This study investigated the effects of replacing maize silage (MZS) with high-sugar sorghum silage (HSS) or forage sorghum silage (FSS) without additional grain supplement in the diets of dairy cows on nutrient digestibility, milk composition, nitrogen (N) use, and rumen fermentation. Twenty-four Chinese Holstein cows (545 ± 42.8 kg; 21.41 ± 0.62 kg milk yield; 150 ± 5.6 days in milk) were randomly assigned to three dietary treatments (n = 8 cows/treatment). The cows were fed ad libitum total mixed rations containing (dry matter basis) either 40% MZS (MZS-based diet), 40% HSS (HSS-based diet), or 40% FSS (FSS-based diet). The study lasted for 42 days, with 14 days devoted to adaptation, 21 days to daily feed intake and milk production, and 7 days to the sampling of feed, refusals, feces, urine, and rumen fluid. Milk production was measured twice daily, and digestibility was estimated using the method of acid-insoluble ash. The data were analyzed using a one-way ANOVA in SPSS 22.0 according to a completely randomized design. Dietary treatments were used as fixed effects and cows as random effects. The results indicate that MZS and HSS had greater crude protein but less neutral detergent fiber (NDF), acid detergent fiber (ADF), acid detergent lignin (ADL), and a lower pH than FSS (p ≤ 0.04). High starch contents in MZS and water-soluble carbohydrate (WSC) contents in HSS were observed (p < 0.01). While the highest starch intake was observed for the MZS-based diet, the highest WSC intake was noted for the HSS-based diet, and the highest NDF, ADF, ADL intake was observed for the FSS-based diet (p ≤ 0.05). The diets, including MZS and HSS, had greater digestibility than that of FSS (p ≤ 0.03). Feeding MZS- and HSS-based diets increased the yield, fat, and protein content of the milk, as well as feed conversion efficiency (p ≤ 0.03). However, feeding the MZS- and HSS-based diets decreased the contents of milk urea N, urinary urea N, and urinary N excretion more than the FSS-based diet (p ≤ 0.05). The N use efficiency tended to increase relative to diets containing MZS and HSS compared with FSS (p = 0.06 and p = 0.09). Ruminal ammonia-N and pH were lower, but total volatile fatty acids, acetate, and propionate were higher in cows fed the HSS- and MZS-based diets compared to those fed the FSS-based diet (p ≤ 0.03). It appears as though replacing MZS with HSS in the diet of cows without additional grain supplements has no negative influence on feed intake, milk yield, N utilization, or ruminal fermentation.

(1) Aim: This study aimed to evaluate the fermentation quality, chemical composition, aerobic stability, in vitro digestibility, and rumen degradation characteristics of silage mixtures with different ratios of sweet sorghum (SS) and aerial parts of licorice (LC). (2) Methods: Five mixtures were produced on a dry matter (DM) basis: (i) 0%SS + 100%LC (0%SS); (ii) 25%SS + 75%LC (25%SS); (iii) 50%SS + 50%LC (50%SS); (iv) 75%SS + 25%LC (75%SS); and (v) 100%SS + 0%LC (100%SS). First, the chemical composition of the silages was measured before and after fermentation. Next, the aerobic stability, dynamic microbial colonization and dynamic volatile fatty acids of the mixed silage after fermentation were determined for 0, 5, 10, 15, 20, and 25 days. Finally, the parameters related to gas production and the characteristics of the gas production were determined. At the same time, the rate of degradation of the chemical composition of the mixed silage in the rumen was studied. (3) Results: (a) As the proportion of SS increased, pH, ammonia, butyric acid, acetate, and aerobic stability showed a decreasing trend, but lactic acid content gradually increased. (b) The content of the fermentation and gas production parameters were significantly higher in 100%SS and 50%SS than others (p < 0.05). (c) The rate of degradation of DE, ME, Neg, DM, CP, ADF, NDF, and ADL of 50%SS in the rumen of sheep was significantly higher than others (p < 0.05). (4) Conclusions: In conclusion, ensiling SS and LC mixtures can improve silage quality, especially if the SS and LC are ensiled together at a ratio of 50:50.

