Effect of moisture and ensiling day on feed quality of wet concentrates for beef cattle

Abstract

The control of ensiling quality was an important factor for using by-products as feed ingredients with high moisture. This research studied the effects of moisture levels and ensiling days on the chemical composition and fermentation quality of wet concentrate. The experiment was a 3 x 5 factorial in a completely randomized design (3 replications/ treatment) with factor A as moisture levels [a1 = 40%, a2 = 50% and a3 = 60% and factor B as ensiling days (b1 = 0 day, b2 = 7 days, b3 = 14 days, b4 = 21 days and b5 = 28 days). All of the feed ingredients were formulated and prepared by thorough mixing. They were then packed in plastic bags (30 kg/bag) under anaerobic conditions. The results showed that there was no interaction between moisture levels and ensiling days on dry matter, organic matter, crude protein and ash (P > 0.05). The trend changes of dry matter contents (P < 0.01) and organic matter contents (P < 0.05) decreased with prolonging ensiling time. By contrast, the crude protein contents of wet concentrates did not different with increasing ensiling day (P > 0.05). The lowest values of pH for wet concentrates were obtained after 7 ensiling days. All fermented wet concentrates had a very good fermentation quality. These results indicated that a moisture content within a range from 40% to 60% was suitable for wet concentrate producing. It needs to be fermented at least 7 ensiling days and could be preserved for up to 28 ensiling days.