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Brief Introduction to Cattle Feeds and Digestion

11/3/2011

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By Larry Maraggay
Cattle are herbivorous animals that are kept by many people all over the world. They are grouped as ruminants mainly because they feed on grass and from them, human beings are able to acquire money, milk,  beef and hides. However, in order to acquire all these products from the cattle, it is required of you to feed them with the right amount of food and water as well as the suitable quality of feeds. Normally, cattle are fed on grass since it is the most immediate feed and it is always readily available.  Feeding cattle with grass however has a number of advantages as pertaining to the product received once the cattle have been slaughtered. Research has proven that grass fed beef has less of an environmental impact than the conventionally produced counterparts do. The basic reason to this is that grass, which is grouped, as an organic material does not have any chemical additives that may interfere with the normal digestion of the animal. Therefore the product from the animal is pure and without any artificial additives. Inorganic additive given to cattle may in one-way or another affect human beings once they are taken in because some of those chemicals may fail to get digested in the animal´s tract and they may be stored in the animal´s body so once the beef is consumed, severe side effects may arise in the consumer.

Normally, when you feed cattle with corn stuffs and grass, there is a difference in the process of digestion. This is because the cattle’s stomach is made for the digestion and turning of grass into proteins. Therefore, when a cow is fed on corn, it suffers from bloat. This is because, when an animal is eating corn, a layer of slime forms over the corn mass in the rumen and it does not allow the gas that is produced in the rumen to escape. Therefore, the rumen begins to expand until it presses up the lungs of the animal. This may cause death if nothing is done since the animal will strain during breathing. Something else that happens when cattle are fed on corn is that, the level the acidity in the cattle´s rumen may increase. When this happens, the acid may gradually eat away the wall of the rumen causing little lesions through which bacteria can pass. If the bacteria enters into the bloodstream of the animal, and travels down to the liver, the liver may end up being affected. It is therefore advisable to feed cattle with grass because, grass contains a minimal amount of proteins and acidity that is easy to handle by the animal hence the animal will not suffer from bloat or lesions in the rumen. When cattle are fed on corn stuffs, we realize that most of the digestion that takes place only happens in the rumen and with time, the animal starts to suffer from bloat. Yet, if an animal is fed on grass, normal digestion will take place in all the four chambers of the digestive tract. The grass will be fermented in the rumen, and then it will be passed on into the reticulum where bacteria will break it down and extract the nutrients. From the reticulum, the digested food is passed to the omasum where larger particles areseparated from the smaller ones and then the smaller particles are allowed to pass to the next chamber. In the abomasum, all the remaining proteins are broken down and sent through the blood for storage and use by the animal.

Cattle are very important to human beings. Each community in the world has its own belief on the importance of cattle. Cattle are a source of food to human beings. Their flesh is consumed and in turn, human beings are able to acquire nutrients such as proteins from their meet. Cattle also provide manure, which is normally used as an organic additive in the farm. It is believed that during digestion, not all the nutrients in the animal feeds are exhausted and so they are passed out as waste by the animal. This waste, normally known as manure is added to farms and the growing plants are able to extract the nutrients from there and use them to make their own food. Cattle are a source of hide. Their skin, once removed is used to make shoes, clothes or handbags. In some communities, cattle are a form of prestige. It is believed that when you have many cattle, then you are a very rich person in the community. In some communities, cattle are used to pay bride price for a woman who is about to get married. Another benefit of cattle to human beings is that, they are a source of wealth. When cattle are sold for trade or slaughter the owner of the cattle is able to acquire income from the buyer and in turn use the money to start up other businesses. Cattle are also a source of security to the owner. In case one wants to get a loan from a bank, then he/she can use the cattle as a form of security if funds are not available.

Organic feeds are the type of feeds that grow naturally in the fields. Such feeds include grasses, hay, and fodder. They contain the right amount of nutrients and cattle are able to feed on them directly from the fields .Depending with where they grow, the risk of the feeds causing diseases to the cattle are minimal therefore this reduces the cost of maintaining the animals. Therefore, feeding cattle on organic feeds is the most economical way of sustaining your cattle. The reason being that it is rather cheap and one does not have to buy any of these feeds, as most of them are naturally available. The organic feeds are also healthy to the cattle since they do not have any chemical additives. Cattle feeding on organic additives mature normally compared to those that feed on inorganic ones.
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