Use of corn for forage processing according to different technologies

The comparative efficiency of the preparation of feed from corn in the phase of milky-wax ripeness is given. For this, the following feeds were harvested from this crop: silage; feed mixture from the whole plant in loose and granular form. Chemical analysis of harvested fodder with natural moisture showed that the loss of protein in the silage amounted to 0.12 relative percent, and the fat content did not change, remained at the same level as in the green mass. The amount of fiber and BEV decreased by 0.20 and 0.89 %, respectively. The sugar content in the silage is markedly reduced from 3.8 to 0.2 %. It is fermented and organic acids appear, including lactic. The energy unit of feed in the silage decreased by 0.02, and the digestible protein by 9.4 %. Carotene decreased by 47.3 %. The technology of artificial dehydration of corn green mass and the preparation of crumbly and granular feed mixtures from it retains the nutrients of the feed well. So, the protein in these feeds was at the level of 5.91 and 6.00 % per 1 kg of feed of natural moisture, against 1.69 % in the silage. The loose and granulated feed mixture also had more other nutrients compared to silage. EKE in feed mixtures was noticeably higher than in silage, 0.78 versus 0.21 in silage and 0.23 in green mass. The digestible protein in the loose feed mixture was 3.69 times more than in the silage, and 3.37 times more than in the green mass. The granules also had a high protein content; 3.74 and 3.42 times more compared to silage and green mass, respectively. The content of carotene in corn feed mixtures was also high compared to silage and green mass. It should be noted that when using different forage harvesting technologies, some of the nutrients are naturally lost compared to the original green mass. This was shown when converting the natural moisture content of the feed per 1 kg of dry matter.