Effect of stage of growth of alfalfa on the incidence of bloat in cattle

Alfalfa of different maturities was produced simultaneously by varying the timing of the first cut. Groups of fistulated steers were confined and simu ltaneously fed alfalfa herbage at three stages of growth once a day. More b loat occurred during the vegetative stage of growth, it declined during bud development, and it was absent during bloom. This pattern occurred with bo th the number of cases of bloat and with the severity of bloat, which was m uch greater during the vegetative stage. Feed quality components also varie d significantly between stages as did the leaf:stem ratio.