Concentrates are low in fibre and contain high level of carbohydrates, protein and other nutrients. A variety of raw materials such as cholam (jowar), kambu (pearl millet), ragi (finger millet), rice bran, wheat bran, cotton seed cake, mustard cake, linseed cake, groundnut cake, mango seed, neem cake and yellu (sesame) cake can be used to make concentrate feed. The concentrates are fed at the time of milking. This helps in ‘let down’ of milk.
The daily average feed ratio of a milking cow is:
1. 15-25 kg of roughage (dry grass and green fodder)
2. 4-5 kg of grain mixture
3. 100-150 litres of water
For a cow that gives above 2.5 kg milk yield per day, 1 kg of concentrate feed should be given for every additional milk yield.
