Title: The Effects of Corn Silage Dry Matter Content and Sodium Bicarbonate Addition on Nutrient Digestion and Growth by Lambs and Calves
Abstract: One lamb and three calf trials were conducted to determine if interactions existed between the effects of dry matter (DM) content of corn silage at harvest and sodium bicarbonate supplementation on diet digestibility, nitrogen balance, rate and site of digestion and feedlot performance. Corn plants were harvested from the same field when DM content was approximately 31% (early; E) or 44% (late; L). Sodium bicarbonate (1.2% of DM intake) was added in a completely mixed ration. When lambs were offered diets ad libitum, (trial 1), intakes were greater (P<.05) for L-silage diets, but apparent digestibilities were similar. Nitrogen balance was greater for sodium bicarbonate-supplemented diets, and was a reflection of greater (P<.10) DM intakes for these diets. At similar diet DM intakes, N balance was greater for L-silage diets, with no effects measured due to sodium bicarbonate addition. When growing, abomasally cannulated heifers (trial 2) were offered diets 12 times per day, a significant interaction among treatments was measured for total tract and acid detergent fiber (ADF) digestion. Adding bicarbonate to the E-silage diet increased (P<.05) digestion by 9.1 percentage units (66.4 vs 75.5%) but decreased digestibility of the L-silage diet by 4.2 percentage units (73 vs 68.8%). Grams of ADF apparently digested in the rumen followed the same pattern as for total tract digestion. In trial 3, ruminal rates of liquid and particulate passage and in situ rats of NDF digestion were determined using four rumen-cannulated heifers calves. Liquid flow was not changed (P=.11) when sodium bicarbonate was supplemented (8.7 vs 7.4%/h), but particulate flow was increased (P<.05; 6.4 vs 4.9 %/h). Silage DM content did not affect either liquid or particulate flow rates. Rate of corn cob-NDF digestion was not affected by either silage source or sodium bicarbonate addition. No silage × bicarbonate interactions were measured for rate of gain by growing crossbred heifer calves offered the four silage diets (trial 4). An improvement (P=.07) during the first 28 d of feeding due to bicarbonate (1.49 vs 1.36 kg/d) was observed, but these effects were not evident after 56 d or for the entire 70-d trial. Daily gain was improved (P<.05) during the first 28 d of the experiment for the E-silage diets, but not when measured after 56 and 70 d. These data indicate that silage DM content (31 vs 44%) had minimal effects on nutrient digestion or animal growth. Responses to sodium bicarbonate supplementation were not sustained, but suggest that positive responses may only occur during the first few weeks of silage feeding. After this initial period, there did not appear to be any further advantage to supplementation.
Publication Year: 1986
Publication Date: 1986-12-01
Language: en
Type: article
Indexed In: ['crossref', 'pubmed']
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Cited By Count: 11
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