Belington progressive. [volume] (Belington, W. Va.) 1912-1927, 1913-01-16
PROPER RATIONS
FOR DAIRY COWS
No Dairyman Can Afford To
Be Without Corn
Silage
PROTEIN is ALSO ESSENTIAL
The Cost of Feed May Be Reduced BY
Farmers Clubs Ordering Car
load Shipments.


At this time of the year, when dairy
cows are off pasture and have to be fed
grain to keep up a good flow of milk,
the question naturally presents itself,
what grain should feed?" The dairy
COW, in order to maintain her physical
vigor and yield large flow of milk,
must receive sufficient food nutrients
to maintain her body weight without
losing flesh, to supply the nutrients in
in the milk, and, if carrying calf, to
grow that calf to weigh about rs
pounds when born.
The various nutrients contained In
the feeding stuffs used to build up and
maintain the animal body and to pro-
duce milk may be divided into few
classes-water, ash, fat, carbohydrates
and protein. All feeds contain these
substances in varying amounts. The
most important of these nutrients for
milk production is protein, and 1t
forms nearly one-third of the solid ma
terials found in milk Protein is also
essential in growing the calf in foetus.
Every feeder of dairy cattle should
provide himself with table showing
the digestibility Of the various feeds,
Farmers Bulletin No. % can be gotten
by asking for it from the Department
of Agriculture, Washington, D. G. This
bulletin contains such table.
For the COW giving a large
amount of milk the roughage
containing high percentage of
digestible protein should be fed,
such as clover and alfalfa hay. Corn
silage is also roughage, although 1t
does not contain grain corn. Silage
has another advantage over most feeds
in that 1t adds succulence to the ration
and the COW always responds best to
succulent ration. Silage is the cheap
est feed which the farmers can grow,
and no dairyman can possibly afford to
be without at least one silo.
Generally it is good policy to feed all
the rough feed the COW will clean up,
and feed just as much concentrated
or grain feeds as is necessary to sup
ply the needed nutrients. Where good
clover or alfalfa hay and corn silage
are available less Of the concentrates
high in protein need be fed. Corn is
a poor grain to feed without adding
some other concentrate high in pro-
tein, because it is low IN protein. Oats
is high in protein, and If not too high
in price, Is a good feed to feed with
corn. Very often oats sells low enough
so that 1t may be used in the dairy
ration as source of protein.
What other feeds shall be fed will
be largely determined by what is avail
able 1t is nearly always possible to
get cotton seed meal, and this concen-
trate at the customary prices furnishes
protein at the lowest cost, because 81
per cent of the total protein is digesti-
BILE. Not more than two or two and
half pounds of 1t should be fed a day
and this making up not more than one
third of a mixed ration. Variety is de-
sirable in the dairy ration, so it is al
ways best to feed cotton seed meal
with other feeds, like corn and some
other feed more bulky, like ground
oats or wheat bran. Cotton seed meal
is a constipating feed, SO that 1t is all
ways fed with best results with corn
silage, which is laxative. Where no
corn silage is fed, linseed oil meal Gold
process) should be fed, as this is
laxative and furnishes cheap protein.
This can be fed in about the same
amount as cotton seed meal, and never
alone, but always in mixed ration.
There are other feeds on the market
a little less concentrated, which very
often furnish protein at a reasonable |
price. Dry distiller's grains is one of
these. 1t has the advantage of being
bulky and the disadvantage of being
rather variable in composition. Gluten
feed is another good feed to buy, but, |
like distiller's dry grains, should be
fed with other grains, never alone. |
Wheat bran, mentioned before, is a
good feed when not too expensive. 1t
has the advantage Of containing a fair
amount of protein and adding bulk to
the ration. 1t is also high in mineral
matter.
There in another class of feeds gen.
orally offered and which may be called
proprietary feeds. They are mixed
dairy feeds, and are recommended
to contain the nutrients necessary for
milk production in the proper proper
lions AS a rule, with few exceptions,
such feeds are variable in composition,
frequently containing weed seeds and
useless waste material, are high in
fiber and expensive, when the available |
nutrients are taken into consideration.
Generally there is plenty of feed on
the farm, like corn slower and poor
hay, which will supply crude fiber and
bulk much cheaper than such feeds.
In purchasing grain feeds it is very
often advisable for a few farmers to
order together and get a carload lot
Of feed, thereby saving the profit Of
the retailer. This can be done to good |
advantage when farmers are organized |
In farmers clubs and oranges.
p r RENNETCH