OCR Text |
Show Young Calves Made Good Gains on Corn Silage SJlage, when fed to. calves less than three or four months old, produced good gains economically, with no bad physical effects, In a test made during the past winter at the Iowa experiment experi-ment station. Five Jersey and four Guernsey calves, averaging at the start about fifty days of age, were divided Into three groups. Before the trial they received whole milk, skim milk, grain and alfala hay. After being divided Into groups, they were continued for eight days on part whrle milk and then changed wholly to skim milk. A grain mixture consisting of three parts eornmeal, three parts ground oats, two parts bran and one part oilmeal was hand fed. Timothy hay. salt nnd water was available at all times. Each group was fed silage for a 40-day 40-day period In addition tsthe regular ration and then sliced roots replaced the silage for a 40-day period. Still a third 40-day period was used In which the calves received only the timothy hay and grain ration. Slightly more than four pounds of corn silage a day was consumed by each calf during the silage feeding period. The consumption consump-tion of sliced beets ran 5.74 pounds per calf per day. It was found thnt the silage or roots reduced the amount of hay eaten and that growth was more rapid. Less other feed was required, with the silage or roots, and the gains were cheaper. No scouring due to silage feeding occurred. |