HOME HELP FEEDBACK SUBSCRIPTIONS ARCHIVE SEARCH TABLE OF CONTENTS		QUICK SEARCH:   [advanced] Author: Keyword(s): Year:  Vol:  Page:

This Article Full Text (PDF) Alert me when this article is cited Alert me if a correction is posted Services Similar articles in this journal Alert me to new issues of the journal Download to citation manager Citing Articles Citing Articles via Google Scholar Google Scholar Articles by O'dell, G. D. Articles by Webb, H. J. Search for Related Content PubMed Articles by O'dell, G. D. Articles by Webb, H. J.

Feeding Value of Alfalfa and Coastal Bermudagrass When Fed as Baled or Pelleted Hays to Dairy Heifers¹

Departments of Dairy Science and Agricultural Chemistry Research, Clemson College, Clemson, South Carolina

ABSTRACT

Feeding trials with dairy heifers were designed to compare alfalfa and Coastal Bermudagrass hays, both baled and pelleted, with controlled and ad lib feeding of hays and ad lib feeding of hays with two levels of concentrate supplementation. The groups of heifers fed baled alfalfa consumed more hay and gained more rapidly than did those fed baled Coastal Bermudagrass, whereas the feed cost per pound of gain was less for the baled Coastal ration groups in all trials. When the hays were pelleted, the heifers fed alfalfa gained faster and more economically than the Coastal Bermuda groups. Pelleting of Coastal Bermuda improved the value of this hay as measured by liveweight gains to equal or better than that of baled alfalfa when the hays were fed ad lib. When consumption was controlled, daily liveweight gains were lower for heifers on pelleted hays than for those on the same hays in baled form. When the hays were fed ad lib, more efficient conversion of TDN to liveweight was obtained with the pelleted feeds. Under the conditions of these trials, baled Coastal Bermudagrass hay, properly supplemented, yielded good daily liveweight gains at the lowest feed cost per pound of gain of the rations studied. Pelleting of either hay resulted in greater daily liveweight gains when fed ad lib, but the high cost of pelleting made this practice economically questionable.

¹ Technical contribution no. 444, South Carolina Agricultural Experiment Station, Clemson College, Clemson, S. C. Published by permission of the Director.