Philippine E-Journals

Feeding Value of Corn Stover-Swine Waste Silage for Beef Cattle

Rodolfo A. Demo-os | Ma. Teresa SJ. Valdez

Discipline: Veterinary Medicine, Animal Science

 

Abstract:

This study was conducted to determine the physical characteristics, nutritive value, acceptability and digestibility of corn stover-swine waste silage. Feedlot performance of beef cattle fed this silage was investigated. Corn stover was ensiled with fresh swine waste and 5% molasses solution. Corn stover and swine waste were mixed at a proportion of 60:40 based on 90% dry matter and ensiled for three weeks at a pH of 4.3-4.6. The silage was evaluated in terms of physical appearance, nutrient composition, and digestibility. Research station and barangay-based feeding trials were conducted using 10 beef cattle each; 5 animals were fed corn stover-swine waste silage and 5 were fed pure corn stover. Corn stover-swine waste silage had a pleasant smell, smooth texture and a golden yellow appearance which resembles that of good quality grass silage. There was marked improvement in the nutritive value of the silage compared to pure corn stover after ensilage. The addition of swine waste and molasses improved the nutrient composition of silage. Moreover, the cell wall components of corn stover decreased when ensiled with swine waste and molasses. The silage was highly acceptable and palatable to beef cattle as shown by the voluntary dry matter intake value of test animals. Results of the digestion trial revealed that corn stover-swine waste silage had higher digestibility values than pure corn stover. Beef cattle fed with corn stover-swine waste silage had an average daily gain of 310-720 g while those on pure corn stover had an average daily gain of 85-130 g.