The preservation of a Nandi Setaria silage and its feeding value for dairy cows

1978 ◽  
Vol 18 (90) ◽  
pp. 16 ◽  
Author(s):  
RI Hamilton ◽  
VR Catchpole ◽  
LJ Lambourne ◽  
JD Korr

The process of vacuum ensilage of Setaria Sphacelata (cv. Nandi) (33 per cent DM ; 7 per cent soluble carbohydrates; 1.36 per cent M) was studied, and the resultant silage was evaluated chemically, in milk production trials with dairy cows and in digestion trials with dry cows. The silage was well preserved in a chemical sense (pH 4.5; lactic acid 1.7 per cent, volatile acids 1.2 per cent DM ; volatile bases 9.8 per cent total N) but, because of the structural rigidity of the harvested grass, air could not be completely excluded even from the polythene-covered vacuum stack. The temperature reached 43�C in the first week of storage and considerable surface wastage occurred. The silage (DM digestibility 42 per cent, voluntary DM intake 81 g/kg0.75) was of poorer quality than the grass harvested (DM digestibility 54 per cent, voluntary DM intake 84 g/kg0.75) and, even by feeding concentrates, only a low level of milk production could be sustained in (mainly Jersey) cows in the 5th-9th months of lactation. In silage-fed cows given a protein supplement (cottonseed meal) milk production was lower (3.8 kg day-1) but fat content higher (5.4 per cent) than in those given an energy supplement (sorghum grain) or energy plus protein (4.7 kg day-1 and 4.9 per cent fat). When fed lucerne hay and given the same energy plus protein supplement, cows gave significantly more milk (5.7 kg day-1 and 4.6 per cent fat). The poor nutritive value of the silage is attributed to the nature and composition of the material ensiled rather than to any defect in the ensilage process itself, and may be a feature of most silage made from tropical grasses.

2017 ◽  
Vol 57 (7) ◽  
pp. 1507 ◽  
Author(s):  
A. Chen ◽  
R. H. Bryant ◽  
G. R. Edwards

The objective of the study was to evaluate the effect of perennial ryegrass cultivar and timing of herbage allocation on herbage nutritive value and milk production of mid-lactation dairy cows. An autumn grazing trial using 48 Friesian × Jersey spring-calving cows was conducted over 10 days. Twelve groups of four cows were allocated to three replicates of four treatments, namely, two perennial ryegrass cultivars (AberMagic or Prospect) offered either after milking in the morning (0830 hours) or afternoon (1630 hours). Cows were offered a daily herbage allowance of 30 kg DM/cow above ground level. There were no significant differences in sward structure and morphological characteristics between cultivars, except for Prospect having a lower average tiller mass (43.1 mg) than AberMagic (48.4 mg). The concentration of water-soluble carbohydrates (WSC) and organic matter digestibility in DM (DOMD) was greater in AberMagic (180 g/kg, 74.2%) than in Prospect (153 g/kg, 71.4%). Herbage DM percentage, WSC concentration and DOMD were lower in the morning than in the afternoon (18.8% vs 22.3% DM; 154 vs 179 g/kg WSC; 72.1% vs 73.5% DOMD). Herbage DM intake (12.0 kg/cow.day), milk yield (17.2 kg/cow.day) and milksolids yield (1.60 kg/cow.day) did not differ significantly among treatments. Cultivar choice and timing of allocation influenced herbage WSC concentration and digestibility, but did not alter milksolids production.


1973 ◽  
Vol 53 (2) ◽  
pp. 245-250 ◽  
Author(s):  
P. L. BURGESS ◽  
J. W. G. NICHOLSON ◽  
E. A. GRANT

