Feeding Dairy Cattle 



Some careful experiments have been made In' Pnlfe^'^or 

 Eckles on this point and the results seem to favor 

 keeping the heifer somewhat fat for the best results in test 

 when the time comes. Eckles fed one heifer on rich and 

 abundant rations from birth to calving, while another was 

 kept poor and thin. After calving the milk of the well-fed 

 heifer tested over 4 per cent., while that of the poor heifer 

 tested 3 per cent. After calving the fat heifer declined in 

 weight and the percentage of fat in the milk remained about 

 constant. The weight of the thin heifer remained about 

 the same. After several weeks the weight of the fat heifer 

 became constant and the percentage of fat in the milk 

 declined somewhat. In the end the percentage of fat in the 

 milk of both heifers was practically the same for the 

 remainder of the lactation period. Observation by others has 

 led to the same conclusion. Therefore it would seem to be 

 wise to grow heifers well and fatten them somewhat before 

 calving. There is no evidence to show that heifers treated 

 in this way will be of poorer dairy temperament than heifers 

 of the same breeding that have been grown on less grain and 

 more roughage, heifers that have made equally good groAvth 

 in frame but are not so fat at time of calving. 



It may be well to let heifers that are to be tested after 

 their first calf get well developed before breeding. This 

 means to breed them to drop their first calves at thirty 

 months. The strain of testing the first lactation and conse- 

 quent high milk production may keep them from growing 

 as well during this first lactation period. Then it is a good 

 plan to milk them a full twelve months this first lactation 

 period to form a habit of holding out well. 



Good silage and legume hay is the foundation of the 

 ratirm in the preparation period. The list of grains from which 

 tci choose is not long. Corn, oats, barley, wheat bran and oil 

 meal are enough to choose from. A good mixture is: 



30 pounds of com meal or hominy 



30 pounds of wheat bran 



30 pounds of ground oats 



10 pounds of oil meal 

 Another mixture liked by many is a modification of the 

 above with more oil meal, i. e., using equal parts of hominy, 

 wheat bran, ground oats and oil meal. One modifies it to 

 suit himself. 



Barley might be substituted for the corn meal and oats in 

 part. This is simply a good growing ration and a fattening 

 ration when fed in sufificient quantity. The feeder will feed 

 enough in connection with the roughage to get the heifers 



Page Fifty-five 



