But milk fat percentage usually decreases as forage consumption declines. Some wet feed, such as silage, stimulates intake in a TMR, provided you feed the ration frequently. Wet TMRs spoil rapidly. Therefore, feed only what cows clean up and feed more frequently. Because intake is reduced during hot weather, the concentration of nutrients in the ration should be increased.
Energy can be a problem with less feed intake.
The addition of fat to the ration at one-half to two pounds per head per day improves milk production and bodyweight gain in high producing cows. Some dairy producers claim to have better milk production during hot weather, when feeding Vitamin A at twice the NRC minimum requirement or up to 150,000 units daily per cow. Increasing mineral consumption also may be beneficial. Feed complete mineral mixes with higher potassium and sodium levels only to the milking cows. If fed to dry cows, these mineral mixes may cause increased udder edema.