Whole crops of corn, barley, wheat, and forage oats were ensiled and fed as the sole forage to 48 milking cows in two 12-wk feeding trials. In the first experiment corn (25.1% dry matter (DM)) harvested in the early dent stage, barley (34.2% DM), and forage oats (27.6% DM) harvested in the dough stage were compared. Holstein cows fed the three silages averaged 22.6, 19.7, and 18.7 kg of 4% fat-corrected milk per day and consumed 1.67, 1.82, and 1.85 kg of silage DM per 100 kg body weight, respectively. In the second experiment, cows fed wheat (35.7% DM), barley (29.8% DM), or forage oat (27.0% DM) silage harvested in the dough stage produced 21.2, 23.3, and 22.1 kg fat-corrected milk daily and consumed 1.75, 1.71, and 1.62 kg silage DM per 100 kg body weight, respectively. Corn silage DM intake was lower (P < 0.01) but more efficiently utilized for milk production (P < 0.01) than barley or forage oats, whereas wheat, barley, and forage oat silages were similar in feeding value. In experiment I, rumen acetate increased and butyrate decreased with corresponding increases in forage fiber content. Propionate levels were unaffected by the kind of forage, whereas blood urea nitrogen was highest for cows fed forage oats in both experiments.


1975 ◽  
Vol 15 (73) ◽  
pp. 211 ◽  
Author(s):  
TH Stobbs

Yield and nutritive value of three summer annual forages, hybrid forage sorghum (Sorghum spp. hybrid cv. Zulu), bulrush millet (Pennisetum typhoides cv. Tamworth) and white panicum millet (Echinochloa crusgalli var. edulis) were determined in three experiments. Uninterrupted growth was measured every 2 weeks between 4 and 12 weeks after sowing, and leaf, stem and inflorescence components analysed for nitrogen, phosphorus, calcium, magnesium, sodium and potassium and dry matter digestibility by an in vitro technique. The value of 10-week-old herbage, from crops grown with 50 kg ha-1 N, was determined by grazing with 18 Jersey cows and by feeding chopped material to 12 cows indoors. White panicum was the lowest yielding forage (up to 6,360 kg ha-1 at 10 weeks) but contained the highest concentration of nitrogen, phosphorus, calcium and magnesium in both leaf and stem fractions at all stages of growth. After 10 weeks growth this feed contained a high proportion of seed and was eaten in arger quantities than zulu sorghum or bulrush millet. Cows grazing white panicum produced the highestr lmilk yields (6.5 and 7.1 kg cow-1 day-1 indoors and grazed) and milk from these cows contained a highe solids-not-fat and protein content than milk from cows fed bulrush millet or sorghum. Zulu sorghum was highest yielding (1 1,240 kg ha-1 at 12 weeks in experiment 1 and 81 50 kg ha-1 at 10 weeks in experiment 2). With advancing maturity stem content increased (>80 per cent from 8 weeks onwards) and the nitrogen content of both leaf and stem fractions rapidly declined to sub-optimum levels. Milk production of cows feeding on zulu sorghum was low, averaging 4.7 and 6.0 kg cow-1 day-1 for indoor and grazing experiments. Bulrush millet produced high forage yields with a higher leaf content than zulu sorghum and milk yields were higher. Butterfat content of milk from cows feeding on bulrush millet was lower than when cows were fed the other forages. It was concluded that these three forages are capable of providing a large bulk of feed but their feeding value at a semi-mature stage of growth is similar to perennial tropical pastures.


2001 ◽  
Vol 81 (4) ◽  
pp. 541-551 ◽  
Author(s):  
G. R. Khorasani ◽  
E. K. Okine ◽  
R. R. Corbett ◽  
J. J. Kennelly

The objective of this study was to determine the nutritive value for lactating dairy cows of peas relative to soybean meal (SBM) and barley. Four Holstein cows (200 ± 23 d in milk), fitted with rumen and duodenal cannulae were assigned to four dietary treatments in an experiment designed as a 4 × 4 Latin square with 21 d in each of the four periods. Cows were fed a diet for ad libitum intake with a 50:50 forage:concentrate ratio (DM basis). Peas replaced SBM at the levels of 0, 33.3, 66.7%, and 100% of the concentrate portion in the four test diets. In the 100% pea-based diet, barley was replaced (at 72.35%) to obtain a similar starch content as the SBM-based concentrate. The forage components of the diets consisted of 25% alfalfa silage and 25% bromegrass silage. Dry matter intake (21.6 ± 0.4 kg d–1) and milk yield were not affected by substitution of peas for SBM and barley. Mean rumen pH decreased linearly (P < 0.01) with increasing level of peas in the diet. Substitution of peas for SBM and barley resulted in a linear increase in the concentration of rumen acetate, butyrate, isovalerate, and valerate (P < 0.01), and had a quadratic effect on caproate. Rumen bacterial yield and duodenal flow of total N were not affected by treatment. Ruminal fermentation characteristics and digestibility of nutrients suggest that the substitution of SBM and barley grain with peas may alter the site and end-products of digestion; however, the substitution had no significant effects on production parameters. Key words: Peas, digestion, rumen fermentation, dairy cows


