COLLEGE PARK, Md. - Regardless of the type of feeding used, the goaf of any dairy farmer is to offer each animal a ration that will encourage maximum economical production, says Tony Rickard, professor of dairy science at the University of Maryland. To meet this goal, a ration should meet the animals nutritional requirements and contribute to the animal’s health. The ration also should be economical and ac ceptable to the animal. When dairy cows are housed in stanchion barns, it is possible to teed the nutrients required by each individual. But an increasing number ot producers are switching WESTFALIA ACR - Automatic Automatic flow and time adjustment Positive vacuum shut off Gentle, delayed removal Precise flow monitoring Full open design Installs easily, in any dairy Simple, automatic; operation. BALLY Longacre Electric Service t Inc. 215-845-2261 BELLEVILLE Byler's Diesel & Refrig. Service CHAMBERSBURG Cumberland Farm & Dairy Supply, Inc. Larry Hughes 717-263-0826 800-692-7406 OXFORD Farm Construction & Equipment W & J Dairy Sales Robert L. Janney William Guhl 215-593-2365 717-529-2569 COCHRANVILLE Do your cows need a complete dairy ration? to loose housing or tree stalls, which reduces the chance to in dividually feed, Rickard reports. In the loose housing system, hay and silage are normally fed in separate feed boxes. A problem with this procedure of feeding roughages free-choice, and con centrates individually according to feeding guides, is not being able to tell how much any one cow has eaten, even if aaaverage intake is known. Due to individual preference, there are large variations m amounts ot torages eaten by dif ferent cows. In a Cornell study, Holstein cows with free-choice access to alfalfa hay and corn silage, exhibited large variations Now A Great Machine Is Even Better Clus Stainless Steel Vacuum Cylinder “With Westfoila ACR it's like having an extra hired hand" Save up to 50% in manhours. All you do is prepare the udder, switch on the ACR, attach the cluster and that’s it. The ACR works with any system. And its unique "space-age memory system” advises the unit that the milker is in the' strip phase when milk flow drops. This eliminates extra add-on time and speeds the movement of cows through the parlor. No other system offers this computer-like memory feature which assures you of getting ail the milk in the fastest, most efficient way possible. When the stripping phass is completed, the ACR shuts off vacuum, pauses and gently detaches, the cluster. ESTFALIA SALES CENTER McAUSTERViLLE Saner Farm Systems Ortyn Saner. 717-463-2606 IHLTON Landis Farmstead Automation Paul Landis 717-437-2375 MONTROSE Ted Hirsch Refrigeration 717-278-3607 in torage preference. This was the case whether the forages were offered simultaneously, or when the choice was limited to one forage in the morning and and other in the evening. As an example, voluntary intake ot corn silage ranged from 24 percent to 78 percent of the total roughage dry matter consumed. Since concentrate mixtures are normally formulated to sup plement the average forage consumption of the herd, serious feeding unbalances may develop due to wide variations in individual forage preference. Cows eating mostly corn silage receive too little protein and calcium, while those consuming predominately alfalfa hay receive 100 much. Feeding a complete dairy ration offers an alternative to -these er Remover Reusing Valve 7S\ © j . Ji Milk Flow *&JW\ Monitor Electronic Control Unit limitations. A complete feed is one in which the forages, grains, protein, mineral and vitamin supplements are thoroughly mixed and formulated to specific nutrient concentrations. They are offered tree-choice and every mouthfull consumed by the cow provides the correct balance of nutrients she requires. Since all ingredients are blended into one feed, the animals do not have the opportunity to select tor their preference. Such a system has performed successfully in both research trials and on dairy farms. Grouping cows according to production allows the formulation of complete feeds to be more precise. Milking animals should be divided into at least three groups according to production and stage of lactation and ted different roughage to concentrate ratios to maximize teed efficiency and reduce nutrition related problems. Dry cows should be fed and managed as a separate group. There are numerous advantages and disadvantages of the system. Rickard urges producers to evaluate ’ the following points before deciding on the best system tor their farms. Advantages of Complete Rations No individual preference is allowed. Each bite consumed is a uniform and balanced diet. Concentrate feeding is not required in the parlor, reducing construction and maintenance costs. Free-choice mineral feeding is not required since the ration is formulated to contain recom mended levels. This eliminates the WESTFALIA With Vacuum Arrestor For a foolproof controlled milking method that provides the individual attention that each cow requires; The Visotron can be operated manually or automatically depending on your individual circumstance. Light weight and easy to handle, the Visotron has increased production and profit for many users. SCHWENKSVILLE Penn Valley Cropstore, Inc. Dale Stutzman 215-287-9650 215-287-7315 SPARTANSBURG Brenner Dairy Equipment Albert Brenner 814-654-7309 TROY Dairyland Sales & Service Jim Kelley 717-297-4128 HAGERSTOWN. MO Tri-State Farm Automation Gerald Poffenberger 301-790-3698 Lancaster Fanning, Saturday, February 27,1982—81 S inherent errors in feeding minerals choice-free. •o Fewer digestive upsets occur m early lactation because the nutrient-rich concentrate is diluted by the roughage. This reduces the amount of concentrate that can be consumed at one time under ad libitum feeding. Nonprotein nitrogen, such as urea, is utilized more efficiently when small amounts are consumed several times a day rather than the large amounts in the concentrates feed twice a day at milking. The average cow consuming complete feeds will normally eat about 10 meals a day. Unplatable ingredients, such as urea, may be masked by other ingredients, particularly if silage or molasses is a part of the ration. Disadvantages of Complete Feeds Hay must be shredded or chopped before it can be in corporated into a complete feed. Mixer wagons required to thoroughly blend ingredients are expensive. Electronic load cells for weighing ingredients are needed to increase the accuracy of ration formulated, but also are ex pensive. Complete feeds are most easily adapted to fairly large herds (100 cows or more). Cows should be grouped ac cording to production. Many dairymen will probably find Ibis difficult with existing facilities. introduces VISOTRON IYKESVILLE. HP Dairyman inc. Mid-Atlantic Division Members Only 301-795-2727 301-781-7020 SALES ENGINEER ROBERT E. TURNER R.D. #l, Box 11 Aspers, PA 17304 717-677-9301 lATIONAL HEADQUARTERS WESTFALIA SYSTEMAT DIVISION of CENTRICO 1862 Brummel Dr. Elk Grove, 111 60007 1-800-323-6723
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