A Study of Factors Affecting Rate of Intake of Heifers Fed Silage

Abstract

Dairy heifers were used to study factors that influence the rate o~ consumption of alfalfa silage. Consumption was linearly and positively related to dry matter content of the silage. However, this was shown to be a secondary relationship, since changing the dry matter content of silage or hay at time of feeding did not alter rate of consumption. It was concluded that the dry matter content of he forage when ensiled, and the resulting fermentation process, are very important factors in determining the rate of consumption of the resulting silage.