Nutritive Value of High-Moisture Corn When Fed with Various Silages to Lactating Dairy Cows

Abstract

Summary A feeding trial was conducted comparing the nutritive value of high-moisture corn when fed in combination with corn, oat, or sorghum silage to cows of varying productive capacity. An attempt was made to feed the high-moisture corn on an equal dry matter basis and any variation in the total dry matter consumption that did occur was removed by regression techniques before a final analysis was made. The efficiency of utilization of the dry matter of the high-moisture corn increased as the moisture content of the corn increased from 22 to 32% moisture. The dry matter of oat silage was used less efficiently for the production of milk than was the dry matter of corn or sorghum silage. The latter two were about equally well utilized for milk production. The significance of body weight changes of cows fed the various high-moisture corns and silages was obscured by a second-order interaction. However, the lower-moisture corns fed in combination with oat silage to high-producing cows were less efficient in maintaining body weight than were other possible combinations. The high-moisture corn fed in this trial was found to contain yeast rather than mold when removed from storage. No difficulties were observed when high-moisture corn was fed to lactating dairy cows.