THE FEEDING OF LIVE-STOCK.

New Zealand Journal of Agriculture, Volume XXXVI, Issue 4, 20 April 1928, Page 253

THE FEEDING OF LIVE-STOCK.

J. McLinden,

M.R.C.V.S., N.D.A., Officer in Charge, Animal Husbandry Branch, Live-stock Division.

111. FOODSTUFFS' IN COMMON continued.

ENSILAGE

The making and feeding of silage is by no means a recent innovation in this country, but circumstances are making its use more general, especially in connection with dairy-farming.

If green crops are cut and put into stacks and left exposed to the air the material undergoes a process of decomposition, due to various agents, which renders it unfit for consumption. But if the same crop is cut and stacked and these processes are kept in check and under control the result is a valuable foodstuff which is neither hay nor decomposed fodder.

It is sometimes stated that by making silage it is possible to save a crop that could not be made into hay owing to wet weather. That is true to an extent, but the best of silage cannot be made out of inferior material such as spoilt hay. The process of converting such hay into ensilage will never restore the lost nutritive value, though it may save the material from complete waste. If the crop to be ensiled is too wet when being handled it will never finish so well. This must be recognized also from the importance of having good dry fodder and good succulent root crops for winter feedings of dairy cows. Silage should be used to replace the roots rather than the hay. Where labour difficulties exist, or in late districts and wet seasons, it is not possible to make good hay, and here is where ensilage-making is valuable, especially where fodder is scarce.

Before a crop, can be regarded as suitable for silage-making it must give a reasonably good yield per acre. It must lend itself to close packing also. That is how maize is so suitable for the process. Being solid-stemmed, once it is cut up the air is more or less easily excluded compared with crops which are hollow-stemmed. The hollow-stemmed crops need great care, and if this is not exercised moulding is sure to take place, with bad results in feeding. The ensiled crop should also have a fair percentage of soluble carbohydrates, for it is these -which form the lactic and other organic acids which so effectively control the whole process. A crop of high protein content is good but for the fact that it is liable to putrefy. .This. is prevented if -there is also present an abundance of soluble carbohydrates.

Maize is without doubt the most suitable crop for silage-making-hence the great extent to which it is used in America. The most important materials, so far as we are concerned, are the grasses and clovers and lucerne, while, generally speaking, the most suitable allround special crop is oats with a mixture of legumes, such as peas, beans, vetches, or tares. Some districts, of course, have the opportunity of making maize ensilage. The oat and legume, crop may contain a little too much protein for an ensilage of the best keeping-quality, but if handled properly its feeding-value, especially for milk-production, is greatly .increased. It is also more suitable for feeding to young pigs.

Silage-making

Silage is made in either a tower silo, a pit, or a stack. In other countries the tower silo has gained in favour over the older methods, due to the superior results obtained by its use. All the methods adopted aim at the one thing, and .that is the exclusion of air from the mass. The processes going on are those of respiration, which is controlled by the amount of air admitted into the stack, • fermentation, and bacterial activities, and, although not required, putrefaction in varying degrees. The process of fermentation, which is the chief, is controlled by the combined action of all the factors. A stage of temperature is reached which is too high, and therefore inhibits the process, and also the products of fermentation itself and the bacteria, reaching a degree of concentration which checks further development. The bacteria which are in the crops at this time split up the carbohydrates into oxygen, and reduce the sugars to organic acids, of which acetic is the chief, and also lactic. It is for this reason that leguminous crops do not make the best ensilage ; they .do not possess sufficient carbohydrates, and so there is a shortage of lactic acid. This, combined with protein putrefaction, produces a bad-smelling, unattractive food. Leguminous crops should always be ensiled with a starchy crop. The height to which the temperature is allowed to rise is also important, and this depends on the amount of air which is left in the crop , when stacked. The wetter the crop, and the more tightly it is packed, the less air will be present in the stack. When the crop is tightly compressed the temperature remains low, and if much air is admitted the temperature will rise accordingly, to the extent of charing even. The various types of silage made depend on this control of temperature.

So far as these notes are concerned, it will suffice to say that more air, and therefore higher temperature, results in silage of the sweet type, while less air and lower temperature gives the sour type. There are all the degrees existing between these two ; in a tower silo the full range is usually to be found.

