Forage consumption as soilage by Holstein, native and Holstein-native crossbred cows

Abstract

A study was undertaken to determine the daily roughage (soilage) intake of the Holstein, Native, and Holstein-Native crossbred cows of the Station's herd and to check on probable differences between them. The apparent consumption of the largest amounts of soilage or dry matter per hundred pounds of live-weight by the Native cows, 8.29 pounds soilage and 2.11 pounds dry matter, as against 7.14 and 1.82 pounds respectively for the crossbreds; and 6.92 and 1.76 pounds respectively, for the Holsteins, was found to be not significant. Neither were the regressions of the amounts of roughage consumed on weight of animal significant within breeds. The kind of roughage usually fed as soilage to dairy cows in the Tropics makes it difficult to increase consumption over the amounts shown above, but the quality of the same can be improved by the use of legumes. This will increase the amount of digestible nutrients ingested which will compensate, in part, for the reduced dry-matter intake.