OCR Text |
Show BALANCED RATION NEEDED BY COWS Animal Must Be Supplied Right Amount of Feed. The claim that auy proprietary feed Is a scientifically balanced ration Is absurd. A balanced ration Is one which supplies the animal with exactly ex-actly the right amount of food and in which the different classes of nutrients nu-trients are supplied in rhe proportions I in which they are needed by the animal. ani-mal. Before a grain mixture can in telllgently he prescribed which will supply even an approximation of a balanced ration to a dairy cow. the amount and chararter of the available rougiDige (hay, pasture, stover, silage, etc.) must be known; also the approx Itnafe production of the animal. A grain mixture balanced for feeding with clover or alfalfa hay and silage would no longer be balanced If the legnnn hay were replaced by timothy, or If the silage were discontinued. When It Is realized that a l.UOO-pound cow producing 1!0 pounds of average milk reunites three times as much protein and twice as much total food material as she would need when dry or that when producing 40 pounds, her requirement would be rive times as much protein and three times as much total food; or that when producing 60 pounds of average milk, her requirement re-quirement would he seven times a much protein and four times as much total food as she . would need when dry, the Importance of production as a factor in balancing rations can he readily understood. The preceding brief statement will also serve to show that the heavy producing cow must have a much higher proportion of protein pro-tein In her food than the lighter producer. pro-ducer. A ration which is balanced for the light producer would be entirely inadequate and out of balance for the heavy producer, while one that was balanced for the latter would be out of balance and wasteful, especially of protein If fed even in reduced amount to a light producer or a dry cow. |