Use of Grain Silage in Feeding Cattle Growing Stock

Abstract

The article presents the study results on using grain silage in the feeding ration of replacement heifers. Instead of corn silage, the experimental group of heifers was fed with vetch-barley grain silage in the amount of 3.6 kg per head per day. In the experimental groups of young cattle, the increase in live weight (average daily, absolute, relative) was studied, and the economic efficiency of using grain silage in the diets of heifers was also determined. The study results showed that the absolute gain in the groups of experimental calves was 62.1±2.1 kg, which was higher by 14.6% or 7.9±0.4 kg (p<0.05) than the total gain of the control group, where this indicator was 54.2±1.9 kg. The relative gain of the experimental group was 70.8±1.7%. The relative increase in growing stock from the control group was 61.4±1.5%, which turned out to be 15.31% lower than in the control group (p<0.01). The average daily gains in the experimental group were 690.0±32.1 g, which slightly exceeded the indicator of the control group by 14.6% or 87.8±3.1 g. In the experimental group, the profit was higher by 5924.0 rubles than in control, which ensured an economic effect per head in this group in the amount of 1184.8 rubles.