The Value of Alfalfa Hay and Alfalfa Silage When Fed as Supplements to Cows on Pasture

Open Access
Publisher Website
Google Scholar
Abstract
During the summer of 1955, 18 lactating dairy cows while on pasture were used in a 16-week experiment to measure what influence the feeding of alfalfa hay or alfalfa silage as a supplement would have on milk production, body weight changes, total dry matter intake, and ration digestibility. Estimates of dry matter intake indicated that neither supplement significantly increased total dry matter intake; however, the portion of the dry matter received from pasture was reduced 33.9% as a result of hay feeding and 13.1% as a result of silage feeding. The apparent digestibility of the ration by cows fed hay was significantly lower than that of the other two rations. Supplementation failed to produce a significant increase in milk production although there was a tendency for the groups receiving the hay and silage to produce slightly more fat-corrected milk during the latter half of the experiment. There were no significant changes in body weight.
Keywords