Corn versus Oat Silages as a Roughage for Dairy Cattle

Abstract

Two double-reversal milk production trials, 2 digestion trials, and a 46-day heifer growth study were conducted to compare corn and oat silages as roughages for dairy cattle. Studies were conducted with 1956 and 1957 crops. The corn was harvested in the early dent stage and oats in the early dough stage. Digestion trials showed that corn and oat silages had average (total digestible nitrogen) TDN values of 65.4 and 61.4% on a dry matter basis, respectively. Milk production data showed that when oat silage supplied 63% of the total roughage intake it was superior in feeding value to corn silage, but when the silages supplied a higher proportion of the total roughage intake (77%), oat silage produced significantly less 4% FCM than corn silage. Cows consumed significantly less roughage dry matter when fed oat silage than when fed dry corn silage. Dairy heifers fed oat silage as the sole source of roughage made significantly lower average daily gains in body weight than heifers fed either corn silage or alfalfa hay. Heifers fed either oat or corn silage consumed significantly less roughage dry matter than heifers fed hay.