Types of Silo

By far the most economical and satisfactory silo is the cylindrical type. It may be constructed of various, materials, such as reinforced concrete, brick, wood, and sometimes steel. By using this type the ensiled material is ensured of having plenty of pressure, except towards the top. This excludes the air, and so produces a sour silage, which is the most nutritive because less amounts of carbohydrates are utilized in its making. For the clamp and pit silo the driest area available is selected, and an excavation cut about 5 ft. deep, about 15 ft. wide, and as long as is needed. The fodder to be ensiled is never cut as in the tower silo, but simply flung into the bottom of the clamp and well tramped down. It is customary, once it has reached a sufficient height, to pull the carts over it to further compress it. The clamp is closed by covering over with turfs and earth. There may be a fair amount of loss by this method, due to water at the bottom of the clamp. The hillside silo, which is coming into increasing use in this country, is an adaptation of the clamp and pit style. The stack method of silagemaking, although so far the most commonly employed in New Zealand,

is for several reasons the least satisfactory, and should really be regarded as only suitable for emergency work.

Feeding Silage.

In order to obtain the best results from feeding silage it is much preferable to use it as a substitute for roots instead of as a fodder (such as hay). It is really a succulent food containing a great amount of nutriment in a very digestible condition. Although that is so, it must also be remembered that a comparison between roots and silage from a chemical point of view shows the silage to have a far higher dry-matter content, and in this respect the diets are not interchangeable. But all that need be done to overcome this is to reduce the amount of fodder allowed when silage is being substituted for roots. . From experiment it has been found that a 40 lb. ration of swedes may be substituted advantageously by a silage ration of 24 lb. when the silage is made of oats and mixed legumes., .... ... ' . ,

The feeding use of silage is simple, and is advantageous to all stock except pigs. Cattle will consume 20 lb. to 30 lb. a day, and horses up to about 14 lb. a day. Calves can masticate it early, but it should not be fed to them under weaning-age. Bulls should only receive limited quantities, as it is liable to make them paunchy and slow 'at breeding. Good silage will not. taint milk, but it should be . fed after milking. . .. .

HAY.

A very large number of grasses and clovers, and sometimes oats combined - with legumes, are used in the making of hay, and just as the composition of the mixture of grasses varies from field to field and farm to farm, so does the feeding-value of 'the resulting hay. The better ’ the making of the * hay the better will its feeding-value be. Clovers and lucerne are specially valuable owing to their high percentage of protein, but both these hays require very skilful handling, or a great proportion of their fine leaves will be lost, and it is in them that the feeding- lies. . ,

Haymaking should take place when the greater part ot the Held is in flower. It is a loss to cut too early, for the total cut would be reduced, but from a feeding point of view it is better to cut early than late. One cannot wait till the whole field is in flower or has flowered, for by that time the nutriment would have passed out of the hay and left it almost like straw. The Danish Agricultural School at Maesgaards, experimenting with clover hay, found that 200 lb. of early-cut hay produced r6|lb. more milk than did an equal quantity of hay from the same crop cut later. It was also found to be better for calves. ■ ■ ; : -

Although it ’ has been said that the best time to cut' hay is when most of the herbage is in flower, discretion must be used according to the weather conditions. That does not mean, of course, that where a hay crop, is ready to cut, say, before Christmas, the work should be deferred until after New Year. That would be postponing the operation too long ; yet it is a very frequent occurrence. Haymaking has perhaps always been done after New Year, and it would seem that numbers of farmers are determined that it will, so remain. Speaking

generally, a great deal of the feeding-value of much of the hay in New Zealand is lost because it is cut long after seeding. In this condition it is little better than straw.

Once the cutting has started, provided the weather remains favourable, the hay should be handled as little and as gently as possible, and the process completed by stacking at the earliest possible moment. If it is stacked too early, due to improper drying, owing to, say, too thick a swath for the prevailing weather, the hay will “ sweat ” badly in the stack, and become brown in colour and have a not unpleasant odour. Provided that this does not go too far, the food value of the hay still remains good.

