Hostname: page-component-78c5997874-j824f Total loading time: 0 Render date: 2024-11-04T18:45:12.841Z Has data issue: false hasContentIssue false
  • English
  • Français

Effect of silage additives on the intake and performance of male calves and steers

Published online by Cambridge University Press:  02 September 2010

W. A. McIlmoyle
W. A. McIlmoyle
Affiliation:
The Agricultural Research Institute of Northern Ireland, Hillsborough, Co. Down
Get access

Summary

In two feeding experiments, an untreated silage which had received no additive was compared with silages which had received either formic acid (‘Add-F’) or a formalin and sulphuric acid mixture (‘Sylade’). The ‘Add-F’ was applied at the rate of 3·81/t and ‘Sylade’ at the rate of 3·1 1/t of fresh herbage harvested from a perennial ryegrass and white clover sward.

The silages were offered ad libitum to 30 British Friesian male calves (mean fasted live weight 97 kg) in Experiment 1 and to 27 steers (mean fasted live weight 320 kg) of mixed breed in Experiment 2. Concentrate was offered to the animals in Experiment 1 at the rate of 0·86 kg dry matter/head per day.

In each experiment the intakes of dry matter and digestible organic matter were higher from the additive-treated silages than from untreated silage.

In Experiment 1 the application of ‘Sylade’ increased significantly (P < 0·05) the mean daily unfasted live-weight gain (0·87 kg/day) over that for animals offered untreated silage (0·74 kg/day). In Experiment 2 the mean daily unfasted live-weight gains from ‘Sylade’-treated (0·70 kg/day) and ‘Add-F’-treated silage (0·78 kg/day) were significantly higher (P<0·01) than that from untreated silage (0·38 kg/day).

Type
Research Article
Information
Animal Production , Volume 22 , Issue 3 , June 1976 , pp. 321 - 328
Copyright
Copyright © British Society of Animal Science 1976

Access options

Get access to the full version of this content by using one of the access options below. (Log in options will check for institutional or personal access. Content may require purchase if you do not have access.)

References

REFERENCES

Alder, F. E., McLeod, D. St L. and Gibbs, B. G. 1969. Comparative feeding value of silages made from wilted and unwilted grass and grass/clover herbage. J. Br. Grassld Soc. 24: 199–206.CrossRefGoogle Scholar
Barry, T. N. and Fennessy, P. F. 1972. The effect of formaldehyde treatment on the chemical composition and nutritive value of silage. I. Chemical composition. N.Z. Jlagric. Res. 15: 712–722.CrossRefGoogle Scholar
Barry, T. N. and Fennessy, P. F. 1973. Effect of formaldehyde treatment on the chemical composition and nutritive value of silage. II. Digestibility of the silages and the chemical composition of rumen fluid in sheep supplemented or not supplemented with D-L methionine. N.Z. Jl agric. Res. 16: 59–63.CrossRefGoogle Scholar
Barry, T. N., Fennessy, P. F. and Duncan, S. J. 1973. Effect of formaldehyde treatment on the chemical composition and nutritive value of silage. III. Voluntary intake, live-weight gain, and wool growth in sheep fed the silages with and without intraperitoneal supplementation with D-L methionine. N.Z. Jl agric. Res. 16: 64–68.CrossRefGoogle Scholar
Blaxter, K. L. and Graham, N. McG. 1956. The effect of the grinding and cubing process on the utilization of the energy of dried grass. J. agric. Sci., Camb. 47: 207–217.CrossRefGoogle Scholar
Castle, M. E. and Watson, J. N. 1970. Silage and milk production, a comparison between grass silages made with and without formic acid. J. Br. Grassld Soc. 25: 65–70.CrossRefGoogle Scholar
Castle, M. E. and Watson, J. N. 1973. Silage and milk production. A comparison between wilted grass silages made with and without formic acid. J. Br. Grassld Soc. 28: 73–80.CrossRefGoogle Scholar
Dewar, W. A. and McDonald, P. 1961. Determination of dry matter in silage by distillation with toluene. J. Sci. Fd Agric. 12: 790–795.CrossRefGoogle Scholar
Forbes, T. J. and Irwin, J. H. D. 1968. The use of barn-dried hay and silage in fattening young beef cattle. J. Br. Grassld Soc. 23: 299–305.CrossRefGoogle Scholar
Harris, C. E. and Raymond, W. F. 1963. The effect of ensiling on crop digestibility. J. Br. Grassld Soc. 18: 204–212.CrossRefGoogle Scholar
Henderson, A. R. and McDonald, P. 1971. Effect of formic acid on the fermentation of grass of low dry matter content. J. 5cJ. Fd Agric. 22: 157–163.CrossRefGoogle Scholar
Leaver, J. D. 1973. Rearing of dairy cattle. 4. Effect of concentrate supplementation on the live-weight gain and feed intake of calves offered roughages ad libitum. Anim. Prod. 17: 43–52.Google Scholar
McIlmoyle, W. A. 1973. The intake and utilization of silage diets supplemented with a cereal-based concentrate or dried grass. Ph.D. Thesis, Queen's Univ. Belfast.Google Scholar
McLeod, D. S., Wilkins, R. J. and Raymond, W. F. 1970. The voluntary intake by sheep and cattle of silages differing in free-acid content. J. agric. Sci., Camb. 75: 311–319.CrossRefGoogle Scholar
Meat and Livestock Commission. 1971. Beef Production: An Intensive Grassland System Using Autumn-Born Calves. Handbook No. 1. Meat and Livestock Commission, Bletchley, Bucks.Google Scholar
Renton, A. R. and Forbes, T. J. 1974. A note on the effect of once, twice or three times a day feeding with concentrate on the efficiency of utilization of a diet given to beef cattle. Anim. Prod. 19: 111–114.Google Scholar
Steel, R. G. D. and Torrie, J. H. 1960. Principles and Procedures of Statistics. McGraw-Hill, London.Google Scholar
Watson, S. J. and Nash, M. J. 1960. The Conservation of Grass and Forage Crops. 2nd ed. Oliver and Boyd, Edinburgh.Google Scholar
Wilkins, R. J., Hutchinson, K. J., Wilson, R. F. and Harris, C. E. 1971. The voluntary intake of silage by sheep. I. Interrelationships between silage composition and intake. J. agric. Sci., Camb. 77: 531–537.CrossRefGoogle Scholar
Wilkins, R. J., Wilson, R. F. and Cook, J. E. 1974. Restriction of fermentation during ensilage: the nutritive value of silages made with the addition of formaldehyde. Proc. 12th int. Grassld Congr., Moscow, pp. 237–253.Google Scholar
Wilkins, R. J., Wilson, R. F. and Woolford, M. K. 1973. The effects of formaldehyde on the silage fermentation. Proc. 5th Gen. Meet. European Grassld Fed., Uppsala. In press.Google Scholar
Wilson, R. F. and Wilkins, R. J. 1973. Formic acid as a silage additive for wet crops of cocksfoot and lucerne. J. agric. Sci., Camb. 80: 225–231.CrossRefGoogle Scholar