ChileanJAR

The present knowledge on the factors controlling the voluntary intake oI silage is reviewed, particularly in relation to the process of forage fermentation in the silo. A contrast is made between those factors considered to control the voluntary intake of feeds by ruminants and those which affect silage intake.
The nature and degree oI forage fermentation during ensiling, reflected on the end-products derived from the fermentation of carbohydrates and nitrogenous compounds of forage, appear to play an important role in the control of voluntary consumption of low dry matter silage by ruminants. It seems that no single product can entirely be accounted for the reduced voluntary intake oí silage, but the end-products of silage fermentation appear to be inter-related in the control oI silage intake. The exact mechanism by which intake is limited is not cIear.
Wilting of low dry matter forage prior to ensiling and the addition oI preservative compounds to silage generally increase consumption of silage, probably as a result of a restriction in the extent of forage fermentation. Other factors inherent to the forage or to the animal may also influence the absolute quantitay of silage that a ruminant will voluntarily consume.
Factors which have been associated with the voluntary intake of fresh or dried forages (physical and chemostatic regulation or the protein status of the animal) do not appear to be important in the regulation of voluntary consumption of silage.