Newspaper?

[Anonymous]

The first winter that I had the cattle, I hadn't bought anything for bedding, but we are a voracious reading family and I was BURIED under newspaper. I tore the black and white sheets into strips and put it out on the slab. It rapidly disappeared and I figured out that the calves were eating it. They were only six months old at that time, and I had been reading enough to figure out that I might be really messing up their digestive tracts.... so I broke down and bought straw for bedding. From time to time, I still put out newspaper for them to munch on...more like a treat than a meal, to be sure. My husband said that there had been a man experimenting with feeding cattle newspaper in the feedlots. Has anyone ever heard of his results? Why are the cattle enjoying the newspaper? What am I doing to them... allowing them to eat this "treat".

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[Anonymous]

Eating the paper is not the problem as long as there is adequate other roughage. I'ld be more concerned with what kind of material is in the ink.

dunmovin farms

> The first winter that I had the
> cattle, I hadn't bought anything
> for bedding, but we are a
> voracious reading family and I was
> BURIED under newspaper. I tore the
> black and white sheets into strips
> and put it out on the slab. It
> rapidly disappeared and I figured
> out that the calves were eating
> it. They were only six months old
> at that time, and I had been
> reading enough to figure out that
> I might be really messing up their
> digestive tracts.... so I broke
> down and bought straw for bedding.
> From time to time, I still put out
> newspaper for them to munch
> on...more like a treat than a
> meal, to be sure. My husband said
> that there had been a man
> experimenting with feeding cattle
> newspaper in the feedlots. Has
> anyone ever heard of his results?
> Why are the cattle enjoying the
> newspaper? What am I doing to
> them... allowing them to eat this
> "treat".

 

[Anonymous]

I hear that most newspaper ink is vegetable (soy) based nowadays.

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[Anonymous]

I only use the black and white pages....NO colors which are dyes. As a "friend" to the environment, the papers are using soy based inks, which may explain why the cattle find it a rather sweet treat and welcome change from alfalfa and straw. I usually just put a handful of paper in each opening along with the hay and straw... they can pick it out or leave it if they wish.

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[Anonymous]

I should have read your response before I duplicated it in response to the email before. The shiny sheets are probably NOT soy-based, and I really question any colored papers... the composters won't even put those in their compost piles, so I follow suit.

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