Weight Gains of Heifers Fed Grass-Legume Silage through a Self-feeding Gate from a Bunker Silo

Abstract

The practicality of allowing Holstein yearling heifers to self-feed direct-cut, orchardgrass-clover silage from a bunker silo through a self-feeding gate was studied. Corn meal was added during ensiling in a bunker silo at rates of 10%, 5%, 5%, and 0% of the wet forage weight in trials 1, 2, 3, and 4. Holstein yearling heifers were allowed to self-feed the resulting complete feed mix directly from the bunker silo through the use of a self-feeding gate for 112 days. During trial 5, two groups of heifers were allowed to self-feed direct-cut orchardgrass-clover silage from the bunker silo. During periods 1 (61 days), 2 (59 days), and 3 (46 days), corn meal was fed to groups 1 and 2 at .69 and 1.38, 2.08 and 4.16, and 2.08 and 2.08kg/head per day, respectively. During trials 1, 2, 3, and 4, the average daily rates of gain were 1.07, .62, .64, and .41kg. During trial 5, periods 1, 2, and 3, heifers in groups 1 and 2 gained .12 and .18, .68 and 1.23, and .64 and .44 kg/day. Labor studies during trial 3 indicated that 2.19min of labor/head per day was saved by feeding the heifers through a self-feeding gate in a bunker silo as compared with the time required for conventional time feeding.