47. Kiwifruit as a feed for ruminants

Sliced on our morning cereal or perched on top of our iconic New Zealand dessert Pavlova, kiwifruit deliver a tasty powerpack of valuable nutrients for us humans. What about ruminants? Are reject kiwifruit from your local packhouse equally as good for our dairy cows and other animals on farm? Yes! A valuable source of energy delivered largely as water soluble carbohydrates, whole kiwifruit can be a very useful feed.  However… as for any byproduct feed, kiwifruit may not always meet our expectations as a stockfeed.

Join us for this latest podcast that explores the good, the bad and the (occasionally) ugly aspects of kiwifruit as a feed for ruminants, with a specific focus on kiwifruit feeding to lactating dairy cows.

Although this is a kiwifruit-focused topic, we include content that applies equally to the feeding of other byproduct fruit and vegetables. Enjoy!

Where to find the various topics within this podcast:

2.35 Overview of the episode

5.35 The nutritive value of kiwifruit – “so changeable as the fruit ripens”

6.45 Water soluble carbohydrates (WSC)

7.45 Neutral detergent fibre (NDF)

8.30 Crude protein (CP)

10.40 Ash and mineral content

13.10 Risk of rumen acidosis associated with kiwifruit feeding

19.00 Best practice approaches to minimise risk of rumen acidosis when feeding kiwifruit

20.30 The importance of knowing your kiwifruit on a dry matter (DM) basis - and not just a wet weight basis

21.35 Gradual adaptation by ruminants to a kiwifruit diet

22.40 The protective role of a rumen-full of long stem fibre in reducing risk of rumen acidosis

23.10 Day to day consistency when feeding kiwifruit is the key!

23.50 Maximum daily amounts of kiwifruit you can feed to dairy cows. The answer? “It depends”

25.05 Feed planning with kiwifruit – the “Three Versions” of a diet that contains kiwifruit

27.30 The role for Kiwi ingenuity and innovation when feeding kiwifruit

33.15 Handling kiwifruit storage on farm

34.00 What to do if kiwifruit is overripe?

35.00 Are rumen additives protective against kiwifruit-induced acidosis?

37.00 Risk of “choke” and rumen bloat with kiwifruit feeding

41.00 Know how much your kiwifruit are costing you. Converting $ per tonne wet weight to $ per tonne DM

44.15 The paperwork. Dairy Feed Declaration. Making sure your kiwifruit are fit to feed

45.45 Preventing birds from eating your stockpiled kiwifruit, helping out your local Regional Council.