Of the common hays, rye-grass and clover is one . of the best for milk-production, being generally higher in protein than the other mixed hays. In those districts where timothy hay is grown it is good practice to add clover to the timothy, the addition of the protein from the clover proving very beneficial. Timothy hay alone is much favoured by horses. It suits their taste, and they always do well on a feed or foddering of timothy. This grass as hay, even when cut after seeding, retains a very high feeding-value, so that although it has run to seed it is still of considerable value for horse-fodder or for making into horse-chop. Hay crops made from oats combined with peas, beans, tares, and vetches are very suitable for dairy cows.

The nutritive value of hays varies -greatly, as would be expected. The value depends on the grasses going to make the hay, the condition in which it was made, the age of the pasture, and its treatment as regards manuring. Old pasture which has received little or no attention and has been practically unmanured is almost sure to be deficient in mineral matter. Where two cuts of hay are procurable in the season the second cut is the best from the nutritive point of view. It sometimes happens with lucerne that the second cut is made into silage, but it is better from the feeding point of view to make the first cut into ensilage and the second cut into hay.

On the farm the feeding of hay should be made the basis of the rationing of the stock, according to the quality and quantity available. One important point to be observed is care in the change of diet, especially with horses. New hay appears to be very indigestible for horses at first, for if carelessly fed it nearly always causes indigestion, colic, and not infrequently impaction of the bowels, which is a serious condition. “ Broken-winded ” horses should always receive their hay chopped and damp. Mouldy hay, such as is found in stack-bottoms, should not be fed to stock ; it is dangerous, and more so if it becomes wet. Many a cow has been lost through feeding wet, mouldy hay. It is as well to add that salt or molasses water does not improve it in any way. Treated in this way it may be eaten more readily, but it is no less dangerous.

Hay is an important source of minerals for dairy cows in winter and spring, its value being determined, of course, by its quality. Where hay is fed as the sole roughage a dairy cow may be fed up to 20 lb. per day, and even over ; where fed with roots or silage, 16 lb. to 10 lb. respectively, or slightly over ; and where fed with straw and a succulent food it may be reduced to a daily ration of 5 lb. to 10 lb.

STRAW.

Straw is what remains after the seeds of a plant have been removed after ripening. The value of straw is very variable —-much more variable, in fact, than that of hay. It is for this reason that some individuals maintain that straw has a good feeding-value —it varies so considerably in different farms. There is one aspect in which straw is always deficient, and that is its mineral value. It shows a high percentage of mineral, but this is chiefly silica, a substance of no feeding-value. Calcium and phosphates are deficient. It w’ould not be prudent to advise the feeding of straw for any other purpose than merely to add bulk, except in the case of some samples of oat straw. Oat straw, especially of the older varieties, such as Tam Finlay, has a considerable feeding-value, but the other straws have practically none. Good samples of oat straw can be fed to horses, but only those doing slow work.

For dairy cattle oat straw is the only kind suitable for feeding to cows, but it only attains its highest feeding-value when fed together with a liberal allowance of roots. If it is to substitute hay in any quantity, then it must be augmented by feeding some concentrated food, such as bean-meal or linseed. This necessary addition practically rules it out of use, except for feeding to beef stock in favoured areas and to stores generally..

OATS.

Of the farm-grown grains, oats are by far the most popular for feeding purposes. The oat-sample should be plump and firm and have a bright and clear colour, as a dull colour indicates weathering. A good sample is always heavy for its bulk, but in this particular New Zealand has nothing to fear, generally speaking. Oats stand alone for the feeding of horses. What it is that makes the oat protein of such value we have yet to learn. Oats have a great effect on the horse, and this can only be attributed to their being a well-balanced grain. The amount to be fed varies greatly with the kind of horse and the amount of work to be done. For hard-working horses an ordinary allowance would be about 20 lb. per day. As a home-grown grain oats should commonly form part of the food for the dairy cow. It is one of the most economical sources of energy available, and when balanced with a food 'of higher protein content, such as beans, peas, &c., should form a considerable portion of the ration. The older varieties, such as Potato, Sandy, and Tam Finlay, have a higher feeding-value than some of the later varieties. No better grain than oats exists for milk-producing cows, and the only limit to their use is economy. Even when the price is high they are better retained on the farm and fed in preference to selling. Whenever possible they should be given to high - producing cows and those in pregnancy or poor in condition. They are a very safe food and palatable. They are better crushed when fed to stock.

