Nutritive Value of High-Moisture Corn When Fed with Various Silages to Lactating Dairy Cows

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Abstract
A feeding trial was conducted comparing the nutritive value of high-moisture corn when fed in combination with corn, oat, or sorghum silage to cows of varying productive capacity. An attempt was made to feed the high-moisture corn on an equal dry matter basis and any variation in the total dry matter consumption that did occur was removed by regression techniques before a final analysis was made. The efficiency of utilization of the dry matter of the high-moisture corn increased as the moisture content of the corn increased from 22 to 32% moisture. The dry matter of oat silage was used less efficiently for the production of milk than was the dry matter of corn or sorghum silage. The latter 2 were about equally well utilized for milk production. The significance of body weight changes of cows fed the various high-moisture corns and silages was obscured by a 2d order interaction. However, the lower-moisture corns fed in combination with oat silage to high producing cows were less efficient in maintaining body weight than were other possible combinations. The high-moisture corn fed in these trials contained yeast rather than mold when removed from storage. No difficulties were observed when high-moisture corn was fed to lactating dairy cows.