Abstract
A half portion of Italian ryegrass harvested at growing stage was disintegrated and pressed to obtain green juice. Yield of green juice was 50% of the material. From the residual cake (press cake) and another portion of the material crop, sun-cured hays and silages were prepared by same methods. It took 5 days to make up hays because of a changeable weather. Both the silages were very good in quality with as low pH values as around 4 and with no butyric acid. The nutritive values of the four feeds, ryegrass hay (RH), ryegrass silage (RS) , press cake hay (PH) and press cake silage (PS) , were determined using four growing goats by 4×4 Latinsquare design. The digestibilities of crude protein, crude fat and NFE and the contents of TDN and DE were the highest in RS, similar between RH and PS and the lowest in PH. The digestibility of crude fiber was not different among the four feeds. The nitrogen retention of goats was determined and it was similar among RH, RS and PS but was significantly low in PH. Thus the hay made from the press cake was the lowest in both the digestibilities of most components and the nutritional availability of nitrogen, but the silage made from it was similar in these values to the hay made from the material crop in spite of being pressed out some nutritious nutrients before ensiling. The relationship among them will change with preparing conditions, but it is sure that ensiling is one of the best methods for preserving the press cake.
