Digestibility and Feeding Value of Corn Silage Fed with Boot Stage Wheat Silage and Alfalfa Silage

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Abstract
Milking Jersey cows (30) were in each of two 12-wk continuous feeding trials to compare corn silage with 19% crude protein concentrate; alternate feedings of corn silage and wheat silage with 19% concentrate; and alternate feedings of corn silage and alfalfa silage with 15% concentrate. Digestibility of corn silage, wheat silage and corn silage fed alternately with wheat or alfalfa silages was measured with bred heifers. Wheat silage was harvested in the boot stage, alfalfa silage in the bud to early bloom stage and corn silage in the dent stage. Daily intake of forage dry matter and production of fat corrected milk were higher on the corn-alfalfa ration than on the corn-wheat ration. Intake and production were intermediate on corn silage fed alone and not different from those on corn silage fed in alternate feedings with alfalfa or wheat. Apparent digestibilities of dry matter and acid detergent fiber were higher for corn silage than for wheat silage; digestibilities of dry matter, crude protein and fiber of the corn-wheat and corn-alfalfa rations were not different from those of corn silage fed alone.