The study investigated the effects of feeding mixtures of alfalfa (AF) and sweet sorghum (SS) at different ratios of silages in terms of the physiological status of blood and rumen, and rumen microbiota in lambs. A total of 30 four-month-old male Karakul lambs with 25.5 ± 1.4 kg mean initial body weight were randomly allocated to five groups, with six lambs in each group. Five experimental diets containing 40% of one of the five AF–SS mixed silages (containing 0%, 20%, 40%, 60%, and 80% AF on a fresh weight basis, respectively) and 60% of other ingredients were formulated. Overall, the results showed that the mixed silage with more AF tended to increase serum antioxidant capacity, dry matter (DM) intake, and rumen fermentation metabolites. The AF–SS mixed silages containing AF at 60% and 80% caused a significant linear increase (p < 0.05) in the activity of total antioxidant capacity. The superoxide dismutase in the Karakul lamb responded with significant linear and quadratic increases (p < 0.01) as the ratio of AF was increased in the AF–SS mixed silages. Feeding diets with AF in silage mixtures at the ratio of 60% significantly increased (p < 0.05) the concentration of ruminal total volatile fatty acids (tVFA), acetate, and ammonia-N. However, no statistical significance (p > 0.05) was found in the alpha diversity of rumen microbes among the tested groups (p > 0.05). Principal coordinates analysis could clearly discriminate the differences between the five groups (p = 0.001). The relative abundance of Firmicutes in the rumen were significantly higher with AF at 40% in the AF–SS silage-based diet than those with AF at 0%, and 20% ratios. The abundance of Ruminococcus_albus had a significant linear increase (p < 0.05), as the ratio of AF in the AF–SS mixed silages was increased. In conclusion, the best beneficial effect on the physiological status of the blood and rumen, DM intake, and rumen microbiota in lambs came from those that consumed the diet containing the AF–SS mixed silage with 60% AF.

(1) Background: Hydroponic forage plays an increasingly important role in animal breeding during winter and spring in arid and cold regions due to its rich nutrient and good palatability. In the present study, the profiles of growth, physiological indexes, nutritional value and in vitro degradation of hydroponic forage cultivated with different salt concentration were evaluated. (2) Methods: The compound salt was extracted from soil surrounding the Tarim River Basin, and five compound salt solution treatment groups (three replicates each) with concentrations of 0%, 0.4%, 0.8%, 1.2% and 1.6% were prepared. Winter wheat seeds were selected as hydroponic forage for germination experiments, and the germination, physiological indicators, nutritional value and in vitro fermentation degradation rate were analyzed. (3) Results: The results showed that the germination and growth of hydroponic herbage were significantly (p < 0.05) inhibited by compound salt concentration higher than 0.8% from the third day. Compared with the 0% concentration group, the chlorophyll content in the 0.4% concentration group was significantly increased (p < 0.05), and contents of chlorophyll a, chlorophyll b and total chlorophyll were 729.71 mg·g⁻¹, 223.19 mg·g⁻¹ and 952.9 mg·g⁻¹, respectively. The total chlorophyll content in the 0.8% and 1.2% concentration groups were significantly lower than those in the 0% and 0.4% concentration groups (p < 0.05), and in the 1.6% concentration group, the content undetected. With the increase in compound salt concentration, the contents of soluble sugar and proline were significantly increased (p < 0.05). The nutrient compositions were significantly increased (p < 0.05) under the 0.4% and 0.8% concentration groups, in which the content of crude protein in 0.4% concentration group was 15.23%. The results of gas production and fermentation parameters suggested that the 0.8% concentration group could enhance rumen fermentation characteristics. (4) Conclusions: In summary, 0.8% as the upper limit concentration and 0% to 0.4% as the optimal concentration range of compound salt can be considered for cultivating hydroponic forage wheat.

This research aimed to determine the effects of replacing ryegrass (Lolium perenne L.) with licorice residue (LR) on growth performance, slaughtering performance, meat quality, serum biochemistry and cecal flora. Five pelleted rations were formulated with different LR proportions at 0%, 15%, 30%, 45%, and 60% on a dry weight basis. One hundred and twenty 35-day old Ira rabbits with nearly uniform body weight were randomly allocated into five treatment groups, each with 24 rabbits for this experiment. The adaptation (pre-feeding) phase spanned 7 days, followed by a 49-day experimental period. The results indicated that the group receiving 15% LR achieved the highest body weight by day 49 (p < 0.05). Over the 0-49 day interval, the average daily gain (ADG) for the 15% LR group was notably greater compared to the 0%, 45%, and 60% LR groups (p < 0.05), while its feed-to-gain ratio (F/G) was significantly lower than that of the 45% and 60% groups (p < 0.05). Additionally, the pre-slaughter live weight of the 15% LR group was substantially higher than all other groups (p < 0.05).The 15% LR group had a significantly lower drip loss than the 45% and 60% LR groups and a significantly higher pH value (24 h) than the 30%, 45%, and 60% LR groups (p < 0.05). The glutathione peroxidase (GSH-Px) in the 15% LR group was significantly lower than that in the 30% and 45% LR groups (p < 0.05). The superoxide dismutase (SOD) activity in the experimental groups was significantly higher than that in the control group (p < 0.05). The LR did not significantly affect the dominant microbial communities at the phylum and genus levels (p > 0.05), but it promoted the colonization of specific flora. It appears that replacing 15% of ryegrass with LR in pelleted feed was the optimal rate in making the pellet diets for rabbits to achieve a superior production performance, high-quality meat products in Ira rabbits. However, further research is needed to investigate the effect of feeding LR on growth performance, carcass traits and meat quality of other herbivorous livestock.