Show EFFICIENT FEEDING MANAGEMENT tar By Dr Gustav Emeritus Professor of Animal Husbandry University of Wisconsin Molasses A Popular Feed Anything sweet like candy or 01 syrup suggests hi sigh h calories or fattening properties Actu- Actu Actually all ally the same weight of starch by way of bread potatoes or corn is even hl higher her In energy Blackstrap or or cane molasses is a justly popular livestock feed but we must appraise it and use it curs Where here corn cornor or milo with ii t 7 85 to 00 dry J matter matter have ff r i about 80 j therma of net r P r energy 8 per pounds u ds i cane molasses I with 73 dry matter has 66 56 m t net energy 7 Dr Bohstedt This means that on the basis of those figures molasses has only 0 as much net or productive energy as corn Under some circumstances molasses may have a higher value than that in other cases even lower value A rather corn com men rating is that blackstrap molasses has 75 of the feed value of corn or comparable grain and must sell seU at that price differential to be econom- econom teal In areas of cane ane sugar pro pro- ductless production the abundance of mo mo- mo molasses lasses prompts the tendency of feeding as much molasses to toan toan an animal as possible thus put put- ting putting the animal in a very very- laxa laxa- laxative tive condition and resulting in ina ina a rather low feed value for fer the molasses I heard a prominent HawaIIan sto stockman kman wish for good old mainland corn Instead of having to feed so much mo- mo molasses molasses lasses But where used more spar molasses serves also as asan asan an appetizer especially with low grads forage and may be worth as much as corn or With urea rations molasses serves as a source of the fleece fleece- nary sary energy for the rumen or- or organisms organisms enabling them to con con- convert convert vert urea efficiently efficiently- into pro pro- protein tein In this respect experiments experiments ments have shown that ordinary ordinary nary grain which releases en- en energy energy ergy more slowly serves fully as well as molasses Molasses supplies other nutrients including minerals that unless fed in too large amounts seem to help in the digestion of forages or fibrous materials Also molasses reduces the dust in rations So however molasses may be berated berate rated rate in terms of grain it is bound to continue popular as an ingredient in modern livestock rations tion Instead of salt isn t it possible that limestone gypsum or oyster shell might be used as a carrier carrier- of trace min orals or as an appetite regu regu- regu lator regulator of protein supplement consumption Answer A Of all possible car car- carriers carriers salt is the most frequent frequent- ly br frequently required also the safest nu- nu nutrient nutrient trient California researchers concluded that in comparison with salt gypsum calcium sulfate was not considered a satisfactory regulator of feed intake |