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Show DAIRY TACTS SELF-FED COWS SHOW NO GAINS Self-feeding dairy cows so that they got all the grain, hay and silage they wished increased the amount and cost of feed eaten by the cows without swelling their milk production In an experiment by Dr. W. B. Nevens, assistant as-sistant chief In dairy-cattle feeding at the college of agriculture, University of Illinois. Results of the testa have Just been published In a new bulletin, "Experiments In Self-Feeding of Dairy Cows," which the college now has ready for free distribution to Interested In-terested persons. Cows used In the experiment were only of moderate dairy ability and It is possible that self-feeding might prove useful with high-producing cows, although this point remains to be proved, Doctor Nevens said. Limiting Lim-iting cows to feeds containing high percentages f protein seemed to de- press DirTi production. Since fattening cuttle ut.i swine usually gain faster when fed by the self-feeder method than when hand-fed, hand-fed, It was thought that dairy cows might produce more milk if piven free access constantly to several different dif-ferent kinds of feeds. Ki'jht different cows were kept in Individual box stalls containing a feeder having several sev-eral different hopper compartments. Supplies of grains and mill by-products were provided constantly In the compartments, and hay and silage In other larger feed boxes, so that a cow might select as much of one or several sev-eral feeds at any time she chose. The cows were gradually accustomed to the method at the beginning during a' two to three-week period. Surprising as It may seem to those who have found that cows become 111 through overeating, no harmful results re-sults were apparent In these cows even though self-fed the year round. More feed than necessary was consumed, con-sumed, however, making the cost of feed greater than when the cows were hand-fed. The cows laid on additional ad-ditional weight, thus Increasing the amount of feed necessary to maintain them. The method proved useful In studying study-ing the relative palatablllty of different differ-ent feeds. Much more of some feeds was eaten than of others, and In some cases the ration consisted of only one or two feeds, even though four or more other feeds were present pres-ent In the stall. A greater quantity was eaten when the feeds were offered of-fered separately than when they were mixed. Cows showed very decided preference for certain feeds, and these preferences often extended over long periods. Greater feed consumption consump-tion was secured when careful attention atten-tion was given to catering to the cow's likes. Not two cows had the same preference, for, all . feeds. |