Comparative Value of Alfalfa Pasture, Alfalfa Greenchop, or Alfalfa Hay for Lactating Dairy Cows

Effect of yeast culture supplementation of alfalfa silage or alfalfa hay fed to lactating dairy cows

Performance of lactating dairy cows fed either alfalfa silage or alfalfa hay as the sole forage.

Alfalfa was harvested from alternate windrows as 40% DM silage or hay in small rectangular bales and fed in two 12-wk 4 x 4 Latin square trials, each with 20 multiparous lactating cows (4 with ruminal cannulas). Diets contained (DM basis) 69 (trial 1) or 66% (trial 2) alfalfa, 26 to 33% high moisture corn, 1.3% minerals and vitamins, and about 1.6 Mcal of NEL/kg of DM. In trial 1, second-cuttin...

Acid Preservation of Alfalfa Hay for Dairy Cows

Since high quality forage is essential in a dairy ration, it is improtant to study new methods of preserving hay. In this trial, the effect of a commercial organic acid preservative on nutirent content and feeding value of alfalfa hay was evaluated. Alfalfa hay from a common field was baled at about 20 percent moisture for a control, and at about 28 percent moisture with addition of 0.1 percent...

Synthesis of microbial protein in ruminally cannulated cows fed alfalfa silage, alfalfa hay, or corn silage.

Six ruminally cannulated cows were used in an experiment with a 3 x 3 Latin square design. Three all forage diets-alfalfa silage, alfalfa hay, or corn silage plus 2.2% urea (DM basis)-were fed for ad libitum intake four times daily. The microbial protein marker 15NH3 and the liquid marker Cr-EDTA were infused continuously into the rumen for 72 and 48 h, respectively; the solid marker, Yb-labele...

Effect of Steam Heating Alfalfa Hay on Utilization by Lactating Dairy Cows

Alfalfa hay was steam heated for an average of 47 min at 100 to 110°C; net ruminal protein escape (total escape minus ADIN x 6.25), estimated in vitro, was 50% versus 29% for control hay. Heating increased ADIN content from 4.6 to 15.3% of total N and increased NDF from 43 to 53% of DM. In trial 1, 14 cows averaging 81 DIM and 30 kg/d of milk were fed, in a switchback design, diets containing 1...