Vitamin A: vision, immunity and winter feeding
Vitamin A is a fat-soluble vitamin that animals need for vision, immunity, reproduction and healthy skin and mucous membranes. Ruminants on green pasture get most of it from carotene, while animals on stored forage often need a supplement.
When does a herd need a vitamin A supplement?
Fresh green forage is rich in carotene, which the body turns into vitamin A. Long storage, sun-bleached hay and a winter ration of stored feed all cut that supply, so herds housed for months often need a supplement. Needs are given in international units per head per day or per kilogram of ration dry matter. Take the amount from the product label and the ration plan, not from habit, because too much vitamin A can be harmful.
Questions from the farm
Is more vitamin A always better?
No. Too much vitamin A can be harmful, so the dose must follow the product label and the ration plan.
How HerdMobile helps
Bring your animals, feed stocks and farm accounts together on your Android phone. HerdMobile keeps your daily work moving offline: record events, compare feed quantities and follow sales and payments in one place. Use your own feeds and herd information to prepare a ration, then keep a backup file under your control.
In HerdMobile you record a vitamin supplement with its stated dose, so you always know the date and amount each animal or group received.
