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Composition of Corn Plant Ensiled with Excreta or Nitrogen Supplements and Its Effect on Growing Wethers

U.S. Department of Agriculture, Beltsville, MD 20705

Abstract

Either urea, soybean meal, dried poultry excreta, or liquid expressed from cattle manure was added to whole plant corn forage at levels that would approximate 12% crude protein in the dry matter and ensiled in 1.22- x 2.44-m silos. The actual crude protein concentration of the four silages was 10.9, 10.4, 10.1 and 11.2% in dry matter. Recovery of corn forage dry matter and supplements after storage for 90 days was 93, 100, 89 and 94%. Recovery of sugar was 21, 29, 16 and 19%. Ammonia nitrogen increased 7.5-fold during storage for the soybean meal supplemented silage. Hot-water insoluble nitrogen was 33, 50, 41 and 46% of total nitrogen for urea, soybean meal, dried poultry excreta and the liquid expressed from cattle manure treatments. Percentage of lactic acid in dry matter was 4.5, 4.1, 5.9 and 7.6. The pH value was 3.9, 3.9, 4.2 and 3.8. The silages were fed to 16 wethers for 63 days in a growth trial. During 7 days of the trial, total urine and feces from all sheep were collected. Dry matter digestibility was 66, 64, 63 and 64%. Organic matter digestibility was 68, 65, 65 and 65%. Nitrogen retention was .8, .1, 3.1 and 2.1 g/day. Weight gain was 3,48, 132 and 101 g/day. Daily organic matter consumed was 28, 28, 35 and 29 g/kg⁷⁵. The superior performance of lambs fed on the dried poultry excreta silage was a result of increased intake over the urea and soybean meal treatments, but rate of gain was greater for lambs fed the liquid cow manure silage than the urea and soybean meal treated silage, even with similar organic matter intakes.

¹ U.S.D.A., A.R.S., Nutrition Institute, Ruminant Nutrition Laboratory, Beltsville, MD 20705.

² U.S.D.A., A.R.S., Animal Physiology and Genetics Institute, Feed Energy Conservation Laboratory, Beltsville, MD 20705.

³ Mention of a trade name, propietary product, or specific equipment does not constutite a guarantee or warranty by the U.S. Department of Agriculture and does not imply its approval to the exclusion of other products that may be suitable.