Medicinal plant for new-calved cows
The possibility of use the wild plants Artemisia vulgaris L. and Salvia pratensis L. as a prophylactic and stimulating feed additive in the rations of newly calved cows was studied. It was found that the feeding of these phyto-additives during the first 4 - 5 weeks after calving increases the milk productivity of cows by 9,8 %, protein content in milk by 6,5 % and its density. Milk fat content corresponded to the level of metabolism, which was more balanced in the animals receiving the feed additive than in the control cows, which were given only the basic ration. The bactericidal effect of herbal supplements made it possible to exclude the occurrence of clinical mastitis and to reduce the number of somatic cells in the milk of healthy experimental animals by 27,8 % in comparison with healthy control cows.