Consists of the whole plant (i.e. stalk, leaves, cob, and grain). The plant is harvested while it's still green and the corn grain has a high moisture content, then is chopped up and stored as silage. Corn silage is a good source of fiber and energy but a low source of protein. It is mainly fed to ruminants. Photo below is corn silage stored in a bunker.
Analysis of nutrient content of corn silage:
|
Corn Silage Nutrient Contents |
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|
Measure |
Mean |
Margin of Error (St. Dev x2) |
Range (+/- St. Dev) |
|
Moisture, % |
62.89 |
11.88 |
56.95 – 68.83 |
|
CP, % |
7.69 |
1.82 |
6.78 – 8.60 |
|
ADF, % |
22.29 |
5.54 |
19.52 – 25.06 |
|
NDF, % |
42.10 |
7.78 |
38.21 – 45.99 |
|
Calcium, % |
0.20 |
0.10 |
0.15 – 0.25 |
|
Phosphorus, % |
0.21 |
0.06 |
0.18 – 0.24 |
|
Magnesium, % |
0.14 |
0.06 |
0.11 – 0.17 |
|
Potassium, % |
0.86 |
0.30 |
0.71 – 1.01 |
|
Starch, % |
30.94 |
11.24 |
25.32 – 35.56 |
|
Energy |
Approximately 3.00 Mcal/kg Digestible Energy |
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References:
Agrifood Labs Forage Summary 2013
Agrifood Labs Forage Summary 2014
Nutrition and Management, Alberta Department of Agriculture and Forestry
Nutrient Composition of Feeds, University of Madison Wisconsin