The Value of Corn Silage and Recombined Corn Silage in Respect to Milk Production

Abstract

Alternate strips of green corn were placed in the silo. The remaining strips were used for grainless corn silage (ears removed) and ears (dried) for corn and cob meal. Corn silage and recombined corn silage were compared using 13 cows in 14 trials. Recombined corn silage is construed to mean that a proportionate amount of the corn and cob meal was added to the grainless corn silage at the time of feeding. The amounts of grainless corn silage and corn and cob meal to use was determined by collecting random samples of the green corn plant from the fields just prior to ensiling. The average amounts of 4-% fat-corrected milk produced, the body weights, and the amount of digestible protein ingested during the corn silage and recombined corn silage periods were approximately the same in both cases. Data indicate that the corn grain in corn silage was of the same value for milk production as corn grain fed in the form of dry corn and cob meal.