Controlled feeding trials show replacing barley silage with hybrid rye silage reduces dry matter intake and growth in growing beef cattle, indicating lower feed efficiency.
Key Points
Replacing barley silage with hybrid rye silage reduces dry matter intake and average daily gain while increasing ruminal pH in growing beef cattle.
Gain-to-feed ratio drops linearly from 0.158 to 0.134 as hybrid rye silage replacement reaches 100 percent across the 84-day steer trial.
Assessment using a 4 × 4 Latin square design in heifers and a randomized complete block design in 384 steers evaluates replacement levels up to 100 percent.
Findings highlight that complete substitution of barley silage with hybrid rye silage impairs growth performance despite altering ruminal fermentation.