Legume and Grass Silage 21 



Was Corn Silage Fed? If so. How Much? 



Two hundred and ten operators fed no corn silage while grass silage 

 was being fed ; 108 operators fed both grass silage and corn silage to their 

 dairy animals. The corn silage was fed in quantities from 10 to 60 pounds 

 with an average of 30 pounds. 



Was Hay Also Fed? 



Two hundred and forty-two operators fed hay with grass silage. The 

 hay ranged from 2 to 18 pounds with an average of 12 pounds. Seventy- 

 eight operators did not feed hay with grass silage. 



Was Silage Fed Before, During, or After Milking? 

 One hundred nine operators fed grass silage before milking, while 38 

 fed during milking. One hundred and sixty-two fed after milking. 



Rate of Grain Fed 

 Grain was fed to dairy cows at an average rate of 1 pound of grain 

 to 4 pounds of milk. The range of feeding was from 1 pound of grain to 

 2 pounds of milk down to 1 pound of grain to 7 pounds of milk. 



Protein Percentage of Grain Ration 

 Grain rations varied from 12 per cent to 24 per cent protein. The 

 average of all grain rations fed was 20 per cent protein. 



Was the Silage Readily Eaten by the Cow? 

 Three hundred and thirty-two operators reported that the silage was 

 readily eaten by the cows, while 26 reported the silage as somewhat un- 

 palatable. 



Was Protein Percentage of Grain Reduced While Feeding Silage? 



Two hundred and seventy-six operators reported that the protein per- 

 centage of the grain ration was not reduced, while ^7 reduced the protein 

 content while feeding grass silage. 



Was Amount of Grain Fed Daily Per Cow Reduced? 



Two hundred and thirty-one operators did not reduce the amount of 

 grain fed while feeding grass silage. Fifty-seven reduced the amount of 

 grain at this time. 



Is Silage Inferior, Equal, or Superior to Corn Silage for Milk Production? 



One hundred and sixteen operators reported grass silage superior to 

 corn silage for milk production, while 154 felt it was equal and 57 re- 

 ported grass silage was inferior to corn silage for milk production. 



Is Silage Inferior, Equal, or Superior to Dry Hay for Milk Production? 



Two hundred fourteen operators reported grass silage superior, while 

 63 reported it equal and 13 as inferior to dry hay for milk production. 

 Did the Cows Gain, Maintain, or lose Weight on the Silage? 



Two hundred and twenty-four operators reported that their cows main- 

 tained their body weight on grass silage; 65 reported gains; and 12 reported 

 losses. 



