Dairy Feeds

Now that you have learned about the nutrient categories of feed, it is time to take a look at some specific feeds and feed ingredients. Study the information in the table below. Pay particular attention to the nutrient category for each feed. Learn to recognize each feed by its characteristics (color, texture, other characteristics). On the following pages you can test your knowledge.

Name of Feed	Nutrient Category	Color	Texture	Other Characteristics
	protein	green	smooth	tubular shaped particles that may be of varying lengths because of breakage of the pellets
	protein	dark brown to dull red	granular to powdery	by-products from meat industry; fatal if fed to non-ruminants
	protein	yellow	granular to powdery	by-products from removing starch, oil, and germ from corn
	protein	brown	flaky to powdery	sweet smell; by-product from making alcohol for liquor or fuel
	protein	brown	powdery	smells like fish; look for tiny bone chips; by-product from fisheries or removal of oil from fish
	protein	light brown	granular to flaky	by-product after removing oil from oilseeds; 44% crude protein (CP) soybean meal = soybean meal plus soybean hulls; 48% CP = soybean meal without hulls.
	protein*	white	granular	small bead-like particles; used as a source of non-protein nitrogen for ruminant animals; fatal if fed to non-ruminants*
	energy	yellow/white	rough	whole corn kernels that have been broken; starch may stick to fingers
	energy	grayish brown	rough	looks like a dried root; by-product from removing sugar from beets
	energy	yellow to light brown	powdery	smells sweet like milk replacer; by-product from making cheese
	energy	dark brown	flaky and/or granular	sweet smell; high in sugar; made from sugar beets (most common source) or sugar cane
	energy	brown with white spots	flaky	by-product from removing starch from wheat; looks like crumbled bran cereal
	energy	brown	slightly rough with irregular edges	common cereal grain fed for its fiber
	energy	brown	smooth with round edges	look for crease along the middle of one side
	energy	yellow	smooth	most common cereal grain in Ohio
	energy	light brown	flaky	look for dark specks from the outer coat of soybeans; by-products of removing oil from soybeans
	mineral	gray	granular	looks like small rocks of uniform sizes
	mineral	light gray	granular	looks like small rocks of various sizes
	mineral	bronze	granular, grainy	looks like tiny, uniform crystals
	mineral	white	granular, grainy	looks like tiny, uniform crystals
		light brown with yellow spots	smooth	tubular shaped particles that may be of varying lengths because of breakage of the pellets

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jlafavre@jcu.edu