CHAPTER 5 

 FEEDING DAIRY CATTLE 



C. H. ECKLES 

 COMPOSITION OF FEEDS AND FEEDING STANDARDS 



81. The Uses of Feed. A dairy cow uses feed for the 

 following purposes : 



1. For maintaining the body. 



2. To supply the material for milk. 



3. For development of the fetus. 



4. For growth in case the animal is immature. 



5. To produce gain in weight. 



Three general classes of food material are required. 



1. Protein or nitrogenous material. 



2. Carbohydrates and fat. 



3. Ash or mineral matter. 



The main problem of feeding is to supply the proper 

 amount of the food material of the three classes in the least 

 expensive form. It is evident that the first step is to know 

 what the animal requires for food and how to prepare a 

 ration that will meet this demand. 



82. Chemical Analysis of Feeds. When a chemist makes 

 an analysis of any foodstuff, clover hay for example, he 

 determines the amounts of water, protein, ash, crude fiber, 

 nitrogen-free extract, and fat that the substance contains. 

 All feedstuffs contain these same constituents, but in widely 

 varying quantities. 



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