Abstract
An alfalfa silage-corn silage diet (15% concentrate) was similar in chemical composition to a hay-haylage-alfalfa silage-corn silage diet (25% concentrate). When fed to dairy heifers (238–350 d of age), the two diets resulted in very similar rates of gain (969 vs. 950 g d−1), heart girth and withers height. Heifers of both of these groups experienced considerable breeding problems. In a silage diet, grain content and its cost may be further reduced to obtain the desired rate of gain of about 700 g d−1 for dairy heifers growing from 200 to 300 kg body weight. Key words: Silage diet, growth rate, dairy heifers
Publisher
Canadian Science Publishing
Subject
Animal Science and Zoology,Food Animals