| ||||
|
|
|
|
|
Solanum tuberosumPotato, Irish potatoUseful reference: 511 Herbaceous plant with underground tubers and a weak, pubescent or glabrate stem that can be 1 m high. Originated in the Andes, but is now cultivated all over the world except in the humid tropics. Surplus and cull potatoes, either raw or after cooking (the water should be discarded), are suitable for most classes of livestock. Raw potatoes are not very palatable and have a laxative effect. They should therefore be introduced gradually. To get the most value from the starch, the potatoes should be boiled or steamed. Potatoes may get stuck in the gullet, but this risk can be minimized if the potatoes are fed from low troughs or mashed. Potato sprouts contain an alkaloid, solanine, so it is advisable to remove the sprouts before the potatoes are fed to pigs or poultry. Frozen or dirty potatoes should never be used as feed. Dairy cows can receive up to 15 kg of raw potato a day and beef animals up to 20 kg a day. Pigs are usually given only cooked potatoes, which are efficiently used by fattening and breeding animals, they can be fed up to 6 kg a day. Potatoes produce a firm pork. Cooked potatoes can be used for poultry, to which they have been fed successfully in proportions of up to 40% of the total ration. Potato tubers can be chopped with forage and ensiled. The heat generated during the fermentation is sufficient to cook the potatoes. The haulm can be ensiled for feeding to cattle. If cattle are given no more than 20 kg a day, it is a good feed that will in no way impair health.
ReferencesAbstracts |  | |||||||||||