Dr APS Sethi, head of department (HoD), animal nutrition department of Guru Angad Dev Veterinary and Animal Sciences University (GADVASU), said animal feed should be stored safely during monsoons as it can develop mould if it gets wet.
He said feed stores should be well ventilated and stacked in a way such that there is air circulation within rows.
He added that clumpy feeds should not be used to feed livestock and aflatoxin levels should be evaluated at regular intervals.
The livestock sector is one of the fastest growing segments of the agricultural economy. The supply of green forage throughout the year is important for farmers to maintain production from ruminant stock.
Most of the cultivated fodder is grown in the state and only about 7% area is under fodder crops.
Another source of fodder is from grasses and shrubs that grow abundantly on the rangeland and roadsides during the monsoons.
Most of these reach their flowering stage during August-September. Grass that grows during monsoons have large water and fibre content.
The water fills up the stomach and therefore is of no use. This causes animals to pass watery dung.
{{/usCountry}}The water fills up the stomach and therefore is of no use. This causes animals to pass watery dung.
{{/usCountry}}Livestock farmers must chop some of the young grass and dry it in sunlight before feeding. It will absorb water from the grass and will turn it into a good feed.
Rain during harvests can affect quality due to leaching, which leads to movement of water-soluble components out of the forage.
Many of the compounds are highly digestible carbohydrates. Almost one-third of the dry matter leached by rain is soluble carbohydrates.
Generally, lactic acid bacteria produce sufficient acid and reduce pH quickly enough to inhibit clostridia from growing. However, a quick pH drop is more difficult to achieve when forage is wet and/or low in sugars, due to overcast conditions or even rain-leaching.