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Growth and Metabolism of Growing Beef Calves Fed Tall Fescue Haylage Supplemented with Protein and(or) Energy¹

University of Kentucky², Lexington 40546-0215

Abstract

Endophyte (Acremonium coenophialum)-infected Kentucky 31 tall fescue was fertilized in mid-August, stockpiled, harvested November 4 to 6 and stored in a concrete stave silo. Ninety-six growing calves (189 kg) were assigned to the following treatments (24 calves/treatment): 1) corn silage (CS) plus .4 kg/d of soybean meal (SBM); 2) fescue haylage plus .4 kg/d of SBM; 3) fescue haylage plus 1.6 kg/d of corn and 4) fescue haylage plus 1.6 kg/d of corn and .4 kg/d of SBM. Daily gains and dry matter (DM) intakes during the 91-d trial were .52, 4.58; .51, 5.22; .59, 6.06; and .63, 6.18 kg for treatments 1 through 4, respectively. Daily gains of calves fed corn silage plus SBM and fescue haylage plus SBM were not different (P>.05). However, a difference (P<.05) existed between treatments 1 and 2 vs 3 and 4. Feed conversion was improved (P<.05) in calves fed corn silage. Calves in a metabolism trial were fed either 1) 6.2 kg November-ensiled fescue haylage or 2) 6.2 kg November-ensiled fescue haylage plus 1.6 kg/d of corn. Digestibility of DM, N-free extract (NFE) and TDN did not differ (P>.05) between treatments. Ether extract digestibility was greater (P<.05) for the added corn diet, while that of CP was greater (P<.05) for the fescue haylage diet. Nitrogen retained was higher (P<.05) for calves fed added corn. A follow-up trial with 96 growing calves (190 kg) compared September- and November-harvested fescue haylages supplemented with either 1.3 or 2.6 kg corn/d. Daily gains for the 90-d trial were .38 and .65 kg (P<.05) for September- and November-ensiled haylages at similar DM intakes, respectively. Adding energy to the diet improved gains. The data are interpreted to show that ensiling tall fescue in September results in an unacceptable product, while ensiling stockpiled tall fescue in November represents an alternative system for improving its utilization.

¹ This paper (no. 86-5-189) is published with the approval of the Director of the Kentucky Agric. Exp. Sta.

² Dept. of Anim. Sci.