Milk as the sole diet of ruminants

From time imemmorial milk has been regarded as the food best adapted to the complete nourishing of mammalia. It is the sole diet of all mammals during the earlier part of their postnatal development and is recognized as an excellent staple in the diet of the adult human, especially in the case of invalids. On the farm it is used extensively in the feeding of young animals, and in the case of the hog it is fed in large quantities to more mature individuals. Within the last decade many investigations have been made concerning the nutritive value of milk and other food-stuffs and thruout these investigations milk has measured up to all expected standards. The object of this paper is to show that in spite of the high nutritive value of milk there are limitations to its use-limitations which are inherent, not in the milk itself, but in the class of animals to which it is fed

Milk as the Sole Diet of Ruminants

From time immemorial milk has been regarded as the food best adapted to the nourishing of mammalia. It is the sole diet of all mammals during the earlier part of their postnatal development and is also recognized as an excellent staple in the diet of the adult human, especially in the case of invalids. On the farm it is used extensively in the feeding of young animals and in the case of the hog it is fed in large quantities to more mature individuals

Influence of age at the time of freshening on production of dairy cows

The dairy cow does not attain her maximum producing ability during her first lactation period. This is appreciated in practical work and is taken into consideration in formulating the production requirements for entrance into the Advanced Registers, Registers of Merit and other official lists of producing cows maintained by the various dairy cattle breed organizations. In spite of this, the exact relationship between age and producing ability, if such exists, has never been definitely determined. Additional importance is given to a study of the influence of the age of the cow on production by the fact that large numbers of cows, still in their prime, are annually disposed of by dairymen. The fact that these cows are capable of further profitable production should be recognized

A comparison of roughages for milk production

Altho dairy cows are especially adapted to the consumption of various roughages and tho they utilize more profitably than other livestock many such feeds which cannot be marketed directly, yet there is a marked difference in the values of roughages when considered from the standpoint of milk and butterfat production. That fact is emphasized in the results of the dairy feeding trials with Iowa’s standard roughages, corn silage, corn fodder and timothy and legume hays, reported in this bulletin. In the three tests, alfalfa was the legume hay used, tho clover could have been used in its place. Corn silage has a decided advantage over corn fodder in the ration, and its dry matter seems to be worth about again as much as that of the fodder. Alfalfa hay was shown to have 20 times greater feeding value than timothy hay

Influence of environment and breeding in increasing dairy production

Data secured in an investigation which has now been under way for eight years at the Iowa Agricultural Experiment station give direct support to the belief that a good paying dairy herd can be built up from a foundation of common cows thru proper methods of feeding and management and thru the use of a good purebred dairy sire. The results of this work are presented in a preliminary way in this bulletin and will be given in more complete form when the investigation has been carried further. Investigations of this kind are fundamental to the task of increasing dairy production to meet increasing demands for dairy products because they seek to find ways of getting more milk and butterfat from the overwhelming majority of common cows. There are in the United States, according to government reports, more than 20,000,000 so-called dairy animals whose average production is not half as much as it might be if proper methods of selection, breeding, feeding and management were followed by all dairy farmers. Any information that will help to build up better and more productive dairy herds from these animals is consequently of large value

Composition and digestibility of Sudan grass hay

ThE.J introduction of Sudan grass (Andropogon sorglwrn var.) into the United States took place less than nine years ago, but since then this .crop has become widely known and its popularity is rapidly increasing. Sudan grass, being an annual, does not make a good pasture plant, but gives excellent results as a hay or soiling crop; it might also be successfully made into silage if mixed with a legume

Influence of condition on maintenance requirements of dairy cattle

The ration of the dairy cow is used for maintenance, growth, the formation of body fat, the building up of the foetus and milk production, so the problem of feed utilizaton is a complicated one. \u27rhe maintenance ration is more easily studied than are the requirements for growth and productive purposes and yet many of the factors controlling it are not thoroly understood. Condition in dairy cattle has received little attention in investigational work and its influence on the maintenance requirements of animals has not been studied. In fact, the influence of condition on the maintenance requirements of all classe~ of farm live stock has been somewhat neglected. Yet the results of the investigation on dairy cattle here reported show that maintenance requirements for cows. in high condition are higher than for cows in low condition

The preparation of corn for dairy cows

The corn crop of Iowa exceeds in acreage, yield and value all other grain crops combined. In this state, as well as in other sections of the corn belt, corn must be relied upon as the basis of the concentrate allowance for dairy cattle, as it generally is one of the most economical sources of energy. The extent to which it is used renders it essential that the feeding of it be carefully studied, as what are apparently small economies attain large proportions when considered in the aggregate. The preparation of corn for other types of farm livestock has been studied to some extent, but the influence of the various preparations of corn on the total yield and economy of production of milk and butterfat has received little attention. The work reported here is but a part of a series of investigations being conducted on the influence of the method of preparation of corn on the production of milk, and is a comparison of ear corn, corn-and-cob meal, and corn meal

The Composition and Digestibility of Sudan Grass Hay

The introduction of Sudan grass (Andropogon sorghum var.) into the United States took place less than nine years ago, but since then this crop has become widely known and its popularity is rapidly increasing. Sudan grass, being an annual, does not make a good pasture plant, but gives excellent results as a hay or soiling crop; it might also be successfully made into silage if mixed with a legume