Forage

Grass

Characteristics

Typically based on ryegrass, but often mixed swards with cocksfoot, fescues, timothy, and legumes (e.g. clover). It is present in rough/hill grazing (often with heather, rushes, mosses), permanent pasture and rotational leys, the latter often high yielding italian or perennial ryegrass monocultures.

	DM (%)	ME (MJ/kg DM)	CP (g/kg DM)
Grass (young)	15 - 20	11.5 - 12.5	150 - 250
Grass (mature)	25 - 50	9.5 - 10.5	50 - 130

Associated Problems

Scours, hypomagnesaemic tetany (especially in winter, or in rapidly growing grass (e.g. spring,/early summer, late summer/autumn), bloat (especially as mixed legume swards), pasture-induced laminitis.

Silage and Haylage

Characteristics

Silage is a fermented crop with a low dry matter content. It is cut at a relatively early stage of development and stored under anaerobic conditions (clamp or big bale). Haylage is similar to silage but is often cut at a more mature stage and is typically baled. Haylage has a higher pH and DM than silage and can often be of more variable quality. With horses haylage is typically preferred (by owners) to silage.

	DM (%)	ME (MJ/kg DM)	CP (g/kg DM)	pH
Silage	15 - 20 (20-30 clamp)(40-50 bale)	9.5 - 12	120 - 190	3.8 - 4.8
Haylage	50-60	9 - 11.5	75 - 110	4.5 - 5.5

Associated Problems

Clostridia. Listeriosis. Acidosis. Moulds/mycotoxins. Poor fermentation (pH > 4.8) or too acidic (pH < 3.8).

Hay

Characteristics

Hay is dried grass, either naturally or artificially (dependent on the weather). It is cut at a relatively late stage of maturity and is typically of variable quality in colour and smell, and nutritive value. There are various types of hay such as ryegrass, meadow, and timothy.

	DM (%)	ME (MJ/kg DM)	CP (g/kg DM)
Hay	80 - 90	7.5 - 10.5	50 - 150

Associated Problems

Moulds/mycotoxins.

Straw

Characteristics

Straw (usually barley or oat for feed) can be treated with alkali, urea or ammonia. It is commonly used as a roughage source for growing ruminants, and especially animals being reared in cereal beef systems.

	DM (%)	ME (MJ/kg DM)	CP (g/kg DM)
Straw	86 - 88	6.1 - 7	34 - 38
Straw (ammoniated)	84 - 88	7.4 - 7.8	68 - 75

Associated Problems

Moulds/mycotoxin. Impaction within GI tract (especially horses). High intakes of straw (+ grains) are associated with hypomagnesaemic tetany (due to high K levels in grain and straw)

Whole-Crop Cereal Silage

Characteristics

Maize whole-crop silage has high energy concentration while having a low protein concentration. It is harvested when grain is in the late dough stage. Barley, oats, wheat, and triticale are also used for whole-crop cereal silage either as monocultures or mixed with legumes (e.g. peas) to improve protein content. They are also high in energy while low in protein. Whole-crop cereal silages are fed as sole forage or mixed with grass silage.

	DM (%)	ME (MJ/kg DM)	CP (g/kg DM)
Maize whole-crop silage	22 - 35	10.5 - 12	65 - 110
Barley whole-crop silage	30 - 40	9 - 11	80 - 110

Associated Problems

Clostridia. Listeriosis. Acidosis. Poor fermentation (pH > 4.8) or too acidic (pH < 3.8).

Clovers and Lucerne

Characteristics

Clovers are either white or red varieties. Clovers and Lucerne (aka Alfalfa) have a higher protein concentration and a higher mineral concentration (e.g. calcium) than grasses. Lucerne can be grazed or conserved as a monoculture. Lucernes also have a higher protein concentration than grasses. Legume silages tend to be more difficult to achieve a good fermentation, inoculants are usually required.

	DM (%)	ME (MJ/kg DM)	CP (g/kg DM)
Clover	18 - 20	9 - 10.5	170 - 250
Lucerne	22 - 25	8 - 10.5	150 - 200
Lucerne Hay	84 - 88	8 - 10.5	200 - 225

Associated Problems

Bloat (frothy). Red clovers and some Lucerne varieties may also contain significant levels of phytoestrogens that cause subfertility.

Kale and Rape

Characteristics

Kale and rape are considered good, digestible fodder. They have a higher protein concentration, carbohydrate concentration and calcium concentration than grasses. Rape has a higher protein concentration than kale.

	DM (%)	ME (MJ/kg DM)	CP (g/kg DM)
Kale	14	11	160
Rape	14	9.5	200

Associated Problems

Goitrogenic. Haemolytic anaemia, haemoglobinuria. Feed to pregnant ewes with caution (can observe malformed, dead lambs at parturition).

Forage Learning Resources
Flashcards Test your knowledge using flashcard type questions	Animal Nutrition Flashcards