Effects of reconstituting whole and ground sorghum grain for feeding to dairy cattle

Abstract

Sorghum grain which had been reconstituted in the whole and ground forms to average levels of 25% moisture and ensiled in oxygen-limiting silos was compared to air-dry grain in digestibility studies using dairy heifers. The rations fed were made up of 50% Coastal Bermudagrass hay and 50% grain on a dry matter basis, and the results reported are based on total ration digestibility. Results of the studies show that the digestibility coefficients for protein, nitrogen-free extract (NFE), organic matter, and non-protein organic matter of both forms of reconstituted grain were higher than for air-dry grain. The statistical analysis of the results show that grain reconstituted in the whole form was significantly higher than air-dry grain in all the above components, but grain reconstituted in the ground form was significantly higher than air-dry grain in only protein and NFE. The air-dry grain had a significantly higher coefficient of digestibility for ether (sic) extract than either form of reconstituted grain, and there appeared to be no differences in fiber digestibility among the rations. The higher coefficients of digestibility for both forms of reconstituted grain resulted in higher TDN values than for air-dry grain, but only the differences between air-dry grain and reconstituted whole grain proved to be statistically significant..