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How to feed red clover silage
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<blockquote data-quote="RDFF" data-source="post: 1782265" data-attributes="member: 39018"><p>Every forage has a "palatability rating".... but palatability can also be a "developed taste"... and it definintely is an individual thing, just like with people. Get used to strong coffee, and nothing milder will "taste right". Get used to hot, spicey food... mild is just too bland. Same with your cows. They will eat as much as they need of whatever's in front of them, ...eventually, and then they will get used to it, and even learn to prefer it. </p><p>Clover is hard to dry down, so often gets put up wetter than another forage cut and wilted at the same time. If the silage is too wet, consumption will drop off, because they'll get "full" faster because of the water in it. Only so much room in the gut. </p><p></p><p>Beyond that, the gut is going to be "wetter", which will potentially change its "processing rate".............. there's a sweet spot for everything, and if it's too wet, adding some "dry" into their ration, like with dry hay, will help with the fiber requirement and processing in the gut, tempering the "sour". Clover is also high in protein and goes through them "faster"... and you'll see more loose manure. More fiber lower in protein (dry grass again) will help that. <u>They will need less total POUNDS of clover to get <strong>most</strong> of the nutrients that they need... so less of it... but they might be short of the fiber requirement to have a properly balanced gut.</u></p><p></p><p>I NEVER plant a single species forage because of this. Every plant brings something different to the "table". DIVERSITY... I'm typically planting 20 species now.</p></blockquote><p></p>
[QUOTE="RDFF, post: 1782265, member: 39018"] Every forage has a "palatability rating".... but palatability can also be a "developed taste"... and it definintely is an individual thing, just like with people. Get used to strong coffee, and nothing milder will "taste right". Get used to hot, spicey food... mild is just too bland. Same with your cows. They will eat as much as they need of whatever's in front of them, ...eventually, and then they will get used to it, and even learn to prefer it. Clover is hard to dry down, so often gets put up wetter than another forage cut and wilted at the same time. If the silage is too wet, consumption will drop off, because they'll get "full" faster because of the water in it. Only so much room in the gut. Beyond that, the gut is going to be "wetter", which will potentially change its "processing rate".............. there's a sweet spot for everything, and if it's too wet, adding some "dry" into their ration, like with dry hay, will help with the fiber requirement and processing in the gut, tempering the "sour". Clover is also high in protein and goes through them "faster"... and you'll see more loose manure. More fiber lower in protein (dry grass again) will help that. [U]They will need less total POUNDS of clover to get [B]most[/B] of the nutrients that they need... so less of it... but they might be short of the fiber requirement to have a properly balanced gut.[/U] I NEVER plant a single species forage because of this. Every plant brings something different to the "table". DIVERSITY... I'm typically planting 20 species now. [/QUOTE]
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