Purdue University Agricultural Experiment Station Lafayette, Indiana
Mimeo AS-292 April 28, 1961 (Progress Report)
THE COMPARTIVE VALUE OF MATURE AND OVER-MATURE CORN SILAGE, ALFALFA HAY,
WO TYPES OF ALFALFA HAYLAGE AND ALFALFA SILAGE FOR GROWING BEEF CALVES, 1/
To W. Perry, Mo To Mohler and W. M. Beeson Department of Animal Science
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Corn silage cut at the "mature51 stage when the kernels are dented and glazed, out before the stalk has appreciably changed from green to brown, proved superior to corn silage cut at a later stage of maturity• During the first phase of the experiment, dry matter consumption of the two types of corn silage was similar (8,6 pounds vs, 8,9 pounds). However, during the second phase of the experiment, cattle on the mature silage consumed almost 3 pounds more dry matter per day (11,9 pounds vs, 9»1 pounds) from their silage than did the steers on the overmature silage.
Feed costs per pound of gain ranged from 10,3 to 13o6 for gains of 2,04 to 2,68 pounds per day on the two types of corn silage. This is further evidence of the versatility of corn silage in fitting into lowered cost patterns for beef production.
Alfalfa hay, two types of alfalfa haylage and alfalfa silage, cut from the same field, proved nutritionally inadequate when fed with free choice minerals in the growing ration of steer calves. Daily gains of from nothing to b pound were made by the cattle on the four types of roughages compared.
The alfalfa used in this study was past bloom and actually too mature to make a high quality product. It was necessary to delay harvesting until the construction of the Harvestore was completed.
Adding 3 pounds of rolled shelled corn and 1 pound of Supplement A to hay, haylage or alfalfa silage resulted in quite satisfactory growing gains of from 1,55 to 1,84 pounds per day at feed costs of from 11,3 to 16,2 cents per pound of gain. Apparently a small amount of supplemental protein plus some energy was necessary to convert these four products into a balanced ration capable of supporting good growth.
Supplemented alfalfa silage and Harvestore haylage supported more rapid gains at lower feed costs than hay or than haylage stored in an open top concrete silo.
The haylage stored in the concrete silo lost more moisture during storage and was lower in carotene content (0,06 mg, vs, 2,2 mg, per pound) than the haylage ensiled in a Harvestore,
l/ The Harvestore used for storing a part of the haylage was furnished by the A, 0c Smith Corporation, Milwaukee, Wisconsin,