Effects of particle length and maturity stage of whole crop barley silage on feed intake, chewing activity and eating behaviour by growing dairy steers
Whole crop cereal silage has proven to be a good and flexible feed alternative to growing cattle and can be fed alone or together with other forage sources. Whole crop silages constitute a less homogenous material compared to grass silage, with awns rich in starch and stalks with a high fiber concen...
| Autor principal: | |
|---|---|
| Formato: | L3 |
| Lenguaje: | Inglés sueco |
| Publicado: |
SLU/Dept. of Animal Environment and Health (until 231231)
2006
|
| Materias: |
| _version_ | 1855571739230076928 |
|---|---|
| author | Sahlin, Ann |
| author_browse | Sahlin, Ann |
| author_facet | Sahlin, Ann |
| author_sort | Sahlin, Ann |
| collection | Epsilon Archive for Student Projects |
| description | Whole crop cereal silage has proven to be a good and flexible feed alternative to growing cattle and can be fed alone or together with other forage sources. Whole crop silages constitute a less homogenous material compared to grass silage, with awns rich in starch and stalks with a high fiber concentration. A regular intake of fibrous materials, such as whole crop silage, is of importance to stimulate chewing and to ensure proper digestion and a healthy rumen environment of cattle and other ruminant animals.
Stage of maturity at harvest and particle size of forage affects feed intake, chewing activity and production of animals. A later maturity of the crop is followed by a decrease in fiber digestibility and consequently a decreased feed intake. In barley silage, the feed intake is often unaffected by stage of maturity or even increased at higher maturity silages. This is probably due to a decreasing NDF content as the grain content increases. Chopping before feeding can increase feed intake because of a faster passage rate and a decreased need for chewing. The neutral detergent fiber (NDF) content of the feed is highly correlated with chewing time. Together with particle size of the roughage, the NDF content is a major determinant of chewing activity.
The aim of this study was to investigate the effects of maturity stage and particle size of barley silage stored in round bales on feed intake, chewing activity and eating behaviour by growing dairy steers. Eight dairy steers, weighing around 350 kg at the beginning of the trial, were divided into a duplicated latin square with four periods and four steers in each square. Four diets, which were made up of silage at two different maturity stages and particle sizes of whole crop barley silage, were fed to two randomly selected steers per diet and period. At the end of the trial, all steers had been fed with four diets. Each period lasted for 21 days and the two squares were dislocated in time. During the collection period, data concerning feed intake, chewing activity and eating behaviour were collected. Chewing activity was measured using elastic halters with magnetic sensors fitted under the lower jaw of each steer. Feeding behaviour was mainly described as eating rate and sorting of feed. Sorting was determined by comparing the particle size distribution expressed as the percentage of particles from orts retained on three sieves with different pore sizes to the particle size distribution of the feed.
The dry matter intake (DMI) of long silage harvested at heading was higher than for long silage harvested at dough stage and chopped silage harvested at heading. However, chopping the silage harvested at dough stage resulted in a higher DMI compared to long silage harvested at dough stage. The NDF intake of silage was higher at heading compared to dough stage, whereas no significant differences were found between chopped and long silage.
Time spent ruminating was longer than time spent eating for all diets except for chopped silage at harvested at dough stage, where time spent eating was longer than time spent ruminating. Particle size and stage of maturity affected eating time only, whereas rumination time was constant among diets. The longest time spent eating was for chopped silage harvested at dough stage. Chopping increased the time spent eating for both stages of maturity. Time of harvest only affected time spent eating per kg of NDF intake with a longer eating time for silage harvested at dough stage compared to silage harvested at heading.
The number of jaw movements increased when feeding chopped diets. Feeding silage harvested at dough stage also increased the number of jaw movements per kg of NDF intake. Chopping before feeding increased the eating rate for both harvest times. The number of chewing cycles per chewing period was higher for long silage harvested at heading compared to chopped silage harvested at heading and long silage harvested at dough stage. When feeding silage at dough stage, chopping the silage increased the number of chewing cycles per period compared to long silage. Chopping before feeding increased sorting behaviour compared to feeding long silage and resulted in sorting in favor of shorter particles.
