FEEDING UREA TO DAIRY COWS 5 



Additional data regarding the amounts of nitrogen and protein supplied by 

 the various combinations, are given in Table 3. 



Table 3. — Level of Nitrogen and Protein in the Several Rations 



In the Grain Mixture 



In the Total Ration 



Grain Nitrogen Protein Proportion Nitrogen Protein Proportion 



Mixture Percent Percent of Total N Percent Percent of Total N 



Supplied Supplied 



by Urea by Urea 



Regular 3.18 19.9 None 0.87 5.42 None 



Urea No. 1 3.00 13.0 30.7 0.88 4.48 18.9 



Urea No. 2 3.28 11.9 42.1 0.88 4.09 25.4 



Control 1.90* 11.9* None 0.68 4.26 None 



♦During the last few weeks that the control mixture was fed, its nitrogen and protein content 



were further reduced to 1.47 and 9.20 percent respectively. This reduction has been taken into 

 account in calculating the percentages for the total ration. 



RESULTS OF THE FEEDING TRIALS^ 



In evaluation of the results, consideration has been given to the following 

 points: 



1. Palatability of the rations. 



2. General condition of the cows. 



3. Changes in live weight. 



4. Total milk production. 



5. Shrinkage in milk flow. 



t>. Length of lactation and dry period. 



7. Reproductive performance. 



8. Level of urea in blood and milk. 



9. Flavor of the milk. 



Table 4. — Relative Amounts of Grain Consumed 



Palatability of the Rations 



The regular ration was in general somewhat more palatable than the ration 

 which contained urea. This was particularly noticeable during the earlier stages 

 of the work; as the cows became accustomed to the urea grain the difference in 

 flavor of the regular ration became much less and finally disappeared almost 

 entirely. Average daily grain consumption is shown in Tcble 4. Whether the 

 urea mixture was less palatable because of the presence of the urea, or because of 



^Results from the so-called control group are treated separately in a later section of this bulletin. 



