COWS’ FEEDING HABITS

Lake County Mail, Issue 28, 3 December 1947, Page 8

COWS’ FEEDING HABITS

War Effects in Britain During the war, when Britain was prevented from importing the usual quantities of concentrates, British cows had to change their habits of eating, as did the British people. They have, in effect, extended their stomach capacity to take 35 per cent, more bulk of food than before the war, with the result that they used up more energy in digesting their bulkier ration. Concentrate supplies were .81b per gallon of milk less during war-time than when these feeds could be imported. In spite of the fact that the quantity of home-grown concentrates was increased from .21b before the war to 1.41b during the war years, the quantity of hay fed remained about the same, at around 3.51b per gallon of milk, but straw increased from .5 to 1.31b, while roots and green fodder increased from 5.2 to 11.81b per gallon. Strong efforts were made to improve the yield of grazing land, because grazing is the cheapest feed that is available for live stock. Studies of the eating habits of cows on pasture indicated that where there was a dense growth, 4in to Sin in height, capable of yielding 45001b of green pasture per acre, the cows would eat 1501b of grass per head in approximately seven or eight hours of grazing time, or about five hours of actual feeding time. When the pasture available was about 22001b per acre, the cattle could eat only 901b in that time, and when it fell to 11001b per acre, the cattle could get only 451b, or barely enough for maintenance. Likewise, pasture lOin high, yielding 50001b of feed per acre, was so mature that the cattle would eat only 701b per day.