Feeding Cotton Seed 491 



SUMMARY 



Cottonseed meal compared witli cotton seed gave nnifornily bet- 

 ter results as evidenced by the greater gain of the animals, their 

 smoother finish, and their higher dressing percentage. 



When fed with a basal ration of alfalfa and silage to iwo-year-old 

 steers, 100 pounds of cottonseed meal are equal to 170 pounds of 

 whole cotton seed. Cotton seed at $17 per ton is equal to cottonseed 

 meal at $30 per ton. (The cottonseed meal was low grade, containing 

 only 33.62 percent protein, although it was purchased as choice meal.) 



It was found that the use of cotton seed in a crushed form was 

 not warranted. 



Corn silage when fed with cottonseed meal gave larger and more 

 uniform daily gains than did the ration of cottonseed hulls and cotton- 

 seetl meal. Cattle fed a ration of cottonseed meal and cottonseed hulls 

 made good daily gains for the first 60 to 80 days, after which time 

 the gains began to diminish rapidly. If the roughage is silage instead 

 of hulls the meal may be fed for a longer period of time without ill 

 effects. 



The lack of finish of the steers receiving cottonseed meal indicated 

 that it would have required a feeding period of 120 days to put them in 

 good marketable condition, and 150 days for those receiving cotton 

 seed, had they continued to make the same rate of gain. 



