Free-choice feeding of cattle on swedes and grass silage

In a trial of a changeover design, 12 British Friesian castrates (steers) were offered both grass silage and crushed swedes (Brassica napus) ad libitum so that they could show their preference for these feeds on a free-choice basis. Two additional dietary treatments were provided by the supplementation of either swedes or grass silage with 2 kg of rolled barley. Steers consumed 0·32 of their dry-matter intake as silage when offered a free-choice of crushed swedes and grass silage. Supplementing the diet with 2 kg of rolled barley significantly increased daily dry-matter intake but the increase was not affected by the location of the supplement, on either the silage or the roots.