Results of research reported a year ago (CATTLE 81-3) indicated that corn silage inoculated with a Lactobacillus acidophilus fermentation product had lower temperatures during the fermentation period than untreated silage. Lactic and volatile fatty acid formation was also higher for the treated silage. Dry matter recovery was only slightly higher for the treated silage. Digestibility of dry matter, crude protein and organic matter by beef steers was similar for treated and untreated silage. The purpose of this experiment was to determine the effect of inoculating corn forage of high dry matter content with a Lactobacillus acidophilus fermentation product. Response to inoculation was compared with untreated silage in terms of feedlot performance of beef steers fed high silage rations. Preservation of silage dry matter and chemical quality were also determined

Luther, R. M.

Nothnagel, J.

English

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South Dakota State UniversityOpen PRAIRIE: Open Public Research Access InstitutionalRepository and Information ExchangeSouth Dakota Cattle Feeders Field Day Proceedingsand Research Reports, 1982 Animal Science Reports1982Untreated and Microbial Inoculated Corn Silage inHigh Silage Rations for Beef SteersR. M. LutherSouth Dakota State UniversityJ. NothnagelFollow this and additional works at: http://openprairie.sdstate.edu/sd_cattlefeed_1982This Report is brought to you for free and open access by the Animal Science Reports at Open PRAIRIE: Open Public Research Access InstitutionalRepository and Information Exchange. It has been accepted for inclusion in South Dakota Cattle Feeders Field Day Proceedings and Research Reports,1982 by an authorized administrator of Open PRAIRIE: Open Public Research Access Institutional Repository and Information Exchange. For moreinformation, please contact michael.biondo@sdstate.edu.Recommended CitationLuther, R. M. and Nothnagel, J., "Untreated and Microbial Inoculated Corn Silage in High Silage Rations for Beef Steers" (1982).South Dakota Cattle Feeders Field Day Proceedings and Research Reports, 1982. Paper 2.http://openprairie.sdstate.edu/sd_cattlefeed_1982/2CATTLE FEEDERS DAY UNTREATED AND MICROBIAL INOCULATED CORN SILAGE IN HIGH SILAGE RATIONS FOR BEEF STEERS R. M. Lu th er And J. Noth nagel DEPT, OF ANIMAL SCIENCE REPORT CATTLE 82-1 Summary A total of 56 feeder steer s were divided into four weight groups to compare untreated silage and silage inoculated with a Lactobacillus acido ­philus fermentation product . The steer s  were fed a diet of 8 0 %  corn silage and 20% supplement ( 3 2 %  protein) on a dry basis for a period of 1 25 days . Steers from two lighter weight groups fed the inoculated silage made faster weight gains and were more efficient converters of dry matter than steers fed the untreated silage .  With the two heavier weight groups , the gains were poorer with the treated silage. The results of all groups indicate ess entially no difference in feedlot performance between the silage treatments . Preservation of dry matter was about the same for inoculated silage as for untreated silage .  Introduction Results of res earch reported a year ago (CATTLE 8 1 -3 )  indicated that corn silage ino culated with a Lactobacillus acidophilus fermentation product had lower temperatures during the fermentation period than untreated silage. Lactic and vo latile fatty acid formation was also higher for the treated silag e .  Dry matter recovery was only slightly higher for the treated silage . Digestibility of dry matter , crude protein and organic matter by beef steers was similar for treated and untreated silag e .  The purpos e  of this experiment was to determine the effect o f  ino cu­lating corn forage of high dry matter content with a Lactobacillus acidophilus fermentation product . Response to inoculation was compared with untreated silage in terms of feedlot performance of beef steers fed high silage rations . Preservation of silage dry matter and chemical quality were also determined . Procedur es Corn forage from the 1980 corn crop was harvested with a conventional field chopper in early October . Moisture determinations on loads of forage ranged from 36 . 5  to 54 . 5 % with an average of 4 2 . 2%.  Water was added at the blower from a garden hos e .  Two concrete stave silos ( 16 x 3 5  ft ) were the storage structures . A forage blower was installed at each silo and alternate loads of forage were stored until a silo was filled . One blower was equipped with a Gandy 1 - 2 -applicator calibrated to dispense one pound of Lactobacillus acidophilus fermen'tation p roduct (Sila-Bac Silage Inoculanta) per ton of forage. About 68 tons of untreated forage was ensiled in one silo while 8 2  tons of inocu­lated 'forage was s tored in the other . The difference in amounts of material s tored was caused by the presence of a silo unloader in the silo containing the untreated forage .  