DH-112
October 1965
Forage Feeding Guide for Dairy Cattle
All profitable dairy farms have a good feeding program. Top quality forage is part of the key to their success. The practice of supplementing this forage with the correct kind and amount of grain concentrate is equally important for maximum return to the dairy business.

The use of forage testing may help you as a dairyman balance your herd ration.
You can often reduce the feeding of grain concentrates with excellent forages. With lower-quality forages you will need to increase the level of grain concentrate to avoid lowered milk production.

To use forage testing effectively, you need to know more than just the protein content of the forage. To feed cows properly, their intake of forage and their milk production must be known.

Periodic measurement of feed consumed, forage testing and milk production records, used together, should help you develop or maintain a good feeding program. The following information is intended to help you establish or maintain a good feeding program.

How to Determine Forage Consumption
The nutrients not provided from forage must be provided from grain concentrates. Therefore, you should measure the forage consumption of each cow as accurately as possible.
Hay
1.	Weigh several bales to find the average weight per bale.
2.	Multiply the average weight by the number of bales fed each day to find the total daily amount.
3.	Correct for wastage by estimating this weight and subtracting from the total weight fed.
4.	Divide the corrected total daily amount of hay fed by the number of cows being fed. This value will be an estimate of the pounds of hay eaten by the average cow in the herd.
5.	To determine the pounds consumed per 100 pounds of bodyweight, divide the average weight of the cow (in hundred pounds) into the average hay consumption per cow.
Silage
1.	Periodic weights of silage eaten in one day should be made.
2.	Or, you may estimate from Tables 1 or 2. Table 1 shows the pounds of silage in each foot of depth in an upright silo. Table 2 shows the pounds of silage for each foot of length in a horizontal silo.
Example: Use Table 1 to determine the amount of silage fed from an upright silo. Suppose you are feeding low-moisture silage from a 16-foot diameter upright silo. The silage you are now feeding is between 20-25 feet from the original level where the silage
Dairy Section • Animal Sciences Department
Cooperative Extension Service, PURDUE UNIVERSITY, Lafayette, Indiana