration and feeding

In the Far-OFF period cows are fed a low density ketogenic ration. The high fill ensures a low dry matter intake even though the cows have ad lib access to the ration. According to our current understanding it’s of paramount importance that the Far-OFF ration is ketogenic i.e. no starch containing feedstuffs. The ration is based on grass and straw. There is a low demand for mineral supplementation because of the mineral content of grass, the only serious reason for feeding a mineral supplement is to keep the selenium status of the cows.


Feedstuffs and balancing of Far-OFF ration

  • Grass silage, prefer grass silage with low digestibility if available.
  • Straw for balancing digestibility, barley straw to be prefered.
  • Basic mineral premix (e.g. 100 grams/cow of Kvæg basismineralblanding).
  • Balance crude protein concentration to be in range from 12 to 15 % using canola meal or sugarbeet. pulp depending on the protein concentration of the grass.
  • Add water if the ration is very dry > 45 %.
  • Formulate for organic matter digestibility of 65 %.
  • NorFor NEL20 4.9 – 5 MJ/kg DM.
  • The expected intake of large breeds are 12.5 kg DM per cow per day (10.5 kg DM for Jersey).
  • Always feed Far-OFF ration for ad lib intake, dilute with ration with more straw if intakes are too high.
  • Use the Far-OFF ration for drying off cows.
  • An alternative to mixing a Far-OFF ration is to use hay or haylage of mature grasses as Far-OFF ration.
  • Never feed heifers using on Far-OFF ration alone, the nutrient density is too low.

A thoroughly mixed Far-OFF ration ensures that all cows eats the ration and not sort out the highest digestible ingredients. This picture shows cows eating on a Far-OFF ration. Typically mixed for two days.

An alternative to mixing a Far-OFF ration is to feed Far-OFF cows hay or haylage from mature grasses.

Feeding Close-UP dry cows

The magic of phase feeding is not the Far-OFF ration and it is neither the Close-UP ration, it’s the combination of these two rations. The combined effects of Far-OFF and Close-UP feeding enable us to prime the cow for lactating and simultaneously limit her fat mobilization and negative energy balance in early lactation. Many farmers have been scared to see the difference between the rations and feared that the transition from Far-OFF to Close-UP would impose metabolic stress on the cows – studies at Aarhus University doesn’t indicate major stress on the cows when they are introduced to the Close-UP ration 21 days before expected calving.

  • In the Close-UP period is the nutrient density of the ration increased.
  • We aim for a high energy, starch and protein intake in the Close-UP period – one of the benefits is that the cows are adapted to high dietary starch before calving and we don’t need this adaptation after calving.
  • With high intake before calving we have a high risk for hypocalcemia (milk fever) and this risk has to be mitigated by inducing a metabolic acidosis before calving by feeding anionic salts.
  • The Close-UP ration is based on corn silage and canola cake (canola meal if cake is not available)
  • Acidifying properties of the ration is balanced using magnesium chloride, eventually in combination with ammonium chloride and / or calcium chloride.
  • Typically, the Close-UP ration is formulated for a dry matter intake of 13.5 kg DM per cow per day, however, often cows eats more and there is no limit.
  • The ration is formulated to contain at least 13 % crude protein.
  • Don’t use conventional dry cow mineral premixes in combination with magnesium chloride, use only mineral premixes formulated without magnesium. In Denmark there are several mineral premixes available for Close-UP rations acidified with magnesium chloride:
    • Vilomix Novamin Gold NBK (90 grams per cow per day)
    • DLG Goldko Close UP Ammon (90 grams per cow per day)
    • NutriMix Gold Ammon CloseUp 25 kg (90 grams per cow per day)
  • Formulate the Close-UP ration with a DCAD if -75 to -95 meq./kg DM.
  • The urine pH of the Close-UP dry cows is monitored when starting a phase feeding program. The urine pH of Close-UP dry cows fed the ration for at least three days must never be above 6.5. Most often all cows have urine pH below 6. Look out for variation between cows, if there are cows with high pH there is a error in your system you have to find and correct.
  • Heifers can be fed the Close-UP ration the last month of pregnancy, however, there is no benefit from the acidification to heifers and the Close-UP ration is not recommended for heifers. The Close-UP ration can be diluted with 20 – 25 % (DM basis) grass silage, and hereby make up a ration for heifers with all the good properties of the Close-UP ration, however, with the grass dilution the ration is no longer acidic.
  • Be careful when mixing the Close-UP ration it is often a small mix that needs careful weighing and also be sure that there is no carryover in the mixer from the previous ration.
  • Postassium sorbate can be use to stabilize the Close-UP ration (e.g. from a premix like Hygiene4Feed).

Be sure that you don’t have major carryover in the feed mixer when mixing a Close-UP ration – it will most likely destroy the acidification and remove the protection from hypocalcemia.

Be very careful with the separtion of feed groups when feeding an acidified Close-UP ration. If cows, as shown here, can reach an unintended ration it will destroy the acidification and remove the protection from hypocalcemia.

Important to understand the need for separation of rations between feed groups during unload and push up of feed.

If mixing a Close-UP ration every other day is not a practical solution it is possible to ensile the Close-UP ration and take out from the silo over a longer period.

Several KvægInfo reports describes fhase feeding: