Show I L SIL SILAGE G I IS SUPE SUPERIOR WI WINTER TER COW w F FEED ED I i SPLENDID TYPE OF JERSEY COW FOR DAIRY I Prepared by the United States Department Department Depart Depart- ment of ot Agriculture Silage Is a n splendid winter feed particularly par par particularly adapted for dairy cows In Inmany Inmany many sections silage has come to be bethe bethe bethe the dalr dairy farms farm's main reliance for cows for It Is the best and cheapest substitute for fresh tresh grass While the thereal thereal thereal real food and nutritive value of silage Is not great about three-fourths three of its total weight being water it is succulent succulent succulent lent and palatable It contains a 0 large amount of carbohydrates in proportion to the protein and will give best results results results re re- when fed with some other feed richer In dr dry matter mattel and in protein As a n feed containing a large amount of water venter in the form of ot natural plant Juices It is easily digested and ond serves the useful purpose of keeping the whole system of the animal in good I I condition A silage fed animal is rarely rarely rare rare- ly Iy troubled with digestive disturbances the coat is s noticeably sleek and soft and the skin is pliable No o rough feed Is more palatable than good corn silage which is of great Importance In feeding feed feed- Ing dairy cattle as it Induces n a large I consumption and stimulates the secretion secretion secretion secre secre- tion of digestive e Juices Feeding Leguminous Hay Leguminous hay hoy such as clover r cow cowpeas cowpeas peas pas or alfalfa should be fed In combination combination combi combi- nation notion with silage These will tend to correct the deficiencies of ot the silage in dry matter protein and mineral constituents con con- A ration of silage and say alfalfa hay alone Is s satisfactory however how how- h however w. w ever eTer only for cows which are dry or giving only a n small amount of ot milk and I for tor heifers and bulls Cows In full tull I milk require some sonic concentrated feed in addition to hay and silage as ns they cannot consume enough of these feeds to keep up a n large flow of milk and maintain body weight Amount to Feed The amount of ot silage to feed teed a cow will depend upon the capacity of ot the to consume feed She should be fed fedas as much as ns she will wm clean up without waste when consuming It with her ha hay and grain Raise or r lower low low- er tr the line amount until the proper quantity quantity quan quan- is ascertained Generally speaking a n good cow should be fed Just short of the these limit of her appetite If It she refuses refuses re rev fuses any of her feed it should be reduced re re- reat at nt once The small breeds will eat lut 25 or 30 pou pounds ds per day the large breeds 40 or more and the medium- medium sized ones amounts varying between Rations Ironclad directions for feeding cows cannot be given glen In general however they hey should be supplied with all nil the thc roughage they will clean clenn up with grain In n proportion to butterfat produced The hay will ordinarily range between 0 5 j find and 1 12 pounds per co cow per day when fed in connection with silage For Hol- Hol Holsteins steins 1 I pound mod of concentrates for fOl each 4 pounds of milk produced will prove about right For Jerseys Jerse's 1 pound for each ench 3 pounds of or mill milk or less will come nearer meeting the requirements The grain for other breeds will willar ar vary be be- tween these two according to the quality quality ity of ot milk produced A good rule Isto is isto isto to feed seven times as much grain as there Is butterfat produced The following rations have been found satisfactory For a 0 pound 1300 cow yielding 40 pounds of milk testing 35 per cent Pounds 40 40 Clover cowpea or alfalfa hay 10 10 Grain mixture 10 For the same cow yielding 20 pounds of ot 35 per cent milk Pounds Silage 40 40 Clover cowpea or alfalfa altaI hay 5 6 Grain Grahl mixture 5 6 For n a pound cow yielding Iel SO 30 pounds of 5 per cent milk I Pounds Silage 0 M 30 30 Clover cowpea or alfalfa hay 10 10 Grain mixture U 11 11 For the same cow yielding I 15 pounds of 5 per cent milk Pounds Silage 30 M Clover cowpea or alfalfa hay hay 8 Grain mixture Et 4 EtA A good grain mixture to be used In n a ration which Includes silage and ond some sort of leguminous hay Is lf composed of ot Parts Corn Com chop 4 4 Wheat bran 2 2 Linseed oil meal or cottonseed meal 1 In case the hay used Is not of this kind some of the corn chop may be replaced re rev placed by linseed or cottonseed meal In many Instances brewers' brewers dried grains or crushed oats may be profitably profitably bly substituted for the bran and oftentimes oftentimes often often- times gluten products can cnn be used to advantage in place of bran or oil meals Time to Feed The time to feed silage Is directly after milking or at ot least several houra hours before milking If fed immediately before before be be- fore tore milking the silage odors may past pass pas through the cows cow's body into th the milk Besides the milk may receive some taints directly from the stable air nil On the other hand band if feeding is done subsequent subsequent subsequent sub sub- sequent to milking the volatile silage odors will have been thrown off oll before the next milking hour Silage Is usually usually usual usual- ly y fed twice a n day Many objections have been made to the feeding of silage some condenser- condenser le lea ley even refusing to let their patrons use it t. t These objections are becoming less common since Ince milk from cows fed silage In a n proper manner is in no way Impaired furthermore there is nothIng nothing nothing noth noth- ing about silage that will Impair the health of the animals Feeding Frozen Silage Frozen silage must be thawed before feeding If it Is then given Immediately Immedi to the cows before decomposition tion sets In no harm harts will result from feeding this kind of silage neither Is the nutritive value known to be changed In any way |