Effect of stage of growth of alfalfa on the incidence of bloat in cattle

Abstract

Alfalfa of different maturities was produced simultaneously by varying the timing of the first cut. Groups of fistulated steers were confined and simultaneously fed alfalfa herbage at three stages of growth once a day. More bloat occurred during the vegetative stage of growth, it declined during bud development, and it was absent during bloom. This pattern occurred with both the number of cases of bloat and with the severity of bloat, which was much greater during the vegetative stage. Feed quality components also varied significantly between stages as did the leaf:stem ratio. Key words: Cattle, bloat, legumes, Medicago sativa L