Preventing a decrease in the palatability of round‐baled silage by preserving it as fermented total mixed ration

Abstract

AbstractThe first and second cuttings of orchardgrass (Dactylis glomerata L.) were harvested without wilting to produce round‐baled silages. The palatability of fermented total mixed ration (TMR) was compared to that of fresh TMR, for which these round‐baled silages were the only roughage source. The fermented TMR was prepared from the silages opened after 40 days of the harvest, and was preserved as fermented TMR in drum silos until the palatability test. The fresh TMR was prepared from the silages opened after 132 days (first cutting) or 80 days (second cutting) of the harvest. The fermented TMR tended to show better palatability by animals than fresh TMR when the TMR were prepared from the first‐cutting silages, however, there was no palatability difference between the two TMR when they were prepared from the second‐cutting silages. Although the chemical compositions of the silages used for the two TMR were mostly similar, the butyric acid content in the first‐cutting silages was higher for fresh TMR (0.45%) than for fermented TMR (0.05%). The butyric acid content in the second‐cutting silages was less than 0.03% for both TMR. It was thus suggested that enhanced butyric fermentation during the preservation of the first‐cutting silages decreased the palatability of fresh TMR. The results indicate that if the round‐baled silage is of low fermentative quality for reasons such as ensiling under insufficient wilting conditions, the decrease in palatability can be suppressed by preserving it as fermented TMR before further enhancement of butyric fermentation in the silages.