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Nutritive Value of Hay Baled at Various Moisture Contents^{1, 2,}

Nebraska Agricultural Experiment Station, North Platte

Abstract

Two performance trials and two sets of digestion and metabolism trials involving beef calves were conducted to determine the effect moisture content had at time of baling, as reflected through changes in temperature following bailing, upon the nutritive value of alfalfa and native hay. Alfalfa hay was baled at moisture contents of 26.2, 35.2, 53.4 and 58.5% and the native hay was baled at moisture contents of 19.2, 34.1, 43.5 and 50.8%. There was an increase in ash and acid detergent fiber and lignin as moisture content at time of baling increased. There was little difference in protein or water-soluble carbohydrates.The apparent digestibility of protein and energy decreased (P<.01) as moisture content at time of baling increased. The digestibility of the fibrous portion of the forage was not affected greatly, thus the lowered digestibility of energy could have been a reflection of a greater ratio of fiber to readily fermentable carbohydrates in the forage as fed, or lowered digestibility of the readily fermentable carbohydrates,or both. The steers that received hay baled at the lower moisture contents gained faster more efficiently (P<.01) than those that received hay baled at higher moisture contents; however, there was no significant difference in feed intake. The one exception, calves fed alfalfa baled at 35.2% moisture performed as well as those fed alfalfa baled at 26.2% moisture, would indicate that it is possible to bale alfalfa hay, and maintain good nutritive value, at moisture contents higher than are usually accepted as good practice. This may not be true with native hay.

¹ Published with the approval of the Director as Paper No. 1592, Journal Series, Nebraska Agricultural Experiment Station.

² This study was supported in part by a grant from John Deere, Ottumwa Works, Ottumwa, Iowa.

³ Present address: Carnation Research Laobratory, Van Nuys, Cal.

⁴ Department of Animal Science, University of Nebraska North Platte Station,North Platte.

⁵ Present address:Research Engineer,Deere and Company, Moline, Illinois.

⁶ Present address: Department of Animal Science, University of Arizona, Tucson.