Hostname: page-component-586b7cd67f-dsjbd Total loading time: 0 Render date: 2024-11-30T14:48:10.613Z Has data issue: false hasContentIssue false
  • English
  • Français

Milk production from silage 2. The influence of the digestibility of silage made from the primary growth of perennial ryegrass

Published online by Cambridge University Press:  02 September 2010

C. Thomas ,
S. R. Daley ,
K. Aston  and
P. M. Hughes
C. Thomas
Affiliation:
Grassland Research Institute, Hurley, Maidenhead, Berkshire SL6 5LR
S. R. Daley
Affiliation:
Grassland Research Institute, Hurley, Maidenhead, Berkshire SL6 5LR
K. Aston
Affiliation:
Grassland Research Institute, Hurley, Maidenhead, Berkshire SL6 5LR
P. M. Hughes
Affiliation:
Grassland Research Institute, Hurley, Maidenhead, Berkshire SL6 5LR
Get access

Abstract

1. The primary growth of perennial ryegrass (Lolium perenne cultivar Endura) was cut on 23 May (high digestibility) and 23 June (low digestibility) and ensiled with an additive consisting of equal volumes of formic acid and formalin to supply 30 g formaldehyde per kg crude protein. The silages were given ad libitum, together with 6·3 kg dry matter per day of a barley/soya bean supplement, to 24 British Friesian cows over weeks 4 to 18 of lactation.

2. The delay in cutting the primary growth led to an increase in grass yield from 3·78 to 6·94t dry matter per ha but a depression in the content of digestible organic matter in the silage dry matter from 748 to 639 g/kg. However, the effect of the digestibility of the silage on the digestibility of the total diet by the cows was small. The silages contained low levels of fermentation acids and ammonia-nitrogen.

3. The digestibility of silage did not influence silage dry-matter intake in early lactation but in mid lactation the intake of the low-digestibility silage declined whilst that of the high-digestibility silage increased slightly.

4. Cows given silage of high rather than low digestibility produced significantly more milk (high, 28·0 v. low, 24·7kg/day, P < 0·01 ) of lower fat content (high, 36·1 v. low, 41·0 g/kg, P < 0·01 ) but higher protein content (high, 31·5 v. low, 29·4g/kg, P < 0·05). Cows given silage of low digestibility lost more live weight than cows given silage of high digestibility but the effect was not significant.

Type
Research Article
Information
Animal Production , Volume 33 , Issue 1 , August 1981 , pp. 7 - 13
Copyright
Copyright © British Society of Animal Science 1981

Access options

Get access to the full version of this content by using one of the access options below. (Log in options will check for institutional or personal access. Content may require purchase if you do not have access.)

References

REFERENCES

Blaxter, K. L., Wainman, F. W. and Wilson, R. S. 1961. The regulation of food intake by sheep. Anim. Prod. 3: 51–61.Google Scholar
Brown, D. C. and Valentine, S. C. 1972. Formaldehyde as a silage additive. I. The chemical composition and nutritive value of frozen lucerne, lucerne silage, and formaldehyde-treated lucerne silage. Aust. J. agric. Res. 23: 1093–1100.CrossRefGoogle Scholar
Castle, M. E. 1975. Silage and milk production. Agric. Prog. 50: 53–60.Google Scholar
Conrad, H. R., Pratt, A. D. and Hibbs, J. W. 1964. Regulation of feed intake in dairy cows. I. Change in importance of physical and physiological factors with increasing digestibility. J. Dairy Sci. 47: 54–62.CrossRefGoogle Scholar
Forbes, J. M. 1977. Development of a model of voluntary food intake and energy balance in lactating cows. Anim. Prod. 24: 203–214.Google Scholar
Gordon, F. J. 1980. The effect of silage type on the performance of lactating cows and the response to high levels of protein in the supplement. Anim. Prod. 30: 29–37.Google Scholar
Green, J. O., Corrall, A. J. and Terry, R. A. 1971. Grass species and varieties. Relationships between stage of growth, yield and forage quality. Tech. Rep. Grassld Res. Inst., No. 8.Google Scholar
Miller, E. L. 1973. Evaluation of foods as sources of nitrogen and amino acids. Proc. Nutr. Soc. 32: 79–84.CrossRefGoogle ScholarPubMed
Oldham, J. D. and Sutton, J. D. 1979. Milk composition and the high yielding cow. In Feeding Strategy for the High Yielding Dairy Cow (ed. Broster, W. H. and Swan, H.), pp. 114–147. Granada, London.Google Scholar
Rowell, J. G. and Walters, D. E. 1976. Analysing data with repeated observations on each experimental unit. J. agric. Sci., Camb. 87: 423–432.CrossRefGoogle Scholar
Roy, J. B., Balch, C. C., Miller, E. L., Ørskov, E. R. and Smith, R. H. 1977. Calculation of the N-requirement for ruminants from nitrogen metabolism studies. Proc. 2nd Int. Symp. Protein Metab. and Nutr., Flevehov, pp. 126–127.Google Scholar
Siddons, R. C., Evans, R. T. and Beever, D. E. 1979. The effect of formaldehyde treatment before ensiling on the digestion of wilted grass silage by sheep. Br. J. Nutr. 42: 535–545.CrossRefGoogle ScholarPubMed
Steen, R. W. J. and Gordon, F. J. 1980. The effect of type of silage and level of concentrate supplementation offered during early lactation on total lactation performance of January/February calving cows. Anim. Prod. 30: 341–354.Google Scholar
Sutton, J. D. 1980. Influence of nutritional factors on the yield and content of milk fat: dietary components other than fat. In Factors Affecting the Yields and Contents of Milk Constituents of Commercial Importance, Bull. int. Dairy Fed., Docum. 125, pp. 126–134.Google Scholar
Tayler, J. C. and Aston, K. 1976. Milk production from diets of silage and dried forage. 2. Effect of ensiling ryegrass cut at two levels of digestibility and given ad libitum with supplements of dried grass pellets. Anim. Prod. 23: 211–221.Google Scholar
Thomas, C. 1980. Conserved forages. In Feeding Strategies for Dairy Cows (ed. Broster, W. H., Johnson, C. L. and Tayler, J. C.), pp. 8.1–8.14. Agricultural Research Council, London.Google Scholar
Thomas, C., Aston, K., Tayler, J. C., Daley, S. R. and Osbourn, D. F. 1981. Milk production from silage. 1. The influence of an additive containing formaldehyde and formic acid on the response of lactating heifers and cows to supplementary protein. Anim. Prod. 32: 285–295.Google Scholar
Vadiveloo, J. and Holmes, W. 1979. The effects of forage digestibility and concentrate supplementation on the nutritive value of the diet and performance of finishing cattle. Anim. Prod. 29: 121–129.Google Scholar
Wilkins, R. J., Hutchinson, K. J., Wilson, R. F. and Harris, C. E. 1971. The voluntary intake of silage by sheep. I. Interrelationships between silage composition and intake. J. agric. Sci., Camb. 77: 531–537.CrossRefGoogle Scholar
Wilkins, R. J., Wilson, R. F. and Woolford, M. K. 1974. The effects of formaldehyde on silage fermentation. Växtodling 29: 197–201.Google Scholar
Wilkinson, J. M., Wilson, R. F. and Barry, T. N. 1976. Factors affecting the nutritive value of silage. Outl. Agric. 9: 3–8.CrossRefGoogle Scholar