Abstract
Goal. To determine the efficiency of using silage from Echinochloa frumentacea in comparison with silage from 4-component mixture of spring legumes and forage crops (oats + pisum sativum + narrow-leaved lupine + spring vetch) for fattening calves in Ukrainian Polissia. Methods. 2 groups of experimental calves were formed: Group I (control) — was fed with leguminous silage; Group II (experimental) — received silage from Echinochloa frumentacea. The live weight of calves was determined by individual weighing before morning feeding; the feed payment by live weight gain was determined by the calculation method (feed costs per unit of production in animals of the control and experimental groups), the slaughter quality was determined by technology adopted at meat processing plants. Results. The use of silage from Echinochloa frumentacea instead of the same amount by weight of 4-component leguminous silage (oats + diaper + lupine + vetch) for fattening calves does not significantly reduce the productivity of animals, at the same time it has a positive effect on their slaughter quality and has no negative effect on chemical quality of meat and liver. Conclusions. Replacement in the diets of multicomponent silage from legumes (oats + pisum sativum + narrow-leaved lupine + spring vetch) to silage from Echinochloa frumentacea (45.4% of the nutritional value of the diet) for fattening calves has a negative effect on the average daily gain of live weight of animals (84 g, or 9.8% less than in the control). Metabolic energy consumption per 1 kg of live weight gain was lower by 7.6% in animals of group I compared to analogues of group II.
Highlights
IntroductionThe range of feed for farm animals in Ukraine is expanding. According to studies by domestic scientists [1,2,3], corn silage is not a priority feed in terms of land use and saving material and energy resources
Over the years, the range of feed for farm animals in Ukraine is expanding
Comparing the productivity of spring and winter grass‐legume mixtures with corn for silage, it can be noted that in terms of indicators such as dry matter and feed units, grass‐legume mixtures are almost equivalent to the yield of corn silage, but they outperform corn by 24-80% of digestible protein and 10-23% of feed protein units per unit of sown area [7, 8]
Summary
The range of feed for farm animals in Ukraine is expanding. According to studies by domestic scientists [1,2,3], corn silage is not a priority feed in terms of land use and saving material and energy resources. Studies by other authors [5, 6] have shown a positive effect of feeding corn silage to cattle on cicatricial metabolism and productive and meat qualities of animals. Given the fact that the energy consumption of growing corn is much higher compared to spring and winter forage crops, it is reasonable to conclude that in conditions of limited use of fertilizers, grass‐legume mixtures have the right to be widely used for the production of canned feed. Compared to other forage crops of the cereal family, echinochloa frumentacea contains more digestible protein per 1 forage unit - 85 g, while in corn this figure does not exceed 70 g. Studies [11] in the western region of Ukraine found that the use of grain haylage from echinochloa frumentacea for feeding dairy cows increased the average daily milk yield by 1,7 kg, or 9,2% and improved its quality. Other studies have found that the use of silos from mixtures of echinochloa frumentacea and vetch and echinochloa frumentacea and soy had a positive effect on the milk productivity of cows [12]
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