Selecting for Feed Efficiency

Feed is the biggest cost on most dairy farms, so cows that turn feed into milk more effectively are valuable. Selecting for it is possible, but it takes care to avoid costs elsewhere.

Key points

Feed efficiency is milk made per unit of feed, accounting for size and stage of lactation.
Most farms measure it with pen-level proxies, not individual intake.
Do not trade away fertility, feet or health to gain efficiency.
Sound feed management usually delivers more than genetics alone.

What feed efficiency means

Feed efficiency describes how much milk or milk solids a cow produces for the feed she eats. A cow that makes more milk from the same intake is considered more efficient. It is a useful idea, but it is easy to misread.

A high-producing cow is not automatically efficient, and a smaller cow with lower intake may use feed very well. The comparison has to account for body size, stage of lactation and the energy needed just to keep the cow alive.

Because feed is such a large cost, even small gains matter over a whole herd. The trick is to chase the right gains without creating new problems.

How it is measured

On a research farm, individual cow intake can be measured with special feeders. Most commercial farms cannot do that, so they rely on practical proxies such as milk per pound of dry matter fed at the pen level, along with body weight and milk component data.

Genetic evaluations may include traits related to feed efficiency. Ask your genetics supplier or the Council on Dairy Cattle Breeding what is currently published, how reliable it is, and how it is calculated.

Your nutritionist can help you turn herd data into something meaningful, such as comparing pens or groups across seasons while allowing for changes in forage quality and weather.

Pen-level milk per unit of dry matter
Components: fat and protein yield
Body weight and body condition score
Published genetic evaluations, where available

Body size and maintenance needs

Larger cows eat more just to maintain their weight. Selecting for smaller or moderate-sized cows can help efficiency, but extremely small cows may have trouble with calving or lower output.

Look at the whole animal. Feet, legs, udder and fertility still matter. A cow that spends part of her life lame, sick or open is not efficient, no matter what her intake numbers say.

Keep records of cows that stay in good condition on the same ration as herd mates. Those cows may be telling you something that no printed evaluation can.

Balance with health and fertility

Selecting hard for efficiency alone can push cows to draw on body reserves, which may hurt fertility and health in early lactation. Watch body condition score on the one to five scale and see that cows are not slipping too far after calving.

Review transition cow management with your nutritionist. Good feed efficiency in the herd depends on cows that are healthy at calving, eat well from the start and stay on feed. Share what you learn with your whole crew. Workers who understand why you chose certain sires are more likely to notice how those cows hold up in the barn, and their observations are worth writing down.

Management matters as much as genetics

Feed quality, ration balance, bunk management, shade, ventilation and cow comfort all affect efficiency. Spoiled or sorted feed wastes money no matter how good the genetics are.

Check the basics each week and work with your nutritionist on forage testing and ration changes. Review feed costs and cow response together at least once a year, because a ration that suited last season's forage may not suit this season's.

Test forages and adjust rations
Push feed up often and remove refusals
Prevent sorting with proper mixing
Keep cows comfortable and cool
Monitor body condition and milk components

What to ask and what to avoid

Before choosing sires for efficiency, ask your supplier and nutritionist these questions.

Avoid chasing a single number. A simple, balanced selection index that includes health, fertility and production usually holds up better over the years than a narrow focus on one trait.

Which efficiency traits are published, and how reliable are they?
How do they relate to size, fertility and health traits?
How will I check results in my own herd?
Is the nutritionist comfortable with the ration and cow response?

Reading results on your own farm

After a few years of using efficiency-minded sires, look at your records. Are cows milking well without losing too much condition? Are fresh cow problems steady or declining? Are components holding up?

Changes in feed prices, forage quality and management can hide or exaggerate genetic progress. Take a long view and talk with your nutritionist before drawing conclusions.

Milk and components per cow
Body condition through lactation
Fresh cow health records
Fertility and days open trends

When to get help: Ask your nutritionist to review rations and cow response before making any selection decisions, and call your veterinarian if cows lose condition quickly, go off feed or have fresh cow health problems.

Sources and further reading

Organization homepages are linked so you can search them for current guidance on this topic.

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