Assessment of Sorghum Silage for Sheep

From preliminary studies of the feeding value for mediumwool Merino wethers of various samples of sorghum silage, the following points emerge : 1. Mature silage, in addition to being moderately unpalatable, had a low level of digestible protein, a variable digestible crude fibre and a high mineral content. In spite of the latter, most sheep had negative mineral balances. A feature of the ash content of all samples of silage was the high concentration of silica. 2. Young sorghum silage was much more palatable. The addition of molasses made little difference either to palatability or to any digestible nutrient, except that it appeared to lower the protein digestibility coefficient. 3. Supplementation of mature sorghum silage with nitrogen, either in non-protein or protein form, effectively rectified the nitrogen balance and, in some instances, resulted in higher silage consumption. 4. The addition of a balanced mineral mixture led to improved appetite and marked increases in crude fibre and protein digestibility.