SNV Tropical Feed Library for Rumen8

This webpage gives access to the Tropical Feed Library which can be read and used only with the Rumen8 diet formulation software for dairy cows. This Feed Library was developed by the Kenya Market-led Dairy programme (KMDP) of SNV Kenya / Netherlands Development Organization, to support introduction of Rumen8 as an advisory tool to Kenya and the East African dairy sector. Adaptation of the Rumen8 software to tropical areas and the East African context was financially supported by SNV-KMDP and VICTAM Foundation from the Netherlands. KMDP was funded by the Netherlands Government.

The Australian feed library, which is provided with Rumen8, is not adequate for many countries with a tropical climate. Hence the KMDP project developed the Tropical Feed Library. Some of the feeds in the Tropical Feed Library are unique to Africa and are missing in the Australian library. In addition, higher levels of Neutral Detergent Fibre (NDF) and lower levels of crude protein are common in many tropical forages. For such diets it is recommended to use NDF intake (tick under DMI estimation method on the Animal tab) to predict the dry matter intake of dairy cattle in the tropics.

Data for the Tropical Feed Library was obtained from about 10 trusted published sources and currently includes about 230 feedstuffs. The library will remain the intellectual property of SNV and will be expanded and updated from time to time so please check this website regularly for updates.

Before downloading the Tropical Feed Library, it is essential to first install the Rumen8 software.

Download the Rumen8 Software

Once the installation is complete go to the Rumen8 folder (in your Documents folder) and create a new folder named <Shared Library>. Create a second new folder in the Rumen8 directory called <Your Surname Library>. Alternatively, you can name this folder after the farm, organisation or country you want to use it for. Download the SNV Tropical Feed Library here below and save the file SNVFeedLibrary.db3 in the folder Shared Library.

We advise to download the Feed Libraries using Google Chrome as your browser

SNV Tropical Feed Library for Rumen8 can be downloaded here.

The SNV Tropical Feed Library available requires version 3.5.0.0 (or higher) of Rumen8. Before using the library please ensure you are using the latest version of Rumen8 by checking for updates in the Help menu

Then download the empty feed library from the Cowsoko page and save it to the <Your Surname Library> folder. Rumen8 prompts the user when opening an empty feed library so it contains one feed, that the user can delete when populating <Your Surname Library>, to avoid this.

Download Empty Feed Library for Rumen8

To open the SNV Tropical Feed Library start the Rumen8 program which will open with the default Feed Library (usually the Australian Feed Library). Click ‘Edit’ in the left top corner menu of the Rumen8 window and then click on Edit feeds. The Feed Editor window will open. In the bottom right half of the window click on ‘Open’ under Shared Library. Move into the <Shared Library> folder you created earlier and the file SNVFeedLibrary.db3 is visible. Click on it and subsequently click on the ‘Open’ button. Then under the heading User Feed Library click the button Open and move into the folder <Your Surname Library> and open the empty FeedLibrary.db3 you downloaded earlier.

Now you can start populating your own Feed Library by clicking on the <Edit feed parameters> tab of the Feed Editor. The shared feed library cannot be edited so the feeds appear as a light grey instead of black. You must make copies of the feeds that you want to use from the Shared feed library (grey coloured text) by selecting the feed in the list and clicking the <Add Copy> button. The copy will be added to your feed library after clicking <Okay> and you will be able to make changes to it there. Alternatively, you can make a copy of the feed that you just downloaded and save it under a different name before editing its nutritive values. In that case your User library will have e.g. “Maize silage DM <> 30-35%” with the nutritive values of the Shared library and e.g. “Maize silage DM <> 30-35% Farm A” with the nutritive values of Farm A. Once you have made a copy of all the feeds that you need (black coloured text; you can always add more later) click <Select feeds> and close the Shared feed library. You can now work with your personal Feed Library (all feedstuff in black coloured text) which is also called a User Library. It can be edited according to the quality of feed available on the farm based on your observations or available feed analyses. Your User Library is now ready to be used with Rumen8. For more information we refer to the Rumen8 User Guide.

Terms and conditions (disclaimer)

The Rumen8 software and the SNV Tropical Feed Library are provided ‘as-is’, without any express or implied warranty. In no event will the owners of Rumen8 and/or SNV Netherlands Development Organisation be held responsible and/or liable – or will accept liability - for any damages arising from the use of this software and/or the Tropical Feed Library.

While all reasonable efforts have been taken to ensure the accuracy of the Rumen8 application and the Tropical Feed Library, use of the information so provided is at the user’s own risk. To the fullest extent permitted by Australian, Dutch and international law the developers of Rumen8 and SNV Netherlands Development Organisation, disclaim all liability for any losses, costs, damages and the like sustained or incurred as a result of the use of - or reliance upon - the information provided, including liability stemming from reliance upon any part which may contain inadvertent errors, whether typographical or otherwise, or omissions of any kind.