The Effect of Adding Blackstrap Molasses to a Lamb-fattening Ration'

Considerable interest was manifested in the substitution of blackstrap molasses for a part, or all, of the grain in livestock rations during the drought years of 1934 and 1936. Ferrin ^ used molasses with corn and oats in fattening hogs and found that oats and molasses had a comparatively high value as compared with corn and molasses. Thompson and HilHer ^ experienced similar results in feeding swine on rations containing ample protein. Blizzard and Taylor ^ likewise found that oats and molasses made a more valuable ration for fattening steer calves than did corn and molasses when both rations were properly supplemented with cottonseed meal. These results suggest that possibly oats and molasses supplement each other in the ration to a better advantage than corn and molasses. Forbes, Braman, et al. {5) have pointed out that the feeding value of a feed may vary widely depending upon the combination in which it is fed. Patterson and Outwater {12) studied the influence of blackstrap molasses in a steer ration and reported that the molasses increased not only the palatability but also the digestibility of the ration. Lindsey and Smith {9) could not confirm these conclusions in a digestion trial with mature sheep and concluded that the digestion of all nutrients except fat was hindered when appreciable amounts of blackstrap molasses were included in the ration. Snell {16) investigated the effect of molasses on the digestibility of steer rations. He used three yearling steers in each of two trials and found that various levels of molasses did not consistently alter the digestion of the nutrients in an ordinary steer ration consisting of corn, cottonseed meal, and grass hajr. A series of digestion trials was designed with lambs to find whether the addition of large amounts of molasses to an ordinary lamb-fattening ration would decrease the digestibihty of the nutrients in the ration. The results of these trials are reported in this paper.