Feeding Dairy Cattle 

 Mixture 2 

 200 pounds distillers' dried grains 

 200 pounds wheat bran 

 125 pounds ground oats 

 125 pounds gluten feed 

 100 pounds cottonseed meal 

 80 pounds oilmeal (old process) 

 15 pounds salt 



In the future, distillers' dried grains are likely to be very 

 scarce and difficult to obtain. Such a deficiency may be 

 overcome by increasing the w^heat bran and gluten feed pro- 

 portionally. Ground barley may also often be used to advan- 

 tage in place of one-half the ground oats. No ration or 

 grain mixture can be prescribed to meet all cases. It is 

 desirable to cater to the likes and dislikes of the individual 

 animal. This may call for wide departure from formulas 

 ordinarily used. 



In order to feed large amounts of grain with safety, it 

 is necessary to feed roots of some sort. Beets or mangels 

 are the roots chosen whenever it is possible to obtain them ; 

 the large mangels are perhaps as valuable as any. Beet pulp 

 is used to supplement the beets at times, and in case beets or 

 mangels cannot be obtained, it may be used entirely as a 

 substitute. For best results the amount of beets fed seems 

 to bear an almost constant proportion to the amount of 

 grain. The proportion should be about three pounds of 

 beets to one pound of grain. If beet pulp is used the pro- 

 portion should be about one-half pound of dry beet pulp to 

 one pound of grain. The dry beet pulp is moistened with 

 three to four times its weight of water. Molasses is some- 

 times used to make the beet pulp more palatable. It is used 

 in the proportion of about one-half pint to eight or ten pounds 

 of dry beet pulp. 



One of the most important factors in the ration of cows 

 on test is the quality of roughage. It is commonly thought 

 that poor roughage can be made up for by feeding more 

 grain but this is not the case. The best results can be 

 obtained only when the best quality of clover or alfalfa hay is 

 fed. Alfalfa hay is preferable to any other. 



Silage is usually fed rather sparingly to cows making 

 short-time records unless some particular individual has a 

 special craving for it. Succulence is usually provided for 

 with beets or beet pulp and, if very much silage is fed, the 

 animals are not able to eat nearly as much grain. If silage 

 is fed, care should be exercised to feed only that which is 

 good and sweet. 

 Page Sixty-five 



