Feeding patterns (Continued from Page 1| feed less than two pounds of hay equivalent per 100 pounds of bodyweight per day for very long,”'the dairy scientist cautioned. “I like to think pi terms of maximum feeding levels, rather than minimum amounts,” he continued. He affirmed that a dairyman “would never go broke feeding an early lactation cow,” and suggested that at least one forage in the total ration be offered to the point of near refusal. Getting back to hay equivalents, Ace explained that three pounds of com silage testing 30 per cent moisture are equal to one pound of hay (figuring hay to be 90 per cent dry matter). With haylage (testing 50 per cent moisture) it takes about 1.8 - pounds to equal one pound of hay. “If you can’t get it into ’em in terms of forage, then you’ve got. an expensive feeding program,” Ace warned. He pointed out that grain feeding levels have become much more critical since protein prices skyrocketed a couple years ago and the economics of • Look Forward to the Friendly MEMBER F D.l C feeding are therefore much more important today than they were “in the good old days.” Ace suggested that dairymen calculate their hay cost: milk price ratio as well as their grain costs: milk price ratio. To keep things on a standard basis, he recommended that a for mula be used to correct all milk to four per cent but terfat content. This figure can be obtained by multiplying the pounds of milk given on a. daily basis by .4 and adding this figure to the daily pounds of but terfat produced after you’ve multiplied that by 15. 15. Ace offered feeding ratios, but pointed out that such formulas would not hold true for top producers. He recommends feeding early lactation cows in a more liberal manner, while closely monitoring the feed and production status of cows in mid-lactation or beyond. If a dairyman wishes to test his cows for production responses to varying levels , of feeds, Ace suggests that it be done abruptly, explaining that any response would 'the Future /O * * * The Bicentennial year was a time for looking to our past with pride. But now that a New Year is about to begin, it’s time to look forward to the future. No matter what future plans you’re looking forward to, your friends at the First National Bank of Strasburg can help you make these plans come true. Consider ing a new home? We’ll advise you on the best way to finance it. Sending your children to college? A loan can be arranged with monthly payments to fit your individual needs. Looking forward to retirement? We’ll help you plan now for a retirement that will be financially secure. At the Friendly First, questions about your finances and other matters so important to your family’s future are always welcome. And remember - the advice is free! Hhf. First Tlrdicna!!. (bank oft THE BANK THAT ALWAYS HAD NO-SERVICE-CHARGE CHECKING STRASBURG LANCASTER BUCK WILLOW STREET MILLERSVILLE 687-8611 397-4732 284-4175 464-3421 872-4686 come within 24 to 48 hours. Then, if the cow cuts her production as a result of lower levels of grain, for example, the dairyman can switch her back to stronger levels the next day and not risk a permanent loss in production. A permanent loss for the lactation would not usually occur m less than seven to 10 days, Ace said. Another advantage to making such changes abruptly is that there is less chance of other factors, such as the weather, varying., and interfering with your experiment. Regardless of how a dairyman operates, Ace is a firm believer m forage testing, and he recom mended the practice to all who are concerned about their feed costs. Beyond that, he stressed the importance of having balanced diets before the cows and em phasized that balancing rations properly is next to impossible without some sort of feed analysis taking place first. Ace further recommended that dairymen feed then* roughages “in proportions to the forage supply that you have.” Explaining the statement, the dairy scientist said that such a procedure would balance the feed supply more evenly, 2d w avoid drastic changes in quahtative feeding patterns, and reduce subsequent reactions m the cow’s gut to a very minimum. “If you must make changes, do it whqn you have the fewest fresh cows coming in,” Ace continued. He told the dairyman that the rumen is a marvelous organ - capable of digesting and using a wide variety of materials which non rummants can’t utilize. But. he cautioned, the rumen is also a delicate organ which can’t be expected to adjust from one feed to another and another without showing some drop in milk produc tion. Therefore, the fewer changes the better. “Anytime you put great emphasis on either hay or com silage you have a greater chance of problems,” the dairy specialist went on. Mineral balances .are of particular concern in these instances, and he suggested that proper balances be calculated. Over-feeding of minerals is being encountered. Another concern with silage - especially haylage - is heat damage. Up to 80 per cent of the digestible nutrients could be lost through this process, he warned. A forage feeding program tor dry cows would not in- with First. © Lancaster Farming, Saturday, Dec. 11,1976 — elude more than 50 per cent corn silage or 35 to 50 per cent alfalfa, Ace recom mended. Cora silage is low in calcium, phosphorus and protein, he explained, while alfalfa in large amounts would give the cow an oversupply of protein and calcium, “Go to a balanced feeding program, one that’s unbalanced is likely to cause more metabolic problems,” he warned. “If you have generally poor quahty forage - silage or hay - you can improve digestion and minimize metabolic problems with a pound or two of good alfalfa hay added to the ration, the Penn Stater continued. He also recommended that the poorer quality forages be limited in the feeding program during base building periods, but not for more than 60 to 90 days. Turning his talk to the use of non-protein nitrogen (NPN), Ace said it was alright to use such feeds, but the key is to incorporate them into the ration properly. “The cqws should have a two to four week accustoming period because it takes a little while for the organisms in the gut to learn how to utilize NPN,” ex plained Ace. “In the Fall we always encounter a few problems with green-chopped corn - corn which hasn’t been fermented,” Ace continued. “Com needs from three to five weeks to ferment in the silo,” he explained, “green chopped com is just not well used by the milking animal.” He also suggested that dairymen shy away from feeding freshly fermented silage. Dry cows should be limited to one-half a pound of grain closer to home, Ace bodyweight, according to Ace. Also, the grain ration should not be changed for these animals, especially Know Where the Activities Will Be? Read the Farm Women Calendar. 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Grain feeding programs for lactatmg cows have changed considerably, Ace said. “We have been so accustomed to feeding large amounts,” he exclaimed, pointing out that it often wasn’t necessary. He recommends that a ration contain no more than 55 per cent gram. “A cow can’t use a higher level of energy than that,” he noted, “and the rumen organisms can’t use the extra gram.” Hitting closer to home, Ace suggested that feeding ex cessively high amounts of grain to a cow would be hke a man working all day on coconut cream pie. “You wouldn’t last on such a diet,” he lectured. A practical maximum for grain feeding is 2% pounds per 100 pounds of body weight under conventional feeding systems. In a complete ration program, not more than 55 per cent of the dry matter intake of the cow should be from grain. A final topic in Ace’s presentation was mineral feeding. He noted that there are many good products on the market, but - “if you don’t need ’em, you’re wasting money.” In contrast to years gone by when mineral deficiencies were rather common, today’s feeding programs have oftentimes become so sophisticated that minerals are contained in various supplements and grain mixtures. Feeding ad ditional amounts may not be necessary, and there is a possibility that many dairymen are actually over feeding minerals now. For Information on Price-Quality-Service Cali 717-626-8909 19
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