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Title: INTAKE AND DIGESTIBILITY OF ALFALFA HAY HARVESTED AT SUSSET AND SUNRISE.

Author
item Burns, Joseph
item Fisher, Dwight
item Mayland, Henry

Submitted to: Agronomy Abstracts
Publication Type: Other
Publication Acceptance Date: 7/26/2002
Publication Date: 11/6/2002
Citation: Burns, J.C., Fisher, D.S., Mayland, H.F. 2002. Intake and digestibility of alfalfa hay harvested at susset and sunrise.. Agronomy Abstracts.

Interpretive Summary: Preference among forages and among plant parts within a forage has been observed for ruminants. Recently we found that alfalfa grown in Idaho and cut in the PM and fed in North Carolina to steers, sheep, and goats was preferred over the same forage cut in the AM. Trials were conducted to determine if dry matter intake (kg/100 jg body weight) and digestion (g/kg) relected these preference differences. Dry matter intake of the PM vs AM cut alfalfa was consistently higher for steers (2.90 vs 2.62: P=0.11) and goats (2.97 vs 2.83: P=0.07) but not for sheep (2.50 vs 2.54: P=0.59). Dry matter digestion was also higher for goats fed PM hay (710 vs 697: P=0.03) but not for steers (662 vs 659: P=0.75) or sheep (690 vs 683: P=0.25). Results are discussed relative to nutritive value of the hays and their preference by animals.

Technical Abstract: Preference among forages and among plant parts within a forage has been observed for ruminants. Recently we found that alfalfa grown in Idaho and cut in the PM and fed in North Carolina to steers, sheep, and goats was preferred over the same forage cut in the AM. Trials were conducted to determine if dry matter intake (kg/100 jg body weight) and digestion (g/kg) relected these preference differences. Dry matter intake of the PM vs AM cut alfalfa was consistently higher for steers (2.90 vs 2.62: P=0.11) and goats (2.97 vs 2.83: P=0.07) but not for sheep (2.50 vs 2.54: P=0.59). Dry matter digestion was also higher for goats fed PM hay (710 vs 697: P=0.03) but not for steers (662 vs 659: P=0.75) or sheep (690 vs 683: P=0.25). Results are discussed relative to nutritive value of the hays and their preference by animals.