Evaluation of treated corn stover silage as a feed for lactating cattle

Abstract EN

This study was to determine the quality of different silages made from fresh corn stover.

Such silages were made from corn stover alone (CSS), or with 3% molasses (CSSM) or with 5% granulated corn grain (CSSG) forming three silage treatments.

Parameter studies were silage chemical composition, its color, smell, pH value, lactic acid, volatile fatty acids (VFA, s) and NH3-N as well as in vitro dry matter (DM) and organic matter (OM) digestibility.

Rams were used to determine their nutritive values and rumen activity.

The lactation performance of dairy cattle that fed the silages mentioned above plus concentrate mixture (1 : 1) was also determined.

Eighteen Friesian crossbred cows at 2nd to 4th lactation seasons with mean live body weight (LBW) of 460 kg were distributed into three similar groups.

Parameters studied were rations digestibility and feeding values, milk yield and composition, feed intake, feed efficiency as well as a simple economic evaluation.

Results indicated that, the corn stover silages with additives contained more crude protein percentage (CP%), lactic acid and total VFA,s and less NH3-N compared with silage without additive.

The additives of corn stover silage significantly (P < 0.05) improved the digestibility of OM, CP and nitrogen free extract (NFE) compared to CSS.

Feeding values followed the same pattern.

Milk yield, fat corrected milk (FCM) and all milk components significantly increased with rations containing silage with additives (R2 and R3) compared to control ration CSS (R1).

No significant differences were detected between the dietary rations regarding feed intake or feed efficiency.

The economic efficiency was significantly higher for the ration containing silage with additives (R2 and R3) compared to control ration CSS (R1).