The Effect of Using Grain Silage Feed From Different Crops on the Milk Productivity of Cows

The article presents the results of studies of milk productivity indicators of Ukrainian Black-and-White dairy cows when corn silage was replaced in their diets with grain silage from a vetch-oat mixture or winter triticale. Cows in the first (control) group received the basic diet. In the diets of the animals in the second (control) and third (experimental) groups, 50% (by nutritional value) of the corn silage was replaced with grain silage made from green mass of vetch-oat mixture or winter triticale. It was found that replacing corn silage with grain silage from winter triticale in the feed mixture of the experimental group, with a slight decrease in starch content, contributed to an increase in crude protein content by 93 g or 3.4%, digestible protein by 26 g or 1.2%, non-digestible protein by 68 g or 10.7%, digestible protein by 102 g or 11.6%, sugar by 391 g or 66.8%, and fat by 28 g or 4.5%. Replacing 50% of corn silage in the feed mixture for cows with winter triticale grain silage contributed to an increase in their average daily milk yield by 2.23 liters or 13.1% (p≤0.05) and the amount of milk obtained during the experiment (on average per head) by 541 liters. Due to the slightly higher fat and protein content in the milk of the experimental group animals by 0.09% and 0.04% compared to the first control group, feeding grain silage from winter triticale had a positive effect on the amount of milk fat and protein obtained from milk. In particular, the animals in the experimental group had an advantage in this indicator by 25.6 kg and 19.0 kg, or by 15.7% (p≤0.01) and 14.6% (p≤0.05). Feeding grain silage from both vetch-oat mixture and winter triticale contributed to an increase in milk fat content (by 0.09%) and milk protein content by 0.01% and 0.04%. The difference in the mass fractions of dry matter and dry skim milk residue in milk, compared to the animals in the first group, was 0.08% and 0.2% and 0.08% and 0.1% in favor of the animals in the second and third groups.