The objective of this experiment was to evaluate effects of reducing corn silage particle size on eating behavior, chewing activity, and rumen fermentation in lactating dairy cows. Four cannulated, multiparous cows averaging 110 +/- 4 d in milk and weighing 675 +/- 70 kg were randomly assigned to a 4 x 4 Latin square. During each of four 14-d periods, animals were offered one of four diets that...

Corn silage with high NDF concentration has the potential to reduce DMI because it has a greater filling effect in the rumen than low-NDF corn silage. Our objective was to determine whether ruminal fill influences DMI to the same extent with low- or high-NDF corn silage-based diets. Eight ruminally cannulated Holstein steers (198 +/- 13 kg) were randomly assigned to a 2 x 2 factorial arrangemen...

The objective of this study was to evaluate the effects of molasses and propionic acid on the fermentation quality and aerobic stability of total mixed ration (TMR) silages prepared with whole-plant corn in Tibet. TMR (354 g/kg DM) was ensiled with four different treatments: no additive (control), molasses (M), propionic acid (P), and molasses+propionic acid (PM), in laboratory silos (250 mL) a...

Nitrogen is essential for the proper growth and development of all fi eld crops including corn. Without suffi cient N, both corn yields and silage quality can be impacted. Too much N can be a waste of money and leads to environmental losses. Producers and consultants asked if additional N was needed for corn following legume and/or grass sods in the rotation (fi rst year corn) and if the answer...

Blood and ruminal samples were analyzed from gestating cows fed apple pomace or corn silage plus isonitrogenous and isocaloric quantities of cottonseed meal or nonprotein nitrogen containing supplements in four trials. Data were also obtained from steers fed similar diets during a metabolism trial. The supplementary sources of nitrogen supplied 50 to 70% of the total nitrogen in the diet. Feedi...

Silage quality has great importance in animal feeding as much yield. Quality characteristics are generally evaluated over crude protein and digestibility, but parameters related to mineral, total fiber, sugar contents also important indicators of silage its nutritive value. Plant could affect these parameters, material, thereby, any environmental factors indirectly. Weeds one the main problems ...

The objective of this study was to evaluate the effect of ensiling alfalfa, wheat, and corn on malate content. Samples were grown, collected, and ensiled in 7.5 L plastic buckets with airtight lids. All samples were either ensiled immediately after cutting, or wilted for at least one h between treatments. Sources of corn either were grown in drought conditions or irrigated conditions. No other ...

Corn silage is a major ingredient of diets for dairy cattle. Environmental factors can affect the yield and composition of corn silage. Drought and heat are two common environmental factors that affect silage yield and quality. Corn silages with low concentrations of dry matter, high concentrations of protein, high concentrations of fiber, and low concentrations of starch indicate that the crop...

This study is the first to evaluate the effects of five seaweeds (Ulva sp., Laminaria ochroleuca, Saccharina latissima, Gigartina sp., and Gracilaria vermiculophylla) on gas and methane production and ruminal fermentation parameters when incubated in vitro with two substrates (meadow hay and corn silage) for 24 h. Seaweeds led to lower gas production, with Gigartina sp. presenting the lowest va...

The objective of this study is to investigate individual animal variation of bovine fecal microbiota including as affected by diets. Fecal samples were collected from 426 cattle fed 1 of 3 diets typically fed to feedlot cattle: 1) 143 steers fed finishing diet (83% dryrolled corn, 13% corn silage, and 4% supplement), 2) 147 steers fed late growing diet (66% dry-rolled corn, 26% corn silage, and...