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Studies on the Feeding Value of Mow-Cured Baled Hay¹

Purdue University Agricultural Experiment Station, Lafayette, Indiana

ABSTRACT

The feeding value of similar baled alfalfa hays cured either in the mow or field was studied over a period of 3 yr. Without the aid of heated air the carotene content of the mow-cured hays was variable, depending on the prevailing weather conditions. When the outside air was cool and humid, as in the cases of the first-cutting hays, the mow drying process was prolonged, with most of the carotene in the hay being destroyed.

The mow-curing of baled hay seems to be a much more difficult process than the curing of long hay because of the difficulty of getting air to pass through the bales, even though loosely packed. The use of supplemental heat is to be recommended as a more dependable processing procedure for baled hay.

When compared in feeding trials in which equal quantities of hays were fed on a cow-weight basis and with concentrates at the rate of 1 lb. for each 4 lb. of 4 per cent fat-corrected milk, no significant differences in feeding value were found between baled hays cured either in the mow or in the field. The mow-cured baled hays seemed to be as palatable to the dairy cows as the field-cured baled hays.

¹ Journal Paper No. 410 of the Purdue University Agricultural Experiment Station

² Present Address: Dairy Department, The Clemson Agricultural College, Clemson, South Carolina

³ The authors wish to acknowledge the help given by P. E. Johnson, E. L. Miller, G. E. Page and R. C. Shipman in performing certain services in the conducting of the experiments.