TWO TYPES OF HAYLAGE FED WITH TWO LEVELS OF CORN AND TWO LEVELS OF PROTEIN SUPPLEMENT
TO YEARLING BEEF STEERS 1/
Research Progress Report 48
April, 1963, Final Report
T. W, Perry, W. M. Beeson and M. T. Mohler, Department of Animal Sciences
Summary
From a nutritional or feeding point of view, Harvestore (gas-tight) haylage and conventional silo haylage were of similar value (Table 3). Daily gains, feed requirement per pound of gain, and feed costs per pound of gain were quite similar for the two types of haylage, when fed either with a full or half feed of high moisture corn.
Most rapid, efficient and economical gains were made when a full feed of corn was fed, along with supplement and haylage, as compared to a half feed of corn. Cattle fed a full feed of corn gained 30 percent more rapidly (significant at 1 percent level) or at a decreased feed cost per pound gain of 1 cent, or more. (Table 4).
On both types of haylage and with a full feed of corn or with a half feed of corn,
1 pound of Supplement A (plus an additional pound of corn) did just as good a job of supplementing the ration as did 2 pounds of Supplement A. Research reported last year (Mimeo AS-299) indicated some supplement was needed; however, the haylage tested in the 1960 work was cut at a more mature stage and thus was probably inferior to the product tested in the current research.
Previous Research
Research conducted with haylage was reported in 1961 in Mimeo AS-299. This research showed that, (1) feeding 2 pounds of
Supplement A in addition to a full feed of corn and the respective roughages being tested, as compared to feeding no Supplement A, resulted in a 31 percent increase in gain; (2) chopped hay and Harvestore haylage had a similar feeding value; and (3) haylage stored in a conventional concrete silo was slightly inferior to hay or to sealed storage haylage.
Research reported in this progress report was designed to study further the value of haylage in the fattening ration of beef steers. The specific objectives were:
1.	To compare the nutritive value of haylage stored in air tight storage (Harvestore) with that stored in conventional concrete silo;
2.	To compare two levels of corn feeding (full feed vs. half feed) with haylage and supplement; and,
3.	To compare two levels of protein supplement feeding (2 lb vs. 1 lb Supplement A per day) with haylage and corn.
Experimental Procedure
Eighty yearling Hereford steers were divided into 8 lots of 18 each, on the basis of liveweight and previous treatment. The average initial weight of the steers was 760 pounds. The roughages being compared were fed according to appetite in the respective lots, whereas the corn amd Supple-
1/ The Harvestores used in this research were furnished by the A. O. Smith Harvestore Products Inc., Kankakee, Illinois
PURDUE UNIVERSITY • Agricultural Experiment Station • Lafayette, Indiana