FERMENTATION QUALITY AND NUTRITIVE VALUE OF BARLEY STRAW AND WET BREWERS' GRAINS SILAGE

FERMENTATION QUALITY AND NUTRITIVE VALUE OF BARLEY STRAW AND WET BREWERS' GRAINS SILAGE

Three experiments were carried out to evaluate the fermentation process and subsequent nutritional quality of silage made from dried and fresh barley straw with and without the addition of wet brewers' grains. The treatments were: 1 kg of dried straw with 600 g of water but no wet brewers' grains (I - 0) as a control, and the same straw mixed with 2 kg (I - 2), 3 kg (I - 3), 4 kg (I - 4), or 5 kg (I - 5) of wet brewers' grains as treatments in Experiment I; and 2 kg of fresh straw without wet brewers' grains (II - 0) as a control, and the same fresh straw mixed with 2 kg (II - 1), 4 kg (II - 2), 6 kg (II - 3), or 8 kg (II - 4) of wet brewers' grains as treatments in Experiment II. Each material prepared was ensiled in 5 L (vinyl) bag silos, and the silos placed in a chamber of $21^{\circ}C$ for 10 (Exp. I) or 7 (Exp. II) months. The fermentation quality and nutritive value of the barley straw silages produced were markedly improved by mixing them with wet brewers' grains. Increasing levels of wet brewers' grains caused on increase in fermentation quality. The in vitro dry matter digestibility of silages was also increased by adding wet brewers' grains. Two semi scale pilot silages, experiment III, prepared from dried and fresh barley straw mixed with wet brewers' grains were fed to wether sheep. These silages, which contained 50% barley straw and 50% wet brewers' grains by dry weight, were moderate apparent digestibility and supplied of about 50% TDN and DCP.