Interactions between effects of stage of maturity and particle size on intake and chewing activity by the steers might have been affected by differences in fermentation between silage at the two different maturity stages. Eating time and the number of jaw movements increased for silage harvested at dough stage, which was probably because of a decreased fibre digestibility. This indicates that rumen fill affects intake resulting in a decreased fibre intake of silage harvested at dough compared to silage harvested at heading. Also, rumen fill probably had an effect on DMI of the long silage.
Chopping whole crop barley silage is more advantageous when harvested at dough stage. However, time of harvest should be adapted to the most suitable combination of harvest time and particle length at feeding in relation to existing production conditions. |
| format | L3 |
| id | RepoSLU10717 |
| institution | Swedish University of Agricultural Sciences |
| language | Inglés swe |
| publishDate | 2006 |
| publishDateSort | 2006 |
| publisher | SLU/Dept. of Animal Environment and Health (until 231231) |
| publisherStr | SLU/Dept. of Animal Environment and Health (until 231231) |
| record_format | eprints |
| spelling | RepoSLU107172017-10-12T11:58:42Z Effects of particle length and maturity stage of whole crop barley silage on feed intake, chewing activity and eating behaviour by growing dairy steers Effekt av partikelstorlek och mognadsstadium hos helsädesensilage av korn på konsumtion, tuggningsaktivitet och ätbeteende hos växande mjölkrasstutar Sahlin, Ann steers particle length maturity stage crop barley silage feed intake chewing activity eating behaviour Whole crop cereal silage has proven to be a good and flexible feed alternative to growing cattle and can be fed alone or together with other forage sources. Whole crop silages constitute a less homogenous material compared to grass silage, with awns rich in starch and stalks with a high fiber concentration. A regular intake of fibrous materials, such as whole crop silage, is of importance to stimulate chewing and to ensure proper digestion and a healthy rumen environment of cattle and other ruminant animals. Stage of maturity at harvest and particle size of forage affects feed intake, chewing activity and production of animals. A later maturity of the crop is followed by a decrease in fiber digestibility and consequently a decreased feed intake. In barley silage, the feed intake is often unaffected by stage of maturity or even increased at higher maturity silages. This is probably due to a decreasing NDF content as the grain content increases. Chopping before feeding can increase feed intake because of a faster passage rate and a decreased need for chewing. The neutral detergent fiber (NDF) content of the feed is highly correlated with chewing time. Together with particle size of the roughage, the NDF content is a major determinant of chewing activity. The aim of this study was to investigate the effects of maturity stage and particle size of barley silage stored in round bales on feed intake, chewing activity and eating behaviour by growing dairy steers. Eight dairy steers, weighing around 350 kg at the beginning of the trial, were divided into a duplicated latin square with four periods and four steers in each square. Four diets, which were made up of silage at two different maturity stages and particle sizes of whole crop barley silage, were fed to two randomly selected steers per diet and period. At the end of the trial, all steers had been fed with four diets. Each period lasted for 21 days and the two squares were dislocated in time. During the collection period, data concerning feed intake, chewing activity and eating behaviour were collected. Chewing activity was measured using elastic halters with magnetic sensors fitted under the lower jaw of each steer. Feeding behaviour was mainly described as eating rate and sorting of feed. Sorting was determined by comparing the particle size distribution expressed as the percentage of particles from orts retained on three sieves with different pore sizes to the particle size distribution of the feed. The dry matter intake (DMI) of long silage harvested at heading was higher than for long silage harvested at dough stage and chopped silage harvested at heading. However, chopping the silage harvested at dough stage resulted in a higher DMI compared to long silage