Purdue University	Mimeo AH - 106
Agricultural Experiment Station	April 25, 1953 (5M)
Lafayette, Indiana
SUPPLEMENTING CORN STOVER SILAGE,
CORN SILAGE AND GRASS SILAGE
FOR FEEDING STEER CALVES
W. M. Beeson, T. W. Perry,
C. H. Nickel and Donald Webb
(Conducted at Lynnwood Farm, Carmel, Indiana)
Making silage is the most practical and effective method of preserving the original feed nutrients in a roughage crop such as corn stover (stalk and leaves—no corn), corn plant (corn silage), legumes or grasses, and many other fibrous feedso Although these silages are excellent cattle feeds, they have certain nutritional limitations or deficiencies «hich must be corrected by supplementation if the maximum feed value is to be obtained® Supplement S*A‘? developed at Purdue University has been very effective in compensating for the deficiencies of many roughages, especially corncobs, com silage and straw; but it does tot specifically fit the needs for supplementing grass silage®
This experiment was designed (1) to compare the feeding value of corn stover silage, tom silage and grass silage; (2) to determine the reaction of cattle fed on grass silage 2de without a preservative; and (3) to develop a new supplement that would correct the deficiencies of grass silage for wintering steers®
Experimental Plan
One-hundred head of Shorthorn steer calves were purchased at a feeder sale in Chad-tea, Nebraska, at an average cost of 30 cents per pound (sale price plus shipping cost to -jmwood Farm) for this experiment® Eighty of these steers were sorted as equally as possible according to liveweight, thrift and general type into four lets' of 20 calves each®
2 steers were started on the experimental rations on Tuesday, December 9S 1952, at an frerage weight of 476 pounds®