Factors affecting silage intake
1999
Rihma, E. | Kaert, O. (Estonian Agricultural Univ., Tartu (Estonia))
A 4x4 Latin square experiment with 4 lactating cows was carried out at Eerika experimental farm in autumn-winter period in 1998. Silage was fed to the cows ad libitum, concentrate feed covered 25, 40, 55 or 70 per cent of metabolizable energy need of cows. Silage was prepared from the first cut of clover and its dry matter content was 27.3 per cent. The silage DM contained 17.4 per cent protein, 22.3 per cent crude fibre and 9.25 MJ met. energy per 1 kg. The effect of concentrate feed on silage DM and energy intake, milk production and composition was studied. The daily DM intake of that silage ranged from 16.6 to 11.6 kg, according to the experiment version. Each supplementary kg of concentrate feed in the ration decreased the silage DM intake by 0.79 kg per day. The total ration DM intake per 100 kg life weight was within the limits of 3.25...3.51 kg. Increasing the proportion of concentrate feed in the ration did not affect significantly milk fat and protein content but it decreased milk urea content. In the experiment correlation between the silage content of met. energy and its DM intake, as well as between silage met. energy content and ration DM intake was statistically insignificant
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