harvested at dough stage. The NDF intake of silage was higher at heading compared to dough stage, whereas no significant differences were found between chopped and long silage. Time spent ruminating was longer than time spent eating for all diets except for chopped silage at harvested at dough stage, where time spent eating was longer than time spent ruminating. Particle size and stage of maturity affected eating time only, whereas rumination time was constant among diets. The longest time spent eating was for chopped silage harvested at dough stage. Chopping increased the time spent eating for both stages of maturity. Time of harvest only affected time spent eating per kg of NDF intake with a longer eating time for silage harvested at dough stage compared to silage harvested at heading. The number of jaw movements increased when feeding chopped diets. Feeding silage harvested at dough stage also increased the number of jaw movements per kg of NDF intake. Chopping before feeding increased the eating rate for both harvest times. The number of chewing cycles per chewing period was higher for long silage harvested at heading compared to chopped silage harvested at heading and long silage harvested at dough stage. When feeding silage at dough stage, chopping the silage increased the number of chewing cycles per period compared to long silage. Chopping before feeding increased sorting behaviour compared to feeding long silage and resulted in sorting in favor of shorter particles. Interactions between effects of stage of maturity and particle size on intake and chewing activity by the steers might have been affected by differences in fermentation between silage at the two different maturity stages. Eating time and the number of jaw movements increased for silage harvested at dough stage, which was probably because of a decreased fibre digestibility. This indicates that rumen fill affects intake resulting in a decreased fibre intake of silage harvested at dough compared to silage harvested at heading. Also, rumen fill probably had an effect on DMI of the long silage. Chopping whole crop barley silage is more advantageous when harvested at dough stage. However, time of harvest should be adapted to the most suitable combination of harvest time and particle length at feeding in relation to existing production conditions. Helsädesensilage har visat sig vara ett bra och flexibelt grovfoderalternativ till växande nötkreatur och kan utfodras ensamt eller tillsammans med andra grovfoderkällor. Helsädesensilage utgör ett mindre homogent material än vallensilage, då det innehåller stärkelserika ax och stjälkar med hög fiberandel. Ett regelbundet intag av fiberrikt material, såsom helsädesensilage, behövs för att stimulera tuggning och för att bidra till effektiv fodernedbrytning och hälsosam vommiljö hos nötkreatur och andra idisslare. Mognadsstadiet vid skörd och partikellängden hos grovfoder påverkar foderintag, tuggningsaktivitet och produktion. Senare skörd leder till en nedsatt fibernedbrytbarhet och följaktligen ett lägre foderintag. Foderintaget av helsädesensilage av korn påverkas inte alltid av mognadsstadiet utan kan till och med öka vid senare mognad. Detta beror troligtvis på ett minskat NDF innehåll då andelen kärnor ökar. Hackning av fodret innan utfodring kan öka intaget på grund av en ökad passagehastighet och ett mindre tuggningsbehov. Fodrets innehåll av neutral detergent fiber (NDF) är starkt korrelerat med tuggningstid. Tillsammans med partikelstorleken utgör innehållet av NDF den mest avgörande faktorn för tuggningsaktivitet. Syftet med den här studien var att undersöka effekterna av mognadsstadium och partikelstorlek hos helsädesensilage av korn lagrat i rundbalar på foderintag, tuggningsaktivitet och ätbeteende hos växande mjölkrasstutar. Åtta stutar, som vägde runt 350 kg i början av försöket, delades in en upprepad romersk kvadrat med fyra perioder och fyra djur i varje kvadrat. Fyra behandlingar, som utgjordes av två olika utvecklingsstadier och partikelstorlekar hos helsädesensilage av korn, utfodrades till två slumpmässigt utvalda stutar per behandling och period. Vid slutet av försöket hade alla stutar utfodrats med alla fyra foder. Varje period varade i 21 dagar. Under den tio dagar långa uppsamlingsperioden registrerades foderintag, tuggningsaktivitet och ätbeteende. Tuggningsaktiviteten mättes med hjälp av elastiska grimmor utrustade