ChileanJAR

Three cultivars of corn, were evaluated as silage: I. early (P3709), II. medium (P3369 A), and III. late maturing (LH Rinconada). Three plots of 0.5 ha were sown of each variety; these were ensiled at the dough-dent stage, for treatments I and II, and milky stage, for treatment III. The last cultivar did not reach a dent stage of maturity. The silages were evaluated with lactating dairy cows, which received corn silage ad libitum plus 5 kg red clover hay, 1.5 kg rapeseed meal and 50 g urea, per 10 kg silage. Feed intake and fecal production was measured individually, on three cows per treatment. Whole and cracked corn kernel s were separated, in feed and feces. Total corn grain intake was 2438, 3160, and 1274 g/day, for treatments I, II, and III, respectively. Grain excretion was 296, 421, and 113 g/day, and losses expressed as percentage of intake, were 12.1, 13.3, and 8.9%, respectively. Digested grain was 2142, 2739, and 1161 g/day for the same treatments. Whole grain kernels were, apparently, not digested.