An unloader was later ins talled in the silo containing the inoculated silage . The silos were opened for f eeding in mid-June of 1981. Silage for each feeding day was removed from the silos and transported to the feedlot by truck. The truck was equipped with two plywood boxes which held the feed supply for one day . A total of 56 s teers of Hereford, Angus and exotic b reeds and b reed crosses wer e  used in the experiment . Shrunk weights of s teers ranged from 640 to 8 7 6  pounds . The s teers were s tratified into four weight groups and the steers from each group were allotted into two p ens of seven s teers each. The s teers were full fed a high roughage ration of alfalfa haylage for about six weeks before b eing placed on experiment . After the s teers were individually identified, they were implanted with 36 mg of Ralgro. They were injected with Clostridium chouvoei-septicum-novyi-sordelli bacterin and given a Warbex pour-on treatment . Initial and final weights were recorded following an 18-hour s tand without feed and water . Filled weights were recorded at 28-day intervals during the 125-day trial. The silages were fed in quantities such that accumulation of refusals was minimal. A pelleted p rotein supplement was fed to contribute 20% of the ration dry matter . Samples of untreated and treated silage and supplements were collected twice weekly for mois ture determinations and other chemical analysis. The rations were adjus ted weekly to maintain the ratio of supple­ment dry matter to silage dry mat ter. Composition of the supplement was soybean meal (44%) 5 7 . 0%; ground corn, 34%; trace mineral salt, 3 . 6%; and dicalcium phosphate, 5 . 4% .  The supplement was formulated to contain 3 2% protein, 1. 4 2% calcium and 1 .  5 5% phosphorus. Vitamin A was added to p rovide 10,700 International Units (IU) per pound of supp lement. The experiment was terminated as the supply of untreated silage was exhausted . All cattle were then fed treated silage to empty the silo in order to determine dry matter preservation. Results Feedlot performance summarized by weight groups is p resented in tabl e  1. S teers in group I ( 700 lb ) fed the microbial-treated corn silage consumed less ration dry matter b ut gained more rapidly than s teers fed the untreated silage .  Feed requirements were also lower for the s teers on this treatment . Steers in weight group II ( 750  lb ) gained fas ter when f ed the treated corn silage than steers fed the untreated silage. The cattle also consumed more dry mat ter and were more efficient in feed conversion than the steers fed the untreated silage. Performance of s teers in weight group III  (800 lb ) and IV (850 lb ) was generally poorer with the microbial inocu­lated silage than with the untrea ted silage . Steers in group IV consumed less of the treated silage dry matter which appeared to reduce weight gains . a Pioneer Hi-Bred International, Microbial Produc ts Division. 2 - 2 -applicator calibrated to dispense one pound of Lactobacillus acidophilus fermen'tation p roduct (Sila-Bac Silage Inoculanta) per ton of forage. About 68 tons of untreated forage was ensiled in one silo while 8 2  tons of inocu­lated 'forage was s tored in the other . The difference in amounts of material s tored was caused by the presence of a silo unloader in the silo containing the untreated forage .  An unloader was later ins talled in the silo containing the inoculated silage . The silos were opened for f eeding in mid-June of 1981. Silage for each feeding day was removed from the silos and transported to the feedlot by truck. The truck was equipped with two plywood boxes which held the feed supply for one day . A total of 56 s teers of Hereford, Angus and exotic b reeds and b reed crosses wer e  used in the experiment . Shrunk weights of s teers ranged from 640 to 8 7 6  pounds . The s teers were s tratified into four weight groups and the steers from each group were allotted into two p ens of seven s teers each. The s teers were full fed a high roughage ration of alfalfa haylage for about six weeks before b eing placed on experiment . After the s teers were individually identified, they were implanted with 36 mg of Ralgro. They were injected with Clostridium chouvoei-septicum-novyi-sordelli bacterin and given a Warbex pour-on treatment . Initial and final weights were recorded following an 18-hour s tand without feed and water . Filled weights were recorded at 28-day intervals during the 125-day trial. The silages were fed in quantities such that accumulation of refusals was minimal. A pelleted p rotein supplement was fed to contribute 20% of the ration dry matter . Samples of untreated and treated silage and supplements were collected twice weekly for mois ture determinations and other chemical analysis. The rations were adjus ted weekly to maintain the ratio of supple­ment dry matter to silage dry mat ter. Composition of the supplement was soybean meal (44%) 5 7 . 0%; ground corn, 34%; trace mineral salt, 3 . 6%; and dicalcium phosphate, 5 . 4% .  The supplement was formulated to contain 3 2% protein, 1. 4 2% calcium and 1 .  5 5% phosphorus. Vitamin A was added to p rovide 10,700 International Units (IU) per pound of supp lement. The experiment was terminated as the supply of untreated silage was exhausted . All cattle were then fed treated silage to empty the silo in order to determine dry matter preservation. Results Feedlot performance summarized by weight groups is p resented in tabl e  1. S teers in group I ( 700 lb ) fed the microbial-treated corn silage consumed less ration dry matter b ut gained more rapidly than s teers fed the untreated silage .  