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Effect of Feeding Reed Canary Hay and Corn Silage, Pure and Combined, on Digestibility and Acceptability for Sheep and Cows^{1, 2,}

Department of Veterinary and Animal Sciences, University of Massachusetts, Amherst

ABSTRACT

In a feeding trial of a Latin-square design the digestibility of reed canary hay and corn silage was compared at equal dry matter intake. The two forages were offered singly, and combined in one-third and two-thirds proportions. In spite of almost equal composition of nutrients, the replacement of reed canary hay by corn silage increased the digestibility of dry matter, organic matter, crude protein, crude fiber, N-free extracts, energy, ash, and ether extracts by 24.5, 22.1, 9.4, 24.6, 21.0, 23.8, 39.1, and 123.8%, respectively. With the exception of the increase in the digestibility of ash, all others were highly significant (P<0.01).

Increases in digestibility were noted, on the average, as the experiment progressed. Increases for crude fiber and N-free extracts were highly significant (P<0.01) and significant only for dry matter and organic matter (P<0.05). Increases for energy (P < 0.1), ash, crude protein, and ether extracts did not reach significant levels. Acceptability of these rations to sheep was found to be highest when the dry matter in the ration consisted of about equal parts of corn silage and reed canary hay. Using dry Holstein cows, the highest intake was observed when the ration consisted of corn silage and reed canary hay at a dry matter ratio of 2:1. Cattle seem to tolerate a higher proportion of silage in their ration than do sheep.

The occurrence of a gradual blackening of the surface of the inner rumen lining appeared to be directly related to the proportion of silage in the ration. By abrupt changes of the ration from corn silage to hay the coloring disappeared within four to five days. In this respect, replacing corn silage with grass silage showed the same effect. The nature of the coloring and the compound(s) in the feed which caused it are unknown.

¹ A contribution of the Massachusetts Experiment Station.

² This work was supported by the Regional Research Project NE-24.