Production response to corn silage produced from normal, brown midrib, or waxy corn hybrids

Area of Science:

• Animal Science
• Dairy Nutrition
• Forage Quality

Background:

• Corn silage is a primary forage for lactating dairy cows.
• Different corn hybrids, including normal, brown midrib (BMR), and waxy types, can influence forage quality and cow performance.
• Understanding the impact of various corn silage hybrids on nutrient utilization and milk production is crucial for optimizing dairy rations.

Purpose of the Study:

• To evaluate the effects of corn silage from normal, BMR, and waxy hybrids on nutrient intake, digestibility, and milk production in lactating dairy cows.
• To compare the milk yield, milk composition, and body weight changes of cows fed diets based on these different corn silage hybrids.

Main Methods:

• Thirty-six Holstein cows were assigned to diets containing 36.4% dry matter from normal, BMR, or waxy corn silage for 9 weeks.
• A completely randomized design was used, with the first 2 weeks of feeding normal corn silage serving as a covariate.
• Data on dry matter intake, milk yield, milk components, energy-corrected milk (ECM), and body weight were collected and analyzed.

Main Results:

• No significant differences in dry matter intake (DMI) were observed among treatments.
• Milk yield was higher for cows fed BMR corn silage compared to waxy corn silage.
• Cows fed BMR corn silage tended to gain more body weight than those fed normal or waxy corn silage.

Conclusions:

• Diets based on BMR corn silage can enhance milk yield in lactating dairy cows compared to waxy corn silage.
• While waxy corn silage diets supported similar energy-corrected milk yield due to higher milk components, milk yield was not improved over the control.
• BMR corn silage hybrids show potential for improving milk production and body weight gain in dairy cows.