FORAGE/GRAIN
Research

It Pays to Treat
Forages/Grains With

...the treatment that makes a difference!

Introduction

Field reports and laboratory studies have shown the positive effects of feeding forages treated with Silo-King^® in the areas of feed efficiency and production. Treatment application levels on the haylage within this trial were 1x =0.33 lb (150 gram), 2x =0.66 lb (300 gram) and 3x =1.00 lb (450 gram) per ton (2,000 lb) of wet weight forage.

Objective

This study was designed to investigate the effects of ensiled forage on nutrient digestibility, absorption, and retention.

Ration constituents (Dry Matter Basis)

Animals were fed a diet containing 42% alfalfa haylage (varying by treatment), and a mineral supplement.

Minerals were fed twice daily, once in morning and once in the evening at 12-hour intervals.

All animals served as their own control and were experimentally allowed to cycle through all experimental treatments.

Results

Effect of Haylage Treatment upon Nutrient Digestibility of Ration Fed to Animals

Treatment	Dry Matter	Protein	NDF	ADF	Starch
Control	55.92^a	58.85^a	26.45^a	32.38^a	92.83^a
S-K (1x)	57.55^ab	60.74^ab	30.16^a	35.51^ab	91.74^a
S-K (2x)	59.31^bc	62.64^b	34.75^b	38.52^b	91.04^a
S-K (3x)	61.08^c	62.56^b	41.12^c	43.62^c	91.99^a

Effect of Haylage Treatment upon Mineral Digestibility of Ration Fed to Animals

Treatment	Calcium	Phosphorus	Magnesium	Potassium	Sulfur
Control	29.16^a	21.66^a	28.12^a	77.72^a	38.36^a
S-K (1x)	29.96^ab	26.82^b	32.66^b	79.64^a	40.99^b
S-K (2x)	33.68^bc	28.42^b	34.25^b	79.65^a	41.82^b
S-K (3x)	36.87^c	33.92^b	35.31^b	81.62^b	45.26^c

Effect of Haylage Treatment upon Calcium Utilization of Ration Fed to Animals

Treatment	Intake (g/d)	Fecal Excretion (g/d)	Urinary Excretion (g/d)	Absorption (g/d)	Retention (g/d)
Control	7.53^a	5.31^a	0.128^a	2.23^a	2.09^a
S-K (1x)	7.37^a	5.11^a	0.108^a	2.26^ab	2.15^ab
S-K (2x)	7.59^a	4.95^a	0.120^a	2.65^bc	2.53^bc
S-K (3x)	7.85^a	4.87^b	0.117^a	2.98^c	2.86^c

Effect of Haylage Treatment upon Phosphorus Utilization of Ration Fed to Animals

Treatment	Intake (g/d)	Fecal Excretion (g/d)	Urinary Excretion (g/d)	Absorption (g/d)	Retention (g/d)
Control	3.21^a	2.48^a	0.096^a	0.73^a	0.64^a
S-K (1x)	3.24^a	2.36^ab	0.081^b	0.87^ab	0.79^ab
S-K (2x)	3.31^a	2.27^b	0.082^b	1.03^bc	0.95^bc
S-K (3x)	3.39^a	2.22^b	0.087^ab	1.17^c	1.09^c

Effect of Haylage Treatment upon Nitrogen Utilization of Ration Fed to Animals

Treatment	Intake (g/d)	Fecal Excretion (g/d)	Urinary Excretion (g/d)	Absorption (g/d)	Retention (g/d)
Control	25.4^a	10.5^a	9.6^a	14.9^a	5.2^a
S-K (1x)	25.8^a	10.3^a	9.0^ab	15.5^a	6.5^ab
S-K (2x)	26.7^a	10.0^a	8.9^b	16.7^a	7.8^b
S-K (3x)	26.2^a	9.9^a	8.7^b	16.3^a	7.7^b

*data within a column having different superscripts are significantly different (p<0.05).

Findings and Implications

Results demonstrated by increased application of Silo-King®

Increased overall dry matter digestibility, ADF and NDF (fiber) digestibility;
Reduced fecal and urinary excretion of nutrients;
Increased nutrient absorption and retention; and
Improved calcium, phosphorus, magnesium, potassium, and sulfur assimilation into the animal.

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FORAGE/GRAIN Research