The Use of Indicator Methods in Measuring the Contribution of Two Forages to the Total Ration of the Dairy Cow

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Abstract
An example of a combination of indicator technics used to detn. the contribution of 2 pasture forages to the total ration is reported. Two 14-day digestion trials involving 6 cows on a temporary winter forage mixture of oats, rye grass, and crimson clover, and 4 cows on fescue grass, each group being fed hay and grain in addition to having free access to the respective forages, are reported as supporting data. The cows had an avg. total dry matter intake of 25.9 lbs. on the fescue and 30.4 lbs. on the temporary pasture mixture and received 16.34 lbs. and 20.75 lbs. T. D. N., respectively, from the rations. The milk production level on each ration apparently was limited by the amt. of energy-producing nutrients consumed. Increasing the protein content of the total ration from an avg. of 16% on the fescue to 25% on the temporary forage increased the wastage of protein from 42 to 69% of the total digestible protein. The apparent nutrient deficiency of winter forages under the conditions of this expt. is in energy-producing fractions. The use of indicator technics offers an apparently reliable measure of the contributions of forages to the total ration of a dairy cow under grazing conditions.