ANN 121: Applied Animal Nutrition-I (2+1)

WOLFF’S FEEDING STANDARD

• In 1864 Dr. Emil von Wolff ( German Scientist ) proposed a feeding standard based on digestible protein, digestible carbohydrates and digestible fats contained in a feeding stuff.
• His standard for dairy cows weighing 1,000 lbs. was 24.5 lbs. of dry matter containing 2.5 lbs. of digestible carbohydrates and 0.4 lb. of digestible fats.
• This has a nutritive ratio 1:5.4.
• This standard though an improvement over the standard of Grouven,  it does not consider the quantity and quality of milk produced and the maintenance and production requirement were not considered separately. Keeping these shortcomings in mind Professor Kuhn  published feeding standards in 1867 based upon the maintenance and production requirements along with quantity of milk production.
• Wolff's standards were published annually  without fundamental change until 1897, when they were modified by G.Lehmann (German scientist) to become Wolff-Lehmann standards for various classes of animals.
• Atwater  brought the Wolff's standard to the attention of American workers in 1874 in the annual report of the Connecticut Board of Agriculture. In 1880 these standards were also published by Armsby in his book " Manual of cattle feeding". As a result, the Wolff standards commenced to be used in the United states.