The intake of maize silage by self-fed heifers allowed restricted access

The intake of maize silage by self-fed heifers was measured where access to the silage was limited either by reducing the width of the feed face or by restricting the time allowed for feeding. In the first experiment twenty heifers were allowed 0.4 or 0.2 m feed face per head for 7 h daily. In the second experiment fourteen heifers were allowed 0.5 m feed face per head for 5 or 3 h daily. Intake was measured either by estimating faecal output by the chromic oxide technique and then using the in vitro estimate of silage digestibility to calculate individual intakes, or by using the results of eight individually fed heifers to provide a direct relationship between the chromic oxide concentration of the faeces and total intake, and using this to predict the intake of the self-fed heifers from the concentration of chromic oxide in their faeces. The latter method was found to be the most satisfactory because it took into account the effect of level of feeding on the digestibility of maize silage. Restriction of access to the silage by limiting feed face width (Experiment 1) and time (Experiment 2) significantly reduced intakes by 4 and 7% respectively. In both experiments feeding time was significantly reduced by restriction, but this was partially compensated for by a significant increase in rate of eating.