The effect of freezing and thawing grass silage on chemical composition and liveweight gain, intake, rumen fermentation characteristics and digestibility in steers

Abstract

In many research situations it is useful to store silage frozen for use in future experiments. However, previous studies using fresh grass have demonstrated that freezing and thawing induces changes in the chemical composition of the herbage (Beever et al., 1974; MacRae et al., 1975). Of particular importance are the reductions in nitrogen and increases in carbohydrate solubility. The situation with grass silage is uncertain. The aim of this study was to examine the effect of freezing and thawing grass silage on intake, liveweight gain, rumen parameters and digestibility in steers.