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Value of Alfalfa Silage in the Diet of the Young Dairy Calf^{1, 2,}

Department of Dairy Science, The Pennsylvania State University, University Park

ABSTRACT

Texts on dairy cattle feeding and management through the years have indicated generally that silage was of little value for the dairy calf; however, a review of the literature yields little scientific data as to the value of high quality hay-crop silage for nutrients for the young calf. Sykes et al. (10) have reported on a comparison of alfalfa hay and alfalfa silage for dairy heifers from birth to 24 months of age, in a limited milk and grain feeding system. They concluded that high levels of alfalfa silage would not promote normal growth. Their data show, however, that treatment differences relative to growth were slight up to 5 months of age and most pronounced from 5 to 12 months of age.

Poor or average quality hay has been found inadequate for the young dairy calf raised under a limited whole milk and grain system of feeding (2, 3, 4).

¹ Authorized for publication on July 9, 1956 as Paper No. 2073 in the Journal series of the Pennsylvania Agricultural Experiment Station.

² The data in this paper are in part from a thesis submitted by the senior author to the Graduate School of The Pennsylvania State University in partial fulfillment of the requirement for the degree of Doctor of Philosophy.

³ Present address: Beacon Milling Co., Inc., Cayuga, New York.