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Two methods of storage of Sulla- and oat-grass (silage or hay) were compared. Forty-six homogeneous lactating ewes, housed indoors, were divided into two groups and after 35 days of diet adjustment, were fed ad libitum twice a day, either Sulla- ( Hedysarum coronarium L.) and oat-hay (control group) or Sulla- and oat-silage in partial substitution of hay (silage group). Both groups were fed with 0.5 kg of commercial concentrate. The dietary treatment started 60 days post-lambing and lasted for 58 days. Every day, the feeding intake for each group was recorded. Individual milk yield was measured weekly and at the same time, milk samples were collected and analysed by Milko-Scan 605. Every week, the milk yield of each group, collected for 48 h before and frozen at 5 °C, for a total of eight replications, was analysed for fat, protein, casein, whey-protein, non-protein nitrogen, urea, lactose percentages, pH, and microbiological contamination. The cheese were made according to the traditional cheese making process of Sicilian Pecorino cheese. On the basis of Flieg (82) and Vanbelle (60) points, the silage turned out to be very good, with a good nutrient value (0.60 milk FU/kg). The dry matter (DM) intake did not differ between feeding groups (1585 versus 1639 g per day of DM, respectively). The silage level of substitution with regard to hay was equal to 27%. The silage group ewes did not show significant differences as regards daily milk yield (0.59 kg per day versus 0.60 kg per day), fat percentage (8.12% versus 8.03%), and protein percentage (5.53% versus 5.40%), but increased their body weight (+3.82 kg versus +2.08 kg, P ≤0.05). Cheese yield and microbiological analysis did not show significant differences among the mature cheese of both groups. |
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