med magnetiska sensorer som fästes under käken på varje stut. Ätbeteendet registrerades som äthastighet vid restriktiv utfodring och sortering av foder. Fodersorteringen bestämdes genom att jämföra den procentuella fördelningen av partiklar på tre såll med olika storlek i fodret med fördelningen av partiklarna i resterna. Intaget av torrsubstans (ts) från långstråigt ensilage skördat vid axgång var större än för långstråigt ensilage skördat vid degmognad och hackat ensilage vid axgång. Däremot resulterade hackning av ensilage skördat vid degmognad i ett större ts-intag jämfört med långstråigt. Intaget av NDF var större vid ensilage skördat vid axgång jämfört med degmognad medan inga skillnader kunde påvisas mellan hackat och långstråigt ensilage. Idisslingstiden var längre än ättiden för alla behandlingar utom för hackat ensilage skördat vid degmognad, där ättiden var längre än idisslingstiden. Partikellängd och mognadsstadium påverkade endast ättiden medan idisslingstiden var konstant. Mest tid åtgick för att äta hackat ensilage skördat vid degmognad. Hackning ökade ättiden för båda mognadsstadierna. Skördetidpunkten påverkade endast ättiden per kg NDF-intag med en längre ättid för ensilage skördat vid degmognad än för ensilage skördat vid axgång. Antalet käkrörelser var högre vid utfodring av hackat ensilage än av långstråigt ensilage. Uttryckt som antal käkrörelser per kg av NDF-intag, var antalet högre även vid degmognad. Hackning innan utfodring ökade äthastigheten av ensilage vid båda mognadsstadierna. Antalet tuggningscykler per tuggningsperiod var större för långstråigt ensilage skördat vid axgång än för hackat ensilage skördat vid axgång och långt ensilage skördat vid degmognad. För ensilage skördat vid degmognad var däremot antalet tuggningscykler per period större vid utfodring av hackat ensilage än vid utfodring av långstråigt ensilage. Hackning av ensilaget ökade sorteringsbeteendet jämfört med utfodring av långstråigt ensilage och resulterade i sortering till förmån för korta partiklar. Samspel mellan effekt av mognadsstadium och partikelstorlek på foderintag och tuggningsaktivitet hos stutarna kan ha påverkats av skillnader i fermentationen av ensilage skördat vid axgång jämfört med ensilage skördat vid degmognad. Ättiden och antalet käkrörelser ökade för ensilage skördat vid degmognad troligtvis beroende på en minskad fibersmältbarhet. Detta tyder på att vomfyllnaden påverkar foderintaget, vilket resulterar i ett minskat fiberintag vid utfodring av ensilage skördat vid degmognad jämfört med ensilage skördat vid axgång. Dessutom påverkar troligen vomfyllnaden även ts-intaget av det långstråiga ensilaget. Det är mest motiverat att hacka helsädesensilage skördat vid degmognad. Skördetidpunkten bör emellertid anpassas till den bästa kombinationen av skördetidpunkt och partikelstorlek med hänsyn till rådande produktionsförhållanden. SLU/Dept. of Animal Environment and Health (until 231231) 2006 L3 eng swe https://stud.epsilon.slu.se/10717/ |
| spellingShingle | steers particle length maturity stage crop barley silage feed intake chewing activity eating behaviour Sahlin, Ann Effects of particle length and maturity stage of whole crop barley silage on feed intake, chewing activity and eating behaviour by growing dairy steers |
| title | Effects of particle length and maturity stage of whole crop barley silage on feed intake, chewing activity and eating behaviour by growing dairy steers |
| title_full | Effects of particle length and maturity stage of whole crop barley silage on feed intake, chewing activity and eating behaviour by growing dairy steers |
| title_fullStr | Effects of particle length and maturity stage of whole crop barley silage on feed intake, chewing activity and eating behaviour by growing dairy steers |
| title_full_unstemmed | Effects of particle length and maturity stage of whole crop barley silage on feed intake, chewing activity and eating behaviour by growing dairy steers |
| title_short | Effects of particle length and maturity stage of whole crop barley silage on feed intake, chewing activity and eating behaviour by growing dairy steers |
| title_sort | effects of particle length and maturity stage of whole crop barley silage on feed intake, chewing activity and eating behaviour by growing dairy steers |
| topic | steers particle length maturity stage crop barley silage feed intake chewing activity eating behaviour |