This document summarizes two papers on dairy cattle feeds and fodder. The first paper focuses on improvements that can be made to silage quality and how silage fermentation affects dairy intake. The second paper reviews how silage characteristics like fiber and starch content influence dairy cow feeding behavior and dry matter intake. Key findings include that higher ammonia levels and butyric acid in silage reduce intake, and that fiber digestibility affects chewing behavior and intake. The document also identifies gaps in research around how silage characteristics specifically influence dairy cattle feeding and sorting behavior.

1. Course Title: Dairy Cattle Feeds and Fodder
Course Code: Ds-505

2. Submitted by:
Submitted to:
Prof. Dr. Mohammad Ashiqul Islam
Department of Dairy Science,
Faculty of Animal Husbandry,
Bangladesh Agricultural University,
Mymensingh-2022, Bangladesh.
Shefat Tarannum (Id: 22230413)
Tasrova Sultana (Id: 2230417)
Md. Ahad Jahin Sarkar (Id:22230424)
Md. Ryhan Islam (Id: 22230404)

3. Our 1st paper is titled as “Towards improved silage quality” reviewed by E Charmly. This
review paper focuses on
The improvements made to close the gap between the feeding value of the original crop and
that of the resulting silage.
The title of the 2nd one is “Silage feeding management: Silage characteristics and dairy
cow feeding behavior” reviewed by R. J. Grant and L. F. Ferraretto. Focuses of this paper are
to review
How different silages' fiber, starch, and fermentation end products profile, as well as their
digestibility and particle sizes, affect dairy cattle's eating habits and DMI.
How the animal's eating behavior and DMI response to silages with different nutritional
values may be influenced by the feeding environment.

4. Study Outcome of 1st paper
The Influence of Silage Fermentation on DMI
The intake of silage by dairy cows declines as the concentrations of silage ammonia and
butyric acid increase.
Fig. Relationship between silage fermentation and voluntary intake
Silage intake was 27% less than intake of the same forage fed without ensiling.

5. Study Outcome of 1st paper
Fermentation Acids and Silage Intake
• Researchers squeezed juices from two silages of diverse fermentation quality
and recombined these juices with the alternate silages.
• No relationship was found between organic acid concentration and silage DM
intake.
• Recent studies found only moderate correlation between fermentation acids
and voluntary intake.

6. Study Outcome of 1st paper
Ammonia N and Silage Intake
According to studies, higher ammonia N in silage indicates,
*Poor fermentation, Presence of clostridia, manure
*Proteolysis
*Reduce digestibility
*N enter the N recycling cycle & increase the animal energy cost.
Protein Solubility and Rumen Ammonia
Ruminal ammonia levels, may have an impact on silage DM intake. After feeding silages,
ruminal ammonia concentration can increase to 80 mg dL–1. These very high levels are not
related to the level of ammonia in silage, but to the amount and solubility of CP in silage.
Treatments used to reduce protein solubility:
1. High-temperature short term heat treatment.
2. Rapid acidification or wilting was used to inhibit proteolytic activity.

7. Study Outcome of 1st paper
Protein utilization
 Stimulating rumen fermentation and microbial protein synthesis with
degradable protein may be as effective as supplementing it with undegraded
protein. In addition, these two approaches can be use additively.
 Protein solubility is a major factor in reducing the efficiency of silage protein
utilization.
Protein solubility is implicated in both the voluntary intake of silages and the
utilization of protein in silage.
it is surprising that this aspect has not received more attention, particularly in
Europe

8. Study Outcome of 1st paper
Measures to Improve Silage Intake and Utilization
1.Restricting Fermentation Through Wilting:
Wilting has superior effects on increasing the non-structural carbohydrate
concentration and degrading the structural carbohydrate.
Rapid wilting
markedly reduces proteolysis by plant enzyme in silo
Reduce protein solubility
Increase amino acid flow to intestine
Increase milk yield in lactating cow

9. Study Outcome of 1st paper
2.Restriction of Fermentation Through Acidification:
Acid-type additives have a similar effect on proteolysis to wilting, by
inhibiting plant protease enzymes through rapid reduction in pH.
Acid-type additives
rapid reduction in PH
inhibit plant protease enzyme
Increase insoluble protein in silage
increase milk production in dairy cattle

10. Study Outcome of 1st paper
Enhancing Silage Fermentation by Inoculation and Enzymes
• Probiotic effect of silage inoculation on rumen fermentation has been proposed
to explain improved animal performance from inoculated silages
• Cellulase, hemicellulase and amylase enzymes have been widely tested as
silage additives. These compounds have the potential to convert structural
carbohydrate to soluble sugars, which can be fermented by silage bacteria.

11. Study Outcome of 2nd paper
Silage Fiber Characteristics, Feeding Behavior, and DMI
When ration fiber content increases, cows will typically :
• spend more time eating,
• have longer meal length, and
• practice greater sorting behavior.
In contrast, as NDF digestibility increases, chewing time per unit of NDF often
decreases.
A negative linear relationship exists between DMI and the dietary chewing
index for silage-based diets

12. Study Outcome of 2nd paper
Dietary Forage Content, Fiber Digestibility, and Particle Size
• The greater total chewing time (eating + rumination) as forage content increased
was exactly offset by lost resting time (2.3 h/d).
• Overall, these studies show that feeding behavior and meal patterns that enhance
DMI are related with fodder with higher fiber digestibility.

13. Study Outcome of 2nd paper
Corn Versus Sorghum Silage: Fiber Digestibility and DMI
• Improvements in NDF digestibility of corn silage through hybrid selection was
reviewed and found 0.9 and 1.2 kg/d greater DMI and milk production,
respectively, when cows were fed hybrids of greater NDF digestibility.
• The incorporation of sorghum silage in diets of high-producing cows may be
challenging, because it is typical of sorghum plants to have greater NDF and
lignin concentrations than corn plants,which may affect chewing behavior and
DMI by dairy cows

14. Study Outcome of 2nd paper
Starch Digestibility and Feeding Behavior
 Several factors influence starch digestibility in silage, including maturity at
harvest, processing method, and duration of silage fermentation.
 As lactation progresses and milk yield declines, DMI is increasingly
dominated by metabolic signals.
 Highly fermentable diets often reduce DMI in mid to late lactation, likely
from stimulation of hepatic oxidation by propionate.

16. Research Gaps Found in 2nd Paper
• When cows were fed hybrids of greater NDF digestibility, the DMI and milk
production will increase. However, the effects on feeding and sorting behavior
of dairy cattle has not been reported.
• The specific mechanisms of how fermentation end products influence behavior
and intake are poorly understood in some cases.
• Further research is needed to assess the potential interactions between silage
starch fermentability and the feeding environment and their effects on lactation
performance.

17. Conclusion
Future silages might potentially outperform the initial crop in terms of feeding
value. Physical therapies can reduce intake restrictions and increase
digestibility. Rumen function can be enhanced via predictable silage
fermentation. However, it seems that there is less room for improvement in
terms of the protein content of the original forage.

18. References
• Towards improved silage quality – A review (E. Charmley)
• Silage review: Silage feeding management: Silage characteristics and dairy
cow feeding behavior (R. J. Grant and L. F. Ferraretto)