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Description: Whole cottonseed (typically 3/8 inch by 1/8 inch in size) with the lint still attached, fuzzy seed, is in image one and after removal of the lint, delinted seed, is in image two. Whole cottonseed is high in protein, fat, fiber, and energy, which is an unusual combination in a single feedstuff. The delinted seed is slightly higher in protein and fat than the fuzzy seed. Mechanically delinted or fuzzy seed can, but not always, stimulate higher milk fat tests and help maintain persistency when fed to dairy cows at a rate of 4 to 7 lb per day. Cottonseed hulls, shown pelleted in image three, are low in protein, calcium, phosphorus, and energy but high in fiber. They are used primarily in the southern United States as a roughage source when high quality forages are unavailable. It is a palatable feed for cattle that can make up 20 to 30% of the ration, which can be added to the grain mix to increase crude fiber content and bulk density. Cottonseed meal (image four) is a by-product of oil extraction from whole cottonseeds and contains differing amounts of oil depending on the method of extraction. Cottonseed meal produced by expelling the oil contains about 5% fat and 43.5% crude protein on a dry basis. When the oil is removed by solvent extraction, the resulting cottonseed meal contains less oil (1.6%) and more protein (45.1%) and thus has a lower net energy value for lactation (78.9 vs 81.2 Mcal/100 lb). Fuzzy or delinted cottonseed and cottonseed meal all contain gossypol, a toxic pigment, which can induce gossypol toxicity, although high producing dairy cattle will probably not eat enough of the meal to suffer toxicity. Toxicity can affect the cardiac, reproductive, renal, hepatic, and other systems but is usually only a problem in young ruminants and hogs.

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