Effect of Poultry Excreta and Ground Ear Corn on Growth, Intake, and Digestion of Corn Stover Silage Diets by Yearling Dairy Heifers

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Abstract
Four complete diets (67.5% corn stover:20.2% ground ear corn:12.3% fresh poultry excreta (dry matter); 52.7% corn stover:38% ear corn:9.3% poultry excreta; 90% whole corn plant:10% poultry excreta; and 95.2% whole corn plant:4.8% soybean meal) were stored for 45 days above ground in sealed 0.02-cm plastic bag silos 2.4 m wide .times. 16.8 m long. Resulting silages were fed to meet National Research Council recommendations of dry matter intake for 0.70-kg average daily gain to 4 groups of 7 yearling Holstein heifers for 180 days. Heifers were housed in an open free-stall shed and fed individually via electronic feedgates. Four additional heifers were fed the same diets simultaneously in a 4 .times. 4 Latin square digestion trial. Dry matter intakes and average daily gains by the growth trial heifers fed diets in order were 6.3, 0.40; 5.8, 0.51; 7.3, 0.45; and 7.4, 0.56 kg, respectively. Dry matter, energy and crude protein digestibilities for diets in order were 60.4, 61.5 and 45.7; 65.7, 66.3 and 50.8; 68.8, 68.0 and 53.9; and 66.7, 69.2 and 53.7%, respectively. While intakes of corn stover diets were lower than whole corn plant diets, average daily gains and digestibility were not different.