Effects of feeding silage and sugar beet pulp, separately, mixed or in an ensiled blend, upon milk production in british friesian dairy cows

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There is increasing interest in the addition of dry feed materials to grass at ensiling, primarily as a means of reducing effluent production, although other benefits claimed include improvements in silage fermentation and animal performance.

A large number of studies have demonstrated lower effluent outputs and improvements in silage fermentation due to the inclusion of materials such as cereals and sugar beet pulp, although experiments examining the effects on animal performance are limited.

Recently, Jones and Jones (1988) observed higher liveweight gains from beef steers fed silage produced by ensiling grass with molassed beet feed compared to animals fed the same quantity of beet feed mixed with silage produced from untreated grass at the point of feeding. The major objectives of the present study were to evaluate the possible use of sugar beet pulp as an absorbent material in silage making and to examine the effects of its inclusion with grass at ensiling on animal performance.