57. Lactating cattle should be fed according to milk output, stage of lactation and body condition. Feeding should be accurately and frequently monitored by checking weights and composition of feed offered. Any changes in the diet should be planned and the ration phased in slowly (paragraph 240).
58. The use of feed of animal origin should be avoided unless very careful studies have demonstrated its safety for cattle and fool-proof feed treatment procedures are used (paragraph 241).
59. Sufficient trough space should be available, commensurate with the size of cow, to allow all animals to feed at once. Consideration should be given to the shy cows and heifers. In most circumstances, self-feed silage faces should be augmented with silage in ring feeders or troughs (paragraph 243).
60. When only concentrated dry feeds are fed, amounts should be limited to a maximum of 4 kg in any one feed (for example, per milking) to reduce the risk of rumen acidosis and other metabolic disorders (paragraph 244).
61. Alternative feeds should be made available ad libitum when concentrates and/or the energy density of the feed is reduced, such as in mid-to-late lactation or to reduce milk production (paragraph 245).
62. Water troughs of sufficient capacity and suitable design, or other sources of water, should be readily available within any grazing area where there is not an adequate natural supply of potable water (paragraph 246).
63. The supply of drinking water should be matched to the number of cattle and peak demand and sufficient water be available to allow at least 10% of housed cattle to drink at any one time (paragraph 247).
64. Cows should be offered at least 5% more than their expected daily intake of complete trough-fed feeds. Surplus feed should be removed daily to maintain freshness as old and stale feed can taint and contaminate fresh feed and lead to reduced intake (paragraph 248).
65. If cows of high genetic potential are being introduced into a herd, appropriate advice on nutrition should be sought (paragraph 249).
66. Dry cows should be dried off abruptly and put on a palatable forage diet, low in protein and energy, to maintain body condition. A suitable ration should be offered from 2-3 weeks before calving (paragraph 250).
67. Where animals are isolated for treatment, feed and water must be available. The feed should not be appreciably different from that normally on offer to the animals (paragraph 251).