For fattening stock oats are also good, especially for sheep. Lambs do extremely well on their mothers when these are fed on a little oats. With fattening cattle oats should not be too liberally fed, for if the feeding of the oats is stopped the animals will go off for a bit. For calves, the feeding of oats is preferred when ground up and fed as oatmeal. Oatmeal and skim-milk will practically nourish a calf

as well as whole milk. Some claim that equally good results in calffeeding are obtained with crushed oats. . With pigs, there is rather , too much fibre in the oat for their system of digestion and the age at which they are usually fed. If a portion of the husk is removed, however, oats. are quite suitable. ,

WHEAT.

The only wheat available for feeding is that badly weathered or unsuitable for milling. It has a greater feeding-value than oats, but should never be fed finely ground, for it. then forms an indigestible pasty mass in the digestive tract. For the same reason wheat should never be fed alone. Provided it is used with other foodstuffs and in small quantity it may be fed to cattle and pigs, but it is unsuitable for horses, as it causes skin trouble and even laminites (founder of the feet). It is the popular feed for poultry, and also forms the basis of most commercial mixtures for this purpose.

Wheat Offals.

Bran is the most - valuable of the wheat by-products, especially for dairy cows. It is chemically better than oats in feed value, but practically about lb. of bran is required to equal i lb.- of oats. Bran is rich in phosphorus and magnesium, but poor in lime (an important point to remember when feeding to dairy cows). Bran is an extremely palatable feed, and has a laxative and cooling effect on the digestive system. It is frequently too high in price for its value, but even then a little of it fed before and after calving of dairy cows is very beneficial, and also to high producers that may be receiving other rations. If roots are scarce, bran should be in use. Bran is fed to horses chiefly with the idea of preventing bolting of . the grain feed, and for its laxative effect when used damp. Dry . feeding of bran has a binding effect. The maximum ration, of bran per. day for horses and cattle should not exceed 3 lb. For pigs bran is not suitable, as it is far too fibrous and causes digestive troubles ; the finer offals are more suited. If bran is fed to young stock it ought, owing to its deficiency in lime, to be used in conjunction with some leguminous foods such as beans or peas, preferably in the form of meal. Pollard" is a very suitable food for pigs, but care should be exercised in buying, for it is very subject to adulteration. . '

When feeding the finer wheat offals to young pigs , (for which they are quite. suitable) their deficiency in lime ,is corrected by the use, of skim-milk or buttermilk,, but not whey. The finer offals are quite suitable for young pigs at weaning-time. , The deficiency in lime may also be made good by feeding fish-meal or steamed boneflour. . . Pollards and middlings are unsuitable, for dairy cattle. ; They are unpalatable to them, and cause digestive troubles, and are also, uneconomical.

BARLEY.

In feeding barley its value may be .regarded as better than that of oats, but not so good as maize; it is about ..similar to. wheat. Barley is quite suitable food for horses, cattle, and pigs., - . ..

Barley-meal is used chiefly in the feeding of pigs. Some authorities contend that it is essential to the production of a first-class pork or

bacon. Provided the price is right, this contention may be accepted, but only then. Good pork can be produced by other foods also. The blind use of barley-meal is not to be advocated.

MAIZE.

Maize, with the exception of polished rice, is the greatest source of energy among all the cereals. It is essentially a carbonaceous, food, containing approximately 70 per cent, of carbohydrates.. It is low in protein and very poor in ash. It is palatable and readily eaten by all stock. Poultrymen prefer the flint variety. The grain, when fed, is very liable to form a doughy mass in the stomach if not combined with fibrous food. Fed in too great quantities it causes skin-eruptions. Maize is a very unbalanced food in many ways, and so should always be fed as part of a mixed diet. It is mostly used here for pig-feeding, and when comprising over 65 per cent, of the ration it is very liable to produce a soft carcass with a rather unpleasant flavour. Flaked maize is more digestible for pigs than raw maize. Maize provides many very useful and valuable feeding by-products, but so far they are of little interest in this country. ■

BEANS AND PEAS.

