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The Value of Distillers Feeds for Milk Production

1952; Elsevier BV; Volume: 35; Issue: 10 Linguagem: Inglês

10.3168/jds.s0022-0302(52)93768-5

1529-9066

J.K. Loosli, K.L. Turk, F. B. Morrison,

Genetic and phenotypic traits in livestock

Distillers by-products are popular as a feed ingredient in dairy rations, and they have been widely used for years.Distillers dried grains were marketed as dairy feed in New England before 1900.It is somewhat surprising, therefore, that so few studies have been made to compare the value of distillers feeds with other common feedstuffs for milk production.While few comparisons have been reported involving corn distillers dried grains, only one preliminary test appears to have been made with rye distillers dried grains for dairy cows.Preliminary studies have shown that distillers solubles as a part of concentrate mixtures are palatable for dairy cows, but little is known about their value in replacing other feeds.The present estimated values of these feeds are based largely upon their chemical composition and feeding value for beef cattle, rather than upon their tested usefulness for milk production.Hills (4) conducted a series of tests in which corn distillers dried grains were compared with a mixture of corn meal and wheat bran.Cows fed the corn distillers dried grains produced about 15 per cent more milk and 18 per cent more fat than the control animals.A consistent increase in the fat content of the milk resulted from feeding corn distillers dried grains when the test periods were 4 wk.or less in length but not when the periods were 5 wk.or longer, and he concluded, therefore, that these feeds produced only a temporary increase in the fat content of milk.Lindsey (5) compared corn distillers dried grains with corn gluten feed using two groups of three cows each.The concentrate portion of the ration was made up of 3.0 lb.wheat bran and 3.7 lb. of either corn distillers dried grains or corn gluten feed.As an average during the last 4 wk. of the 6-wk.test periods, the cows fed the distillers grains produced 1.5 lb.more milk daily and consumed 6.1 lb.less dry matter to produce 100 lb. of milk than those fed corn gluten feed.Hills (4) observed that on equal feed intakes cows produced about 4 per cent more milk and 6 per cent more fat on corn distillers dried grains than on brewers grains.The brewers grains were approximately equal to a mixture of linseed meal and cottonseed meal.Armsby and Risser (1) reported that feeding 3.5 lb. of corn meal plus 5.5 lb. of corn distillers dried grains as a supplement to hay and corn silage resulted in significantly more milk and fat than 6.0 lb.corn meal plus 3.0 lb.cottonseed meal.They attributed the extra milk and fat yields from the distillers grains to the higher fat content.Hart and Humphrey (3) showed that the protein furnished by distillers dried grains was equal in value for maintaining nitrogen balance and milk production in lactating dairy cows to linseed meal, casein, dried skimmilk, cottonseed meal and gluten feed when clover or alfalfa hay was the roughage.When corn stover was the only roughage, distillers dried grains proved superior to corn gluten feed as the protein supplement.