DRIED BLOOD FOR DAIRY COWS 5 



Table 6. — Average daily intake of nutrients per cow 



Soybean-cottonseed Dried Blood 

 Ration Ration 



Total dry matter 30 . 22 pounds 30 . 09 pounds 



Total ash 2.08 pounds 1 . 98 pounds 



Digestible protein 2 . 78 pounds 2 . 76 pounds 



Total digestible nutrients 21 . 74 pounds 21 . 82 pounds 



Net energy 20.43 therms 20.63 therms 



Nutritive ratio 1:6.8 1:6.9 



'This includes all material fed, not merely the grain mixtures. 



RESULTS OF THE FEEDING TRIAL 

 Palatability of the Dried Blood 



No difficulty was experienced in getting the cows to eat the grain mixture 

 which contained the dried blood. It was not relished as keenly as was the 

 standard mixture, but was not refused at any time. 



Changes in Live Weight 



The cows were weighed when the trial was started and thereafter at the 

 end of each forty-day feeding period, just previous to the change of rations. 

 Weighings were made on two consecutive days in all cases, and the average 

 of the two weights was taken. Table 7 shows that the cows made average 

 individual gains of 24 pounds more on the standard ration in 160 days than 

 they did on the ration containing dried blood. Calculation of the probable 

 error shows this difference in favor of the standard ration to be slightly sig- 

 nificant. 



Table 7. — Summary op average gains in live weight 



On Soybean- On Dried 



cottonseed Blood 



Ration Ration 



(Pounds) (Pounds) 



First 40-day feeding period 24 21 



Second 40-day feeding period 34 26 



Third 40-day feeding period 23 11 



Fourth 40-day feeding period 38 37 



Total 119 1 95i 



'These values represent average gains by individual cows. 



General Appearance of the Cows 



There was no difference apparent to the eye in the condition of the animals 

 on the two rations. 



