THE EFFECT OF SUPER FORMULA SILAGE QUALITY IN RATION ON DAIRY COWS PERFORMANCES AT TRADITIONAL DAIRY FARMING

Abstract

An effort to sustain quality feed supply for dairy cattle at traditional dairy farming has been done by using super formula silage technique on traditional dairy farmer best feeding practice and silage technology application. This experiment was aimed to compare cattle performances (body condition score, milk production, and qualities) at three different types of feeding practices: super formula based on fresh forage (R1), ration based on conventional silage (R2), and ration based on super formula silage (R3). Nine lactating cows at early-mid lactation cycles have been used. The results showed that R3 produced higher milk production compared to R2 and R1 (19.73, 18.1 and 11.73 l h-1.d-1), but R1 produced higher milk fat and total solid compared to R3 and R2. The higher milk component secreted at R3 could not be balanced by the nutrient intake of the cows resulted in lower BCS. In conclusion, the super formula silage superior in milk production and quality, but still unsustainable for long term nutrient supply and body storage.