Farming Simulator 22: Cows - breeding, tips FS 22 guide, tips
This page of the Farming Simulator 22 guide describes cow farming and milk production. We also describe the creation of fertilizers - manure and slurry.
Last update: 31 May 2024
On the following page you will learn how to breed cows in Farming Simulator 22 and produce fertilisers (manure and slurry) and milk. You'll also know when it's the best time to sell cows.
Cows are the most expensive breed available in the game. It requires expensive buildings and equipment. The cows produce fertiliser - slurry and manure - with which you will fertilize your fields for free and produce milk. In addition, they gain weight which makes them more valuable and they have offspring, which also grows and gains in value.
- Types of farm houses
- Types of cows
- Reproduction
- Feeding
- Production of TMR
- Collection and use of milk
- Slurry and manure
- Profitability
Types of farm houses
Below is a list of types of farm houses where you can raise cows:
- Pasture: 15 individuals, food capacity - 11 250l (it also requires water supply), price: 75 000EUR (does not have a slurry tank)
- Barn: 45 individuals, food capacity - 34 000l, straw - 22 000l, price: 254 000 EUR
- Large barn: 80 individuals, food capacity - 60 000l, straw - 38 000l, price: 518 500 EUR
- Barn with feed preparation robot: 80 individuals, capacity the same as a large barn, price: 722 500 EUR
In order for the robot in the barn to work properly, you need to put all the elements of mixed feed, not just hay and chaff.
Especially noteworthy is the last type of farm house with automatic feeding function. By supplying mixed feed ingredients to the three sections, the robot will automatically produce balanced feed and deliver it to the cows, as long as the ingredients remain in the prisms. The robot is activated automatically every hour, therefore do not be surprised if, despite the supply of ingredients, the cows still have nothing to eat - it produces the necessary amount, not all the ingredients supplied right away. If you are going to use the purchased feed, you do not have to put it in the robot - you can still feed the cows in the traditional way.
Types of cows
There are 4 species of cows: Brown-Swiss, Holstein, Angus, Limousin. The first two (cheaper) produce milk, however, they gain less value when gaining weight. So you can decide whether you prefer to make money from milk production or "cow production" (the "meat" type does not produce milk).
You can buy cows in three age and price categories (price: dairy cows/meat cows):
- Calves - age 0 months (200 EUR/300 EUR)
- Young cows - age 12 months (1100 EUR/1150 EUR) - these cows are of breeding age,
- Older cows - age 18 months (1550 EUR/1575 EUR) - older cows produce more milk.
Due to the large price difference, it is worth investing in calves, but you will have to store and feed them for a year before they start producing milk and offspring.
Note that depending on the age of the cow, the price of transportation varies (50 EUR/80 EUR/100 EUR) - for this reason it is worth taking care of transportation on your own using a trailer for transporting animals.
Reproduction
Cows breed after reaching the reproductive age (12 months) and with a high level of Health, which is affected by the quality of food. The reproductive period lasts 10 months. Young calves are worth little, so you should wait with selling them for at least a year. One animal produces one offspring.
Reproduction will not begin until the animal's health bar is full. This will only happen once you have met all animal requirements (water/food/straw). Depending on the effectiveness of the food, the health bar will fill up faster or slower. The type of food will not affect the further rate of reproduction.
Feeding
Cows consume grass, hay or mixed feed (TMR), which consists of grass, straw and silage (and optionally mineral feed) - it must be produced in special machines. Only mixed feed will provide them with the maximum productivity of milk production and reproduction. Food efficiency:
- TMR - 100%,
- Hay - 80%,
- Grass - 40%.
If you start with a low budget, you should only be interested in giving them hay, which is sufficient for optimal production and reproduction of cows. To feed the animals, you must have food in bulk form (not bale) and place it inside the building (or at the pasture) by standing on the trailer icon.
Production of TMR
To produce a mixed feed (TMR) that provides 100% production, you only need two things: chaff and hay. You have to mix them in special trailers (or vehicles), which you will find in the animals store tab.
You must fill the trailer or vehicle with hay and chaff in the appropriate proportions, as shown in the window on the left when you approach the machine. The ratio of hay to chaff should be less than 80:20. Therefore, pay attention to what capacity your machine has, so you won't overdo it with the proportions. You can place both loose ingredients and bales inside.
As you can see on the indicators, you can also add mixed feed and straw. In this case, the straw will serve as a feed filler (you will use less hay/chaff), up to 25% of the amount of straw in relation to the rest of the mixture. Mineral feed can also be used as a filler, up to 5% by weight, however it does not affect the feed quality/production efficiency of the cows in any way. You can buy it on a pallet in the store.
The feed is produced only when you put the two main components of the feed in the machine in the right proportions, and the color of the components inside will change to brown. You can leave feed in the barn or on the ground for later.
Self-propelled vehicles with the function of mixing feed have large capacities, but their main function is to collect bulk ingredients directly from the ground.
If you fill the machine with the wrong proportions, you can put some of the feed on the ground. Otherwise, you can also reset the position of the trailer/vehicle on the map - the machine will return to the store and be emptied. However, you will lose everything you have placed in it.
Collection and use of milk
When buying a milk tank, keep in mind that not all are suitable for its transportation - only those that have a blue bottle icon.
To start filling, place the tank in front of the barn, where you can see the small door and the loading icon. Milk is used in production chains. With its help you will produce cheese, chocolate and butter in the dairy.
Slurry and manure
Animals produce slurry all the time, and manure only when you supply them with straw. Straw should be scattered as food - inside the building at the pasture. If you have straw in the form of bales, use a special machine for spreading them - there are two models, the cheaper is KUHN Primor 15070 M.
The second option is to use your trailer/vehicle that mixes the feed. Just fill it with straw. You can scatter it inside the barn. It does not matter whether you fill the machine with bulk product or bales.
A tank for slurry is under the building and comes as part of the set, so to fill the slurry tank, place it under the pipe outside the building and start filling.
Manure production is a bigger problem. For it to be produced, you have to supply straw to the cows. In addition, you must build a tank next to the barn where manure will be stored. Then you can fill the trailer or spreader manually or by positioning yourself at the loading icon located next to the building.
Important: you must build the "manure pile extension" available in the silo construction tab in Build mode, not the regular manure pile that is available in the silos tab.
Profitability
Rounded values. Production and consumption calculated on a monthly basis for 10 animals.
Adult (18 months) dairy cows | Adult (18 months) cows meat | |
Purchase price | EUR 1550 / piece | EUR 1575 / piece |
Food consumption (monthly) | 3500l | 5000l |
Straw consumption (monthly) | 1000l | 1500l |
Manure production (monthly) | 950l | 950l |
Slurry production (monthly) | 2500l | 2500l |
Milk production (monthly) | 1500l | - |
Breeding | Every 10 months | Every 10 months |
- Maximum value of dairy cows: EUR 1500 (at the age of 24 months).
- Maximum value of meat cows: EUR 3500 (at the age of 36 months).
- After reaching the maximum age, cows will lose their value.
- Food consumption, straw consumption and milk production rate will increase with the age of the animals.