Quality assessment of the feed in dairy cows diet from a Bucovina Farm

Abstract

The study was conducted on a cattle farm with a number of 200 cows located in Bucovina County. With the help of the information received from the staff employed on the farm and through the visual examination, assessments were made on the technology of raising dairy cattle, the hygiene and welfare conditions on the farm and on the animal feed. A number of 4 feed samples were collected, representing all the feed used in the feed of these categories of dairy cows, both components and mixtures administered to animals. Sampling was done individually and was conditioned shortly after harvest by relative drying and grinding. The organoleptic examination was performed, the crude chemical composition was determined, the mycotoxicological examination was performed and the aflatoxin and zearalenone content was determined. The results obtained indicated an adequate quality of the fodder from the organoleptic point of view and of the crude chemical composition. Following the mycotoxicological examination, it was found that the fodder was contaminated with aflatoxin B1 in all the samples examined, but no sample exceeded the maximum permitted values, and with regard to the zearalenone values in the samples we analyzed, we found that the values recorded in lucerne hay, natural hay and concentrate for dairy cows were below the maximum limits imposed, instead the corn silo showed values that exceed twice the maximum values allowed by regulations for calves and dairy cows, respectively, we recorder a value of 1098,41 μg/kg.