All leguminous seeds occupy a place of their own in the list of popular home-grown foodstuffs. Beans constitute a very valuable feed for dairy cows. They are usually fed to cattle and pigs in the ground state. In comparison with cereals they contain two to three times as much protein. For, .this reason beans are a very stimulating food, especially for milking-cows, which are greatly influenced to higher production by this food. The feeding of new beans should be avoided, as they are very liable to cause indigestion ; with care and rational feeding no ill results should follow. Beans are fed to horses, cattle, sheep, and pigs. The amount suitable for a Horse varies according to the . work which he is being called upon to do, but when they are the chief nitrogenous food 1 lb. to 3 lb., or even a little more, may be fed daily. Beans should never be fed whole. ' '

Bean-meal is fed in considerable quantities in most dairying countries, but the practice of making it the only form of concentrates given is falling into disuse. It should be fed with more bulky foods, and when used in . this way 4 lb. to 5 lb. will be a liberal allowance. . Bean-meal very quickly deteriorates. Maize is greatly benefited from a feeding aspect by the addition of beans or bean-meal.

Peas are very similar to beans as a food. Peas and beans both have a tendency to make hard white butter, but only when fed in quantity. Pea-meal is fed similarly to bean-meal. New Zealand is well suited for the production of peas and beans, and one wonders why they are so comparatively little used by our dairy-farmers.

TREACLE OR MOLASSES.

This is a valuable foodstuff at times, if it can be procured at a reasonable price. It is essentially a carbohydrate food. It is palatable, appetizing, and laxative, but its only value really lies in making what would otherwise be unpalatable foods palatable qualities of hay, for example. It is a common constituent in proprietary stock-foods. '

MEAT-MEAT

Meat-meal was originally a by-product from the manufacture of meat-extract, and still is so ; but with quite a considerable quantity of that now put on the market the meat has been passed through a digester and the fat extracted. A small proportion of finely divided bone is not objected to.

This type of food is very rich in protein and poor in carbohydrates. That means that it will be a very suitable food for all young growing stock as a flesh-former, and to any other stock whose functions cause a large demand to be made on the proteins or flesh of the body, such as deep-milking dairy cows, heavy draught horses, and racehorses. For young pigs it forms a very satisfactory adjunct to the diet. Meat-meal is eaten by all types of stock, but it is advisable to introduce it gradually into the ration of dairy, cows and horses. Used properly-that is, not in excess of requirements —-io per cent, of the total ration for young pigs, and 3 lb. to 4 lb. per day for dairy cattle —• it gives a very satisfactory return, and the health of the animals fed with it is generally very much improved, resulting in greater economical production. There is no reason why the better grades of. meat-meal should not be used, especially for pigs.

FISH-MEAL.

* Fish-meal is a food which has come more or less into prominence recently, and consequently we hear a great deal about —-some reports being wellnigh on the verge of the phenomenal. It is very rich in protein, and also in minerals —•chiefly lime and phosphate. No other type than the white fish-meal should ever be fed -to stock, and then only if no more than 4 per cent, of salt be present. It is through the use of the inferior grade-owing to its tainting the flesh and occasioning serious losses — fish-meal fell into disrepute. The second grade is only fit for manure. Recent tests on the feeding of white fish-meal have proved conclusively that it will not taint either milk, flesh, pork, or eggs. To be on the safe side the feeding may stop fourteen days or more before killing. The finest grades, however, can be fed right up to killing without causing taint. Cheap fish-meal should never be bought.

The composition of fish-meal makes it most suitable for the feeding of all young stock, and also for all breeding-stock. It is very suitable for pig-feeding. Its feeding-value is most marked when fed along with farm cereal grains, because it possesses an abundance of the elements comparatively lacking in such grain—mainly . protein and mineral matter. As regards. the quantity to be fed, although 2 lb. could be given to a dairy cow, the price would make it uneconomic. An amount equal to 5 per cent, of the ration will suit in most cases. With pigs no more should be fed than 10 per cent, of the total ration, or at most |lb. per day to adults.

WHALE-MEAT.

This product has only recently been marketed as a food for animals. For pig-feeding whale-meat has proved very satisfactory, and is believed to be superior, to fish-meal. It is said to cause no taint, and the fat of the carcass is firm and of good colour.