What are the consequences of feeding clostridial silage?
The feeding value of silage that has undergone clostridial fermentation is greatly reduced. The high butyric acid level can be harmful when fed to transition cows as it can lead to subclinical or clinical ketosis. Clostridia also degrade proteins, releasing ammonia and amines. They also produce high levels of acetic acid. Normally, we like to see a lactic acid to acetic acid ration of at least 3:1. That won’t be the case with clostridial silage. Some forage testing labs offer a fermentation profile test. It provides the levels of volatile fatty acids (lactic, acetic, butyric, and propionic acids), ammonia, nitrogen, crude protein, and pH. This can be a good tool to assess silage quality.
