Hostname: page-component-8448b6f56d-gtxcr Total loading time: 0 Render date: 2024-04-24T21:06:43.169Z Has data issue: false hasContentIssue false
  • English
  • Français

Effect of harvest time and physical form of alfalfa silage on chewing time and particle size distribution in boli, rumen content and faeces

Published online by Cambridge University Press:  19 July 2012

L. F. Kornfelt ,
M. R. Weisbjerg  and
P. Nørgaard
L. F. Kornfelt*
Affiliation:
Department of Basic Animal and Veterinary Sciences, Faculty of Life Sciences, University of Copenhagen, Denmark Department of Animal Health and Bioscience, Faculty of Agricultural Sciences, Aarhus University, Denmark
M. R. Weisbjerg
Affiliation:
Department of Animal Health and Bioscience, Faculty of Agricultural Sciences, Aarhus University, Denmark
P. Nørgaard
Affiliation:
Department of Basic Animal and Veterinary Sciences, Faculty of Life Sciences, University of Copenhagen, Denmark
*
†E-mail: kornfelt@life.ku.dk
Get access

Abstract

The study examined the effects of physical form and harvest time of alfalfa silage on eating and ruminating activity and particle size distribution in feed boli, rumen content and faeces in dry cows. The alfalfa crop was harvested at two stages of growth (early: NDF 37%, late: NDF 44% in dry matter (DM)), and from each harvest, a chopped (theoretical cutting length: 19 mm) and an unchopped crop was ensiled in bales. The silages were fed restrictively to four rumen cannulated non-lactating Jersey cows (391 ± 26 kg) in a 4 × 4 Latin square design. The cows were fed restrictively 80% of their ad libitum intake twice daily. Chewing activity was recorded for 96 h continuously. Swallowed boli, rumen content, rumen fluid and faeces samples were collected, washed in nylon bags (0.01 mm pore size) and freeze-dried before dry sieving through 4.750, 2.360, 1.000, 0.500 and 0.212 mm pore sizes into six fractions. The length (PL) and width (PW) of particles within each fraction was measured by the use of image analysis. The eating activity (min/kg dry matter intake (P < 0.01) and min/kg NDF (P < 0.05)) was affected by harvest time. The mean ruminating time (min/kg DM) was affected by harvest time (P < 0.01), physical form (P < 0.05) and NDF intake per kg BW (P < 0.01). The proportion of washed particle DM of total DM in boli, rumen content, rumen fluid and faeces was affected by harvest time (P < 0.01) and highest by feeding late-harvested alfalfa silage. Two peaks on the probability density distribution function (PDF) of PW and PL values of boli, rumen content and faeces were identified. Chopping of the silage decreased the mean PL and PW, the most frequent PL (mode) and 95% percentile PL and PW values in boli. In the rumen content, chopping increased the mean PW (P < 0.05). The dimension sizes of faeces particles were not significantly affected by chopping. The mode PW value was lower in rumen content and faeces than in boli (P < 0.001), and the mode PL value was higher in boli and lower in faeces compared with rumen contents (P < 0.001). In conclusion, the mean total chewing activity per kg NDF decreased due to chopping and early harvest time. The mean PL and PW in boli decreased due to chopping and late harvest. The two peak values on the PDF (PL) and PDF (PW) of boli, rumen content and faeces particles are most likely related to the leaf and the stem residues.

Keywords

particle lengthparticle widthmost frequent lengthchoppingmastication
Type
Nutrition
Information
animal , Volume 7 , Issue 2 , February 2013 , pp. 232 - 244
Copyright
Copyright © The Animal Consortium 2012

Access options

Get access to the full version of this content by using one of the access options below. (Log in options will check for institutional or personal access. Content may require purchase if you do not have access.)

