> Interesting comment about the
> possible toxic response in
> cottonseed given to young
> developing bulls. NOW...a
> question: Are you referring to
> freshly ginned cottonseed with a
> lot of lint in it; or, the type of
> cottonseed found in "beef
> rations" which has corn,
> grain, molasses, and other things
> in it. What comes to mind is the
> HiPro Beef Show Ration #287 and
> the Purina Beef Pro (don't think
> the latter one has any cottonseed
> parts in it). Will appreciate
> anyone's comments on this! Thanks!
I was referring to the whole cottonseed that comes straight from the gin. Sorry, but I have no experience with the show rations to which you referred, but I suspect that the amount of cottonseed related gossypol in those rations would be rather small. And in most cases I imagine that show rations would be fed to heifers & steers so as to the male animals the fertility issue becomes moot. When I do feed the seed, I try to give my cows no more than 4 or 5 pounds per day, but there are always "boss" cows that get more than their fair share and, conversely, timid cows that get much less. I think a lot of dairies bump up the daily ration a little. My bulls are trained to walk into a separate pen area the minute they see me with a bucket of their goodies (range cubes) and then after closing the gate on the bulls I dispense the cottonseed to the cows. Young calves generally don't know what the fuss is all about and stay away from the cows when the seed is being fed. A somewhat informative older article on the subject can be found at: <A HREF="http://www.cals.ncsu.edu/an_sci/extension/animal/news/junjul95/jj955art.html" TARGET="_blank">www.cals.ncsu.edu/an_sci/extension/animal/news/junjul95/jj955art.html</A>