| Lucerne Silage. |
| Introduction |
| Lucerne, a deep rooted legume, is now
being grown as a forage crop in many areas where shallow
soil or poor rainfall produces poor summer grass growth.
Lucerne can be grown as a straight crop or undersown with
spring barley or forage maize. |
| Origin |
| Mid and Southern UK, Europe. |
| Nutritional Information |
| The crop is usually wilted to 25 30% dry
matter. It is a higher protein content (19% in DM) than
grass silage. The silage is claimed to be high in
Undegradable Protein compared to grass silage, and also
to result in higher intake levels due to lower cell wall
content. Cattle readily consume well made lucerne silage.
|
| Colour/Texture |
| Dark green silage. |
| Palatability |
| Good |
| Limits on Usage |
| High fibre levels may reduce nutrient
density in high yielding rations |
| Recommended Maximum Inclusion Rates % |
| Calf |
100 |
Creep |
0 |
Chick |
0 |
| Dairy |
100 |
Weaner |
0 |
Broiler |
0 |
| Beef |
100 |
Grower |
0 |
Breeder |
0 |
| Lamb |
100 |
Finisher |
0 |
Layer |
0 |
| Ewe |
100 |
Sow |
0 |
|
|
|
| Handling/Storage |
| No specific problems. |