The supplementation of maize silage for an autumn-calving dairy herd

1976 ◽  
Vol 23 (2) ◽  
pp. 191-196 ◽  
Author(s):  
R. H. Phipps ◽  
D. G. Cramp

SUMMARYThirty-nine British Friesian lactating cows were used to study the effects on milk production of supplementation of maize silage offered ad libitum during two 3-hr periods each day. During weeks 11 to 24 of lactation a comparison was made of (i) no supplement, (ii) 183 g/day of a mixture (2: 1) of urea: urea