Animal Nutrition

Feeding Cottonseed

Cottonseed can be fed alone or combined with other feeds. It does not require rolling, milling or other processing and cannot cause acidosis.

Molasses, salt or grain can be used to entice stock not familiar with WCS, though once started palatability is not a problem. Consider feeding daily amounts, to monitor acceptance and intake, for up to 10 days before switching to feeding every second day or twice weekly.

Allow 600mm per head when feeding adults in troughs. Use small dumps (enough to feed four head per dump) if feeding on the ground. Where there is adequate standing feed available (>1200kg DM/ha), WCS can be available all the time for example in tractor tyre feeders.

Note that intake generally increases as pasture quality and availability declines.

Feed Value

White cottonseed is high in energy and protein but also provides fibre, mostly from the seed hulls. Most of the energy is in the form of oil which can inhibit rumen function when it exceeds 6% of total diet.

Digestion of WCS in the rumen releases nutrients slowly, which means that it can be fed twice weekly.

Note that most cotton grown in Australia is genetically modified (GM) and not segregated. Therefore WCS cannot be fed to stock being marketed in programs that prohibit GM feeds.

Amounts Required

Cottonseed is a suitable supplement for stock grazing low quality feed, such as cereal stubble or mature / frosted / drought affected tropical grass pasture with no visible green content. Under these conditions, it can be fed at up to 0.5% of bodyweight for cows, and 0.33% for weaned calves, per day.

It can also be combined with other feeds as a full ration during drought. For example, mix 70% grain: 30% WCS, plus a roughage source.

Information Source

Pleaes note all information on this page has ceom from the Department of Primary Industries NSW. Paper "White cottonseed- a supplementary cattle feed"

August 2016, Primefact 303, Second edition Todd Andrews, Beef Development Officer, Armidale

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