PROTEIN IN RATIONS

Manawatu Times, Volume LIV, Issue 6884, 13 April 1929, Page 12

PROTEIN IN RATIONS

Effect on Conception The 46th annual report of the Ohio Agricultural Experiment Station contains. as usual, much of interest to agricultural readers in this Experiments have been conducted at Ohio in connection with the amount of protein required by the dairy cow. Three cows, placed on a ration with a nutritive ratio of 1.2, a very narrow ratio, have completed a lactation period, but all three must be dropped from the experiment and probably from the herd because of failure to conceive. All seemed in normal condition in other respects, though thoy became very thin and were inclined to tire of the ration. The particular cow's were rather old and it is, of course, possible that age may have been a factor in thoir failure to conceive but, the experimenters say, the probability is strong that the ration was at fault. Many complaints have, aparently, been received that breeding difiicultics attend the use of rations with high protein contents. The experiment is being continued with younger animals. At the other extreme, niuch difficulty was encountered in keeping a group ot cows on a ration with a ratio of 1.13, a very wide ratio. Though this ration was at first relished, after a few weeks the animals seemed to lose appetite, fall off in condition and milk yield, and ultimately they refused the ration altogether. Though attempts were made to adjust the ration by alteration of tho various ingredients, even this did not meet with permanent success. Two cows, which had become emaciated and refused the iood altogether, when placed on the no v mal herd ration made immediate improvement and returned gradually to a normal condition. None of the cows conceived while on this ration during the early part of the lactation period—the time of heavy production Animals in-calf _ when the ration was commenced, finished their lactation, seemed in good condition, and produced normal, wcll-developou calves. It.would seem, say the experimenters, that the protein limit in lontinuous successful feeding had been passed in both directions, but further investigation is required to verify this conclusion.