46 ILLINOIS STATE DAIRYMEN'S ASSOCIATION 



only fed what is required for maintenance she cannot give 

 any milk. 



Not only must she be fed a liberal ration but the pro- 

 tein, carbohydrates and fat must be in the right proportion. 

 It is just as essential for a cow to get in her feed the right 

 proportion of protein, carbohydrates and fat in order that 

 she can produce milk economically as it is for a mason to 

 use the right proportion of sand, gravel and cement to make 

 concrete. Balancing a ration for the dairy cow is not diffi- 

 cult. Protein is usually the limiting factor in the ration as 

 ordinarily fed to the dairy cow. Most of the crops that we 

 grow on the farm are high in carbohydrates and low in pro- 

 tein. Legumes, such as clover and alfalfa are high in pro- 

 tein and should be regularly grown in our rotation of crops, 

 especially is this true of alfalfa as it is much higher in pro- 

 tein than clover. Home grown feeds should be supple- 

 mented with high protein feeds such as linseed meal or cot- 

 tonseed meal. 



A few general rules which serve as guides for success- 

 ful feeding. 



1. Feed the grain mixture in proportion to the milk 

 yield. The general rule is to feed one pound of grain per 

 day for every three or four pounds of milk produced, ac- 

 cording to the quality of milk. Cows that produce high 

 testing milk should be fed one pound of grain for every 

 three pounds of milk produced, while those that produce 

 low testing milk need only one pound for every four pounds 

 of milk produced. 



Feed all the roughage the cow will clean up, as it is the 

 cheapest source from which we get digestible nutrients. 

 Part of the roughage should be succulent in nature. If 

 silage is not available roots can be fed. Silage and alfalfa 

 hay make an excellent combination as they furnish both 

 carbohydrates and protein. Feed from 2% to 3% pounds 

 of silage for each 100 pounds live weight of the cow. In 

 addition to silage feed 5 to 8 pounds of hay for each 100 

 pounds live weight of the cow. When no silage is fed feed 

 1.6 to 2 pounds of hay for each 100 pounds live weight of 

 the cow. 



