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The Value of Wood Molasses as a Feed for Dairy Cattle¹

The State College of Washington

Abstract

To determine the nutritive value of molasses made from wood waste, a paired feeding trial was conducted using 8 Holstein and 2 Jersey heifers divided into 2 groups of 5 each. Calves were fed at a level 5% below Morrison's minimum standards for growing dairy cattle. Five of the calves received 2 lbs. of wood molasses daily during the first 8 weeks of the trial and 4 lbs. daily during the last 7 weeks. Calves receiving the wood molasses gained significantly more weight than did the non-molasses group. There was no significant difference in increase in height at withers between the 2 groups.

In order to study the use of wood molasses as a silage preservative, a grass-legume mixture was ensiled with 60 pounds per ton of wood molasses. A feeding trial was run lasting 6 weeks and using 2 groups of cows, 8 in one group and 7 in the other. One group was fed the wood molasses preserved silage and the second a silage prepared from the same field at the same time, but ensiled with no preservative. The criteria in this trial were production of 4% fat-corrected milk, maintenance of body weight, efficiency in use of total digestible nutrients, and palatability and keeping quality of the silage. The silages were nearly equal in most respects, but the silage preserved with wood molasses seemed to be slightly more palatable and better preserved than that to which no preservative had been added.

¹ Published as Scientific Paper No. 929, Washington Agricultural Experiment Stations, Institute of Agricultural Sciences, State College of Washington, Pullman.