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The effect of maxgrass silage additive and level of concentrate supplementation on silage intake, animal performance and carcass characteristics of finishing beef cattle

Published online by Cambridge University Press:  24 November 2017

Rosemary E Poots ,
M T Carson  and
S J Kennedy
Rosemary E Poots
Affiliation:
Department of Agriculture for Northern Ireland, Greenmount College of Agriculture and Horticulture, Antrim BT41 4PU
M T Carson
Affiliation:
Department of Agriculture for Northern Ireland, Greenmount College of Agriculture and Horticulture, Antrim BT41 4PU
S J Kennedy
Affiliation:
Department of Agriculture for Northern Ireland, Greenmount College of Agriculture and Horticulture, Antrim BT41 4PU
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Extract

Maxgrass (BP Chemicals Ltd), a product containing ammonium hexamethanoate, ammonium hexapropionate and carboxylic acids, has been claimed to restrict the extent of WSC fermentation in herbage during ensiling. This has been shown to result in increased DM intake and subsequent animal performance (Kennedy 1990). The objective of the present experiment was to further investigate the effects of this treatment of grass at ensiling and in particular to examine the interaction of the responses with levels of concentrate supplementation when offered to finishing beef cattle. Evaluation parameters included an assessment of additive effect on silage intake, animal performance and carcass characteristics.

Approximately 70 tonnes of primary growth grass was ensiled from 22-24 May 1990 into each of eight concrete covered, walled silos (4 per treatment). Grass was treated with Maxgrass (6 l/t) or left untreated. Seventy-two Continental cattle (460 kg) were blocked into groups of 9 according to liveweight and allocated at random to either untreated or Maxgrass treated silage supplemented with 0, 1.5, 3.0 or 4.5 kg/day of a 15% CP proprietary beef concentrate or slaughtered.

Type
Silage Additives
Information
Proceedings of the British Society of Animal Production (1972) , Volume 1992 , March 1992 , pp. 154
Copyright
Copyright © The British Society of Animal Production 1992

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References

Kennedy, S.J. (1990). The effect of an acid salt-type additive on grass preservation, in-silo loss and performance of growing beef cattle. Proceedings of the 9th Silage Conference pp 60–61.Google Scholar