568 FEEDS AND FEEDING 



Corn silage vs. roots for fattening lambs 



Initial Daily Feed for 100 Ibs. gain 



Average ration weight gain Concentrates Hay Succulence 



Lbs. Lbs. Lbs. Lbs. Lbs. 



Silage, total of 72 lambs* 

 Corn silage, 3.0 Ibs. 

 Hay, 1.3 Ibs. 



Concentrates, 1.2 Ibs ............... 89 0.30 396 439 1,010 



Roots, total of 90 lambs* 

 Roots, 4.6 Ibs. 

 Hay, 1.5 Ibs. 



Concentrates, 1.2 Ibs ............... 89 0. 32 380 471 1,507 



*Average of 3 trials by Grisdale (Ottawa Expt. Farms Rpts. 1910, 1911, 1912) , 2 by Kennedy, Robbina, 

 and Kildee (Iowa Bui. 110), and 2 by F. B. Mumford (Mich. Buls. 84, 107). 



The lambs fed silage made the same gains in 2 of the trials, larger 

 gains in 1, and somewhat smaller gains in the other 4 trials. On the 

 average there was only 0.02 Ib. difference in the daily gains of the lambs 

 fed silage and roots. The silage-fed lambs required 16 Ibs. more grain, 

 but 32 Ibs. less hay for 100 Ibs. gain than those fed roots, the larger re- 

 quirement of grain by the silage-fed lambs being offset by the larger con- 

 sumption of hay by those fed roots. Thus, based on the feed required 

 per 100 Ibs. gain, 1,040 Ibs. of silage replaced 1,507 Ibs. of roots, due 

 to the more watery nature of the roots. (366) 



867. Corn silage. Only in recent years has the value of corn silage 

 for cheapening the cost of fattening sheep been appreciated. The ben- 

 efits from adding silage to an already excellent ration are shown in 

 the following average of 8 trials, lasting from 70 to 105 days, in which 

 a ration of clover hay and shelled corn was compared with one of corn 

 silage, clover hay, and shelled corn for fattening lambs. 



Value of corn silage when added to well-balanced ration 



Initial Daily Feed for 100 Ibs. gain 



gain Corn Hay Sila 



Lbs. Lbs. Lbs. Lbs. Lbs. 



Average ration weight gain Corn Hay Silage 



Lot /, total of 172 lambs* 

 Corn silage, 1.35 Ibs. 

 Clover hay, 0.95 Ib. 

 Shelled corn, 1.15 Ibs ............... 61 0. 316 366 308 428 



Lot II, total of 172 lambs* 

 Clover hay, 1.57 Ibs. 

 Shelled corn, 1.24 Ibs ............... 61 0.313 397 507 



*Average of 5 trials by Skinner and King (Ind. Buls. 162, 168, 179, 184 and 192), and 2 by Coffey of the 

 111. Station (Information to the authors). 



On the average, the lambs fed silage ate 0.62 Ib. less hay and 0.09 Ib. 

 less corn daily yet gained slightly more than those fed clover hay and 

 shelled corn. Adding silage to a ration of clover hay and corn does not, 

 however, always result in increased gain, for in 4 of these trials the lambs 

 fed no silage made the larger gains. The great advantage in feeding 

 silage lies in the saving of corn and hay required for 100 Ibs. of gain. In 

 these trials 1 ton of corn silage saved 144 Ibs. of corn and 930 Ibs. of 



