Effects of Type and Variety and Stage of Maturity on Feeding Values of Cereal Silages for Lambs

This is the authors' abstract. We don't add key points for this paper.

Two lamb digestion trials were conducted to determine the effects of type (wheat and barley) and variety and stage of maturity (boot, milk, dough or ripe) on feeding values of cereal silages. Silage crude protein content decreased with increasing plant maturity; crude fiber was highest in the milk- and lowest in dough-stage silages. In trial 1, ration dry matter and crude protein digestibilities were not affected by variety of wheat (Parker and Blue Boy) or stage of maturity; ration crude fiber digestibility decreased (P<.05) as maturity increased. Lambs fed a sorghum silage ration retained more nitrogen (P<.05) than those fed any of seven wheat silage rations. Nitrogen retention tended to be higher in lambs fed Blue Boy wheat silages than in those fed Parker wheat silages. In trial 2, Paoli barley and Arthur and Parker wheats were each ensiled in the boot, milk and dough stages. Parker wheat and milk-stage silages were consumed in smallest amounts (P<.01) by lambs. Ration dry matter digestibility was higher (P<.05) for barley (61.8%) than for Arthur or Parker wheats (61.0 and 60.5%, respectively). Boot- and dough-stage silage rations had higher (P<.05) dry matter digestion coefficients than milk-stage silage rations (61.7, 61.4 and 60.3%, respectively. Ration crude fiber digestibility decreased (P<.01) and nitrogen-free extract digestibility increased (P<.05) as maturity increased. Nitrogen retention was not affected by type or variety of cereal grain; however, it was lowest (P<.05) in lambs fed boot-stage and highest (P<.05) in those fed dough-stage silages.