Feed requirements were also lower for the s teers on this treatment . Steers in weight group II ( 750  lb ) gained fas ter when f ed the treated corn silage than steers fed the untreated silage. The cattle also consumed more dry mat ter and were more efficient in feed conversion than the steers fed the untreated silage. Performance of s teers in weight group III  (800 lb ) and IV (850 lb ) was generally poorer with the microbial inocu­lated silage than with the untrea ted silage . Steers in group IV consumed less of the treated silage dry matter which appeared to reduce weight gains . a Pioneer Hi-Bred International, Microbial Produc ts Division. 2 TABLE 1. UNTREATED AND MICROBIAL INOCULATED CORN SILAGE FOR FEEDLOT STEERS (JUNE 18 TO OCTOBER 21, 1981--125 DAYS) Silage treatment No. animals Initial shrunk wt, lb Final shrunk wt, lb Avg daily gain, lb Avg daily ration (dry), lbb Feed/100 lb gain (dry), lb No. animals Initial shrunk wt, lb Final shrunk wt, lb Avg daily gain, lb Avg daily ration (dry), lbb Feed/100 lb gain (dry), lb No. animals Initial shrunk wt, lb Final shrunk wt, lb Avg daily gain, lb Avg daily ration (dry), lbb Feed/100 lb gain (dry), lb No. animals Initial shrunk wt, lb Final shrunk wt, lb Avg daily gain, lb Avg daily ration (dry), lbb Feed/100 lb gain (dry), lb No. animals Initial shrunk wt, lb Final shrunk wt; lb Avg daily gain, lb Avg daily ration (dry), lbb Feed/100 lb gain (dry), lb Untreated 7 694 983 2.31 23.29 1008 7 749 1037 2.30 23.99 1043 7 801 1095 2. 35 23. 70 1009 7 85 7 1172 2. 52 27.56 1094 28 7 75 1072 2.37 24. 64 1040 Weight Weight Weight Weight group I Microbial inoculated a 7 695 995 2. 40 22. 20 925 group II 7 748 106 7 2 . 55 25. 38 995 group III 7 801 1068 2.14 24. 49 1144 group IV 7 856 1140 2. 27 23. 7 7  104 7 All weight groups 28 7 75 1068 2. 34 23. 96 1024 aSilabac Silage Inoculant, Lactobacillus acidophilus fermentation produgt, 1 lb/ton forage. 80% corn silage, 20% protein supplement. 3 - 4 -The resul ts averaged over all weight groups tend to nullify the im�roved perf ormance ob served with the lighter weight cattle (groups I and II) with the poorer performance o f  the heavier weight cattle. (groups III and IV) . Rate of gain feed consumption and ef ficiency o f  gains with s teers fed the treated sila�e were ess entially the same as tho s e  obs erved with the untreated silage . The magnitude o f  dif ferences in weight gains o f  s teers �ed :ither the treated or the untreated silage is no t uncommon between rep lications treated alike . Therefore ,  the average response shown at the bottom o f  the table is perhaps more representative o f  the treatment response . The gains and feed efficiencies are resp ectable for cattle fed corn silage and a pro tein supplement . This experiment was conduc ted with silage which was drier than normal silage . Fur ther research is needed with the additive under conditions in which the mois ture content is more typical o f  normal silages . The corn forage harves ted and ensiled in this s tudy had an average dry .matter content of 58%. This is well b elow that recommended for ensiling corn forage.  The quantity of water added did no t rais e the mois ture content appreciably. Both silos were equipped with metal roo fs, but this allowed some precipitation to penetrate the silag e .  When the silos were opened for feeding , the silage at the top was extremely dry (75 % dry matter) and re­mained dry during the fir s t  month of the feeding trial . The microbial treated silage averaged about 4 percentage units higher in dry matter than the untreated silage to the las t  month of feeding . During this period , the silage was being taken from the bottom portion of the silo and dry matter content of the two silages averaged 52%. Because o f  the time of the year in which the silage wa s fed and the small quantity removed each day , the silage on the top surface probably was drier than normal . It is no t uncommon to see the mois ture content of surface samples differ by 3 to 4% b ecause the silage dries between feedings . Chemical analys es of weekly silage samples are presently in progress .  Dry mat ter recovery o f  the experimental silages is pres ented in tab le 2. The percentage dry matter availab le for f eeding was about the same for treate� as untreated silage . Spoilage from the top layer of silage was small for being in s torage for over eight months . To tal dry ma tter loss (spoil­age and nonr ecoverable silage )  was about the same for the untreated and treated silages . 4 - 5 -TABLE 2. DRY MATTER RECOVERY OF CORN SILAGE AS AFFECTED BY A MICROBIAL SILAGE INOCULANT Total dry matter ensiled, lb Total dry matter of feed silage, As a percent of dry matter ensiled, % Dry matter losses, lb Spoilage As a percent of dry matter ensiled, % Nonrecovered, lb As a percent of dry matter ensiled, % lb Untreated 7 7  ' 230 72 ' 622 94 . 03 320 0.42 4, 288 5.55 Microbial inoculateda 94 , 854 89, 849 94. 72 1,120 1. 18 3,885 4. 10 aLactobacillus acidophilus fermentation product applied at 1 lb per ton of forage. 5 

Untreated and Microbial Inoculated Corn Silage in High Silage Rations for Beef Steers

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Untreated and Microbial Inoculated Corn Silage in High Silage Rations for Beef Steers

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