Effect of level of urea treatment of straw offered with grass silage on the performance of dairy cattle

Abstract

Crop by-products are used as ruminants feeds in many parts of the world, but their high content of lignocellulose and low content of protein limits their use in productive farming systems. The nutritive value and utilization of low quality roughage can be improved by treatment with alkali. Urea is a safe and more readily available chemical than caustic soda in many countries. The objective of this experiment was to investigate the effect of level of urea treated wheat straw in combination with grass silage offered to dairy cattle.