Effect of Bacterial Inoculation and Levels of High-Moisture Maize Silage Particle Size on Consumption, Digestibility, Rumen Parameters and Feed Intake Behavior in Sheep

This study was carried out to investigate the effect of bacterial inoculation on fine and coarse silage size with low dry matter, on the properties of silage and feed intake, digestibility and rumen parameters in Kermani sheep. Approximately 1200 kilograms of corn fodder were harvested in coarse and fine sizes (16 and 8 mm, respectively). During the preparation of the silage, bacterial inoculation was added to 50% coarse and fine corn fodder. Four sheeps with two years old with an average weight of 36.1 ± 1.6 kg BW were used in the form of a Latin square design with a 2 × 2 factorial array with four 21-days period. The ratio of forage to concentrate in diets was 50:50 and includes: 1) The diet contains coarse inoculated corn silage, 2) The deit contains coarse unoculated corn silage, 3) The diet contains fine inoculated corn silage, and 4) The diet contains fine unoculated corn silage. Aerobic stability was the highest in inoculated rations and coarse silage diets (P<0.05). Consumption of DM, OM, NDF, ADF and peNDF, and digestibility of ADF were higher in fine silage diets (P<0.05). The synthesis of microbial protein was higher in a fine silage diets than coarse silage diets (P<0.05). The chewing activity was higher in fine silage diets than coarse silage diets (P<0.05). The results showed that inoculation of bacteria increased aerobic stability of low DM silage, but consumption of nutrients and production of microbial protein was higher in fine silage diets (P<0.05).