the effect of different levels of alfalfa hay and corn silage, in early lactation diet, on milk production and on milk components in holstein cows was investigated. fifteen holstein cows (37 ±10 dim) were taken in a completely randomized design experiment, lasting for 9 weeks. three levels of hay and corn silage namely: 1) 10% alfalfa -30% silage corn (diet 1), 2) 20% alfalfa -20% silage corn (...

Value-added traits of alfalfa are needed to provide farmers new high value profitable products. Processing alfalfa to obtain value added products includes three different fractionation methods: 1) wet fractionation; separation into juice fraction and a fiber fraction, 2) dry fractionation; separation into leaves and stems, and 3) fractionation by passage of the whole herbage through the digesti...

Two hundred forty crossbred yearling steers (836 ± 41 lb) were blocked by weight and used in a completely randomized design study intended to determine the effects of three levels of alfalfa hay (7.5, 10, and 12.5%) in steam-flaked corn (SFC) based finishing diets containing 25% wet distiller’s grains (WDG) derived from sorghum. Inclusion of WDG tended to increase DMI (P = 0.17), reduce ADG (P ...

There is a surplus of Atriplex nummularia Lindl. grazing that can be used as animal feed. This material was harvested to assess the effects on intake, growth, and carcass characteristics of kids. Atriplex replaced alfalfa hay (Medicago sativa L.) in a proportion of 0%, 10%, 20%, 30%, and 40% for 60 creole kids weighing 13 kg and was assigned to the diets in a completely randomized design. The p...

This study was conducted to determine the chemical composition, digestibility, degradability and nutritive value of madder, Rubia tinctorum L.  and alfalfa Medicago sativa. using in vitro and in situ measurements. The mean values for OM, CP, NDF, ADF and EE were 892.5, 172.0, 306.5, 219.4 and 16.0 g/kg DM for madder hay, and 921.3, 141.4, 482.0, 361.1 and 6.50 g/kg DM for alfalfa hay, respectiv...

Three studies were conducted to evaluate the feeding value of slice alfalfa hay in feedlot diets. In Exp. 1, 108 steer calves (183.1 +/- 1.2 kg initial BW; 6 pens/treatment) were used in a completely randomized design to evaluate the effect of baling method on performance and morbidity of newly received calves. The study lasted 28 d. Treatments consisted of a 65% concentrate receiving diet cont...

Nine multiparous (250 +/- 6 d in milk) and 3 primiparous (204 +/- 6 d in milk) Holstein cows were utilized in a 3 x 3 Latin square design to evaluate the lactation performance of cows fed a diet containing dried distillers grains plus solubles (DDGS) with either corn silage or alfalfa hay as forage. Cows were fed total mixed diets containing corn silage (CS), 50% corn silage and 50% alfalfa hay...

Alfalfa use by dairy cattle has decreased in recent years because of excessive nonprotein nitrogen and low fiber digestibility. Ideal attributes for plant modification of alfalfa may include those that increase milk potential per acre and/or per ton, enhance digestible NDF, improve protein content and amino acid balance, improve agronomic traits for insect protection (safer forage supply), herb...