Ad Libitum Intake and Digestibility of Several Alfalfa Hays by Cattle and Sheep

Abstract

Summary The relative rates of voluntary consumption of chopped and ground-pelleted alfalfa hay cut at the bud and bloom stages of maturity by three age groups of bovines and by sheep were determined. The hay consumption per 100 lb of body weight and per 100 kg of metabolic body weight was 3.28, 23.7; 3.02, 31.4; 2.91, 17.6; and 2.23, 23.1 lb for the dairy calves, dairy cows, wether sheep, and yearling dairy heifers, respectively. The grinding and pelleting depressed digestibility but increased intake except for intake of the early-cut hay with the cows. The early-cut hay was more digestible than the late-cut hay. The cows, yearlings, and sheep digested the dry matter, protein, and energy of the four experimental hays equally well, but the calves’ digestion coefficients for these constituents were significantly lower. The Nutritive Value Indices were calculated and the yearlings, sheep, and calves ranked the four hays from highest to lowest, early-cut pelleted, early-cut chopped, late-cut pelleted, and late-cut chopped, whereas the cows ranked the four hays early-cut chopped, early-cut pelleted, late-cut chopped, and late-cut pelleted.