References

Åkerlind, M, Weisbjerg, M, Eriksson, T, Thøgersen, R, Udén, P, Ólafsson, BL, Harstad, OM, Volden, H 2011. Feed analyses and digestion methods. In NorFor – the Nordic feed evaluation system (ed. H Volden), EAAP publication no. 130, pp. 41–55. Wageningen Academic Publishers, Wageningen, The Netherlands.Google Scholar
Allen, MS 1996. Physical Constraints on Voluntary Intake of Forages by Ruminants. Journal of Animal Science 74, 3063–3075.CrossRefGoogle ScholarPubMed
Allen, M, Robertso, J, van Soest, P 1984. A comparison of particle size methodologies and statistical treatments. In Techniques in particle size analysis of feed and digesta in ruminants (ed. PM Kennedy), pp. 39–56. Proceedings of a workshop held in Banff, Alberta, Canada, Canadian Society of Animal Science, Occasional Publication No. 1, Edmonton, AB, Canada.Google Scholar
Association of Official Analytical Chemists (AOAC) 2002. Official methods of analysis 1, 17th edition. AOAC, Arlington, VA, USA.Google Scholar
Baumont, R, Malbert, CH, Ruckebusch, Y 1990. Mechanical stimulation of rumen fill and alimentary behaviour in sheep. Animal Production 50, 123–128.Google Scholar
Beauchemin, KA 1991. Ingestion and mastication of feed by dairy cattle. Veterinary Clinics of North America: Food Animal Practice 7, 439–463.Google Scholar
Beauchemin, KA, Iwaasa, AD 1993. Eating and ruminating activities of cattle fed alfalfa or orchard grass harvested at two stages of maturity. Canadian Journal of Animal Science 73, 79–88.Google Scholar
Beauchemin, KA, Yang, WZ 2005. Effects of physically effective fibre on intake, chewing activity, and ruminal acidosis for dairy cows fed diets based on corn silage. Journal of Dairy Science 88, 2117–2129.Google Scholar
Beauchemin, KA, Farr, BI, Rode, LM, Schaalje, GB 1994. Effects on alfalfa silage chop length and supplementary long hay on chewing and milk production of dairy cows. Journal of Dairy Science 77, 1326–1339.Google Scholar
Beauchemin, KA, Zelin, S, Genner, D, Buchanan-Smith, JG 1989. An automatic system for quantification of eating and ruminating activities of dairy cattle housed in stalls. Journal of Dairy Science 72, 2746–2759.Google Scholar
Bhandari, SK, Li, S, Ominski, KH, Wittenberg, KM, Plaizier, JC 2008. Effects of the chop lengths of alfalfa silage and oat silage on feed intake, milk production, feeding behavior, and rumen fermentation of dairy cows. Journal of Dairy Science 91, 1942–1958.Google Scholar
Broom, DM, Fraser, AF 2007. Domestic animal behaviour and welfare, 4th Edition. CAB International, Wallingford, UK.Google Scholar
Clark, PW, Armentano, LE 2002. Influence of particle size on the effectiveness of the fibre in alfalfa silage. Journal of Dairy Science 85, 3000–3007.Google Scholar
Coblentz, WK, Fritz, JO, Fick, WH, Cochran, RC, Shirley, JE 1998. In situ dry matter, nitrogen, and fibre degradation of alfalfa, red clover, and eastern gamagrass at four maturities. Journal of Dairy Science 81, 150–161.Google Scholar
Dewhurst, RJ, Fisher, WJ, Tweed, JK, Wilkins, RJ 2003. Comparison of grass and legume silages for milk production. 1. Production responses with different levels of concentrate. Journal of Dairy Science 86, 2598–2611.CrossRefGoogle ScholarPubMed
Deswysen, A, Bruyer, DC, Vanbelle, M 1984. Circadian rumination and voluntary silage intake in sheep and cattle. Canadian Journal of Animal Science 64, 341–342.Google Scholar
Deswysen, A, Ellis, WC, Pond, KR 1987. Interrelationships among voluntary intake, eating and ruminating behaviour and ruminal motility of heifers fed corn silage. Journal of Animal Science 64, 835–841.CrossRefGoogle ScholarPubMed
Hoffman, PC, Combs, DK, Casler, MD 1998. Performance of lactating dairy cows fed alfalfa silage or perennial ryegrass silage. Journal of Dairy Science 81, 162–168.Google Scholar
Jalali, AR, Nørgaard, P, Weisbjerg, MR, Nielsen, MO 2011. Effect of forage quality on intake, chewing activity, faecal particle size distribution, and digestibility of neutral detergent fibre in sheep, goats and llamas. Journal of Small Ruminant Research 103, 143–151.Google Scholar
Kalu, BA, Fick, GW 1981. Quantifying morphological stage of maturity as a predictor of alfalfa herbage quality. Crop Science 23, 267–271.Google Scholar
Knudsen, KEB 1997. Carbohydrate and lignin contents of plant materials used in animal nutrition. Animal Feed Science and Technology 67, 319–338.Google Scholar
Luginbuhl, JM, Pond, KR, Burns, JC, Russ, JC 1989. Eating and ruminating behaviour of steers fed coastal bermudagrass hay at four levels. Journal of Animal Science 67, 3410–3418.Google Scholar
Luginbuhl, JM, Fisher, DS, Pond, KR, Burns, JC 1991. Image analysis and nonlinear modelling to determine dimensions of wet-sieved, masticated forage particles. Journal of Animal Science 69, 3807–3816.Google Scholar
