Effect of Complete Feed Silage Made from Agricultural Waste on Milk Yield and Quality of Dairy Cows

Abstract

The problem facing dairy cow producers in tropical area is the low availability of proper nutrition, especially during the dry season. One solution to overcome this problem is to utilize technology of Complete Feed (CF) silage using ensiled several local abundant ingredients from agricultural wastes. This study aimed to find a formulation of CF silage from agricultural wastes as forage substitution for dairy cows to increase yield and quality of the milk. The study was conducted on dairy farms in Enrekang District, South Sulawesi of Indonesia. The formulations of CF silage used in the study were tested both in vitro and in vivo and compared with the farmer's practices that using elephant grass plus rice bran. A total of 20 Holstein Friesian dairy cows in 4-5 months lactation with a lactation period of 3rd-5th were used for in vivo study. The treatments were Elephant Grass + Rice Bran (EG-RB), Elephant Grass + Concentrate (EG-CON), Complete Feed Silage made from straws (CF-S) and complete feed silage made from straws and vegetable wastes (CF-VW). The results of this study showed that the dry matter intake and milk yield of dairy cow were higher in EG-CON, CF-S and CF-VW compared to EG-RB and were not different among EG-CON, CF-S and CF-VW. The crude protein, lactose, calcium and phosphorus of the milk were higher in the EG-CON, CF-S and CF-VW than EG-RB and were not different among EG-CON, CF-S and CF-VW. Fat content, density and pH of the milk were not different among treatments. In conclusion, in order to maintain and to improve the yield and quality of milk in dairy cows, the agriculture wastes, such as straws and vegetable wastes can be used as the basal feed of dairy cows for fodder substitution in the form of CF silage.