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Concentrates With Alfalfa

Categories: Feeding Farm Animals

I have a good supply of alfalfa hay and have been feeding this as a

straight feed for my dairy cows. They are not, however, doing as well as

they should and I am looking for some good feed to go with it.



You could probably get better returns by feeding about a pound of

cocoanut meal and three of dried beet pulp than by any other combination

of concentrates with straight alfalfa. If you are producing market milk

or butter prices justify it, more concentrates could profitably be fed.

It is an expensive proposition to build up a properly balanced ration

with alfalfa and concentrates alone, and unless market milk is being

sold, it usually does not pay. The cheapest way to provide a balanced

ration is not by concentrates, but by wheat or other grain straw, and

let the cows eat all they care for. This is very cheap and helps to

balance a ration with green or dry alfalfa hay, is usually cheap, and is

fine for cows. Both are much less expensive than concentrates.



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