Mertens, DR 1994. Regulation of forage intake. In Forage quality, evaluation, and utilization (ed. GC Fahey Jr), pp. 450–493. American Society of Agronomy, Madison, WI.Google Scholar
Mertens, DR 1997. Creating a system for meeting the fibre requirements of dairy cows. Journal of Dairy Science 80, 1463–1481.Google Scholar
Mooney, CS, Allen, MS 1997. Physical effectiveness of the neutral detergent fibre of whole linted cottonseed relative to that of alfalfa silage at two lengths of cut. Journal of Animal Science 80, 2052–2061.Google Scholar
Mtengeti, EJ, Wilman, D, Mosely, G 1996. Differences between twelve forage species in physical breakdown when eaten. Journal of Agricultural Science 126, 287–293.Google Scholar
Nielsen, TS, Kristensen, NB, Weisbjerg, MR 2007. Effect of harvest time on fermentation profiles of maize ensiled in laboratory silos and determination of drying losses at 60°C. Acta Agriculturae Scandinavica A 57, 30–37.Google Scholar
Nørgaard, P 2006. Use of image analysis for measuring particle size in feed, digesta and faeces. In Ruminant physiology – digestion, metabolism and impact of nutrition on gene expression, immunology and stress (ed. K Sejrsen, T Hvelplund and MO Nielsen), pp. 579–585. Wageningen Academic Publishers, Wageningen, The Netherlands.Google Scholar
Nørgaard, P, Hilden, K 2004. A new method for recording mastication during eating and ruminating in sheep. Journal of Animal and Feed Sciences 13, 171–174.Google Scholar
Nørgaard, P, Kornfelt, LF 2006. Particle size distribution in rumen contents and faeces from cows fed grass silages in different physical form or barley straw supplemented with grass pellets. Journal of Animal Science 84, 262.Google Scholar
Nørgaard, P, Sehic, A 2003. Particle size distribution in silage, boluses, rumen content and faeces from cows fed silage with different theoretical chopping length. The Sixth International Symposium on the Nutrition of Herbivores, 19–24 October 2003, Mérida, Yucatán, México. Tropical and Subtropical Agroecosystems 3, 457–460.Google Scholar
Nørgaard, P, Nadeau, E, Randby, Å, Volden, H 2011. Chewing index system for predicting physical structure of the diet. In NorFor – the Nordic feed evaluation system (ed. H Volden), EAAP publication no. 130, pp. 127–132. Wageningen Academic Publishers, Wageningen, The Netherlands.Google Scholar
Nørgaard, P, Nadeau, E, Volden, H, Randby, A, Aaes, O, Mehlqvist, M 2010. A new Nordic structure evaluation system for diets fed to dairy cows – a meta analysis. In Modelling nutrient digestion and utilisation in farm animals (ed. D Sauvant, J Van Milgen, P Faverdin and N Friggens), pp. 112–120. Wageningen Academic Publishers, Wageningen, The Netherlands.Google Scholar
Rinne, M, Huhtanen, P, Jaakkola, S 2002. Digestive processes of dairy cows fed silages harvested at four stages and grass maturity. Journal of Animal Science 80, 1986–1998.Google Scholar
Rustas, BO, Nørgaard, P, Jalali, AR, Nadeau, E 2010. Effects of physical form and stage of maturity at harvest of whole-crop barley silage on intake, chewing activity, diet selection and faecal particle size of dairy steers. Animal 4, 67–75.Google Scholar
Schleisner, C, Nørgaard, P, Hansen, HH 1999. Discriminant analysis of patterns of jaw movement during rumination and eating in a cow. Acta Agriculturae Scandinavica A 49, 251–259.Google Scholar
Shaver, RD, Nytes, AJ, Satter, LD, Jorgensen, NA 1988. Influence of feed intake, forage physical form, and forage fibre content on particle size of masticated forage, ruminal digesta, and faeces of dairy cows. Journal of Dairy Science 71, 1566–1572.Google Scholar
Teimouri Yansari, A, Valizadeh, R, Naserian, A, Christensen, DA, Yu, P, Eftekhari Shahroodi, F 2004. Effects of alfalfa particle size and specific gravity on chewing activity, digestibility, and performance of Holstein dairy cows. Journal of Dairy Science 87, 3912–3924.Google Scholar
Ulyatt, MJ 1983. Plant fibre and regulation of digestion in the ruminant. In Fibre in human and animal nutrition (ed. G Wallace and L Bell), pp. 103–107. The Royal Society of New Zealand, Wellington, NZ.Google Scholar
Van Soest, PJ, Robertson, JB, Lewis, BA 1991. Methods for dietary fibre, neutral detergent fibre and nonstarch polysaccharides in relation to animal nutrition. Journal of Dairy Science 74, 3583–3597.Google Scholar
Waldo, DR, Smith, LW, Cox, EL, Weinland, BT, Lucas, HL 1971. Logarithmic normal distribution for description of sieved forage materials. Journal of Dairy Science 54, 1465–1469.Google Scholar
Wilson, JR, Deinum, B, Engels, FM 1991. Temperature effects on anatomy and digestibility of leaf and stem of tropical and temperate forage species. Netherlands Journal of Agricultural Science 39, 31–48.Google Scholar
Wu, Z, Kanneganti, L, Massingill, LJ, Wiltbank, MC, Walgenbach, RP, Satter, LD 2001. Milk production of fall-calving dairy cows during summer grazing of grass or grass-clover pastures. Journal of Dairy Science 84, 1166–1173.Google Scholar