1981 ◽  
Vol 21 (109) ◽  
pp. 157 ◽  
Author(s):  
KR King ◽  
CR Stockdale

The effect of hay supplementation on the performance of dairy cows on a restricted intake of paspalum-dominant perennial pasture was studied in two 21 -day periods in the eighth and ninth months of lactation. In each period, there were three groups fed pasture only at mean intakes of 15.2, 11.5 and 7.3 kg/cow day-1, two groups fed at similar pasture restriction levels and supplemented with hay ad libitum, and one further group fed an average of 7.3 kg of pasture supplemented with only 4.3 kg of hay. The data were analyzed by regression, using total dry matter intake as the dependent variable, and pseudovariables were used to examine the effects of hay feeding. The relations between total dry matter intake and milk, butterfat, protein and solids-not-fat production, and change in body condition of dairy cows were not altered by ration composition. Milk production declined linearly by 0.66 kg and 0.31 kg/cow day-1 in the eight and ninth months of lactation, respectively, for each kg reduction in total dry matter intake. Similar responses were obtained for butterfat, protein and solids-not-fat production. Gain in body condition of the cows also decreased as total intake fell, but the relation was curvilinear and not affected by stage of lactation. It was concluded that high quality hay can be used to overcome shortages of paspalum-dominant perennial pasture in autumn, and that it has similar. nutritive value to pasture in terms of milk production and body condition.


1981 ◽  
Vol 53 (5) ◽  
pp. 307-313
Author(s):  
Liisa Syrjälä-Qvist ◽  
Jouko Setälä ◽  
Mikko Tuori

Twenty-four dairy cows with high milk yields were used in an experiment in which peas and soybean meal were compared for feeding value, when given as protein sources in grass silage and hay based feeding. In their barley and outs based concentrate mixture three different groups recevied: 1) soybean meal 14 %, 2) soybean meal 7.5 %plus ground peas 15 % or 3) ground peas 35%. The peas were almost equivalent as a protein source to the soybean meal. There were no significant differences between the soybean and pea groups in the intake and utilization of feeds, milk production and milk composition or liveweight changes of the animals. Thus, in silage and hay based feeding the proportion of peas in the concentrate mixture can be at least 35 % and the daily pea ration can amount to 3—4kg without any harmful effects on milk production.


1999 ◽  
Vol 1999 ◽  
pp. 70-70
Author(s):  
L.A. Sinclair ◽  
R.G. Wilkinson

Previous work conducted with fermented whole crop wheat (WCW) silage has focussed on the effects that stage of maturity can have on nutritive value and milk production (Sinclair and Wilkinson 1998, Phippset al.1998). An alternative means of manipulating the nutritive value of WCW is to alter the relative proportion of straw to grain through altering cutting height at harvest. Additionally, the form of energy supplied by the concentrate also offers the potential of manipulating milk production in cows fed diets containing WCW. The objectives of the current experiment were therefore to determine the effect of two cutting heights at harvest and supplement type on the performance of dairy cows offered fermented WCW silage.


2000 ◽  
Vol 2000 ◽  
pp. 149-149 ◽  
Author(s):  
M.B. Salawu ◽  
A.T. Adesogan ◽  
R.J. Dewhurst

As more farmers try to improve the efficiency of their production systems by sourcing safer and cheaper dietary energy and protein from home grown feeds, the importance of cereal-legume bi-crops for winter-feeding of UK livestock may increase. However, little is known about the production, conservation, feeding value and animal performance from such bi-crops in the UK. This study measured the feed intake and milk production from dairy cows fed pea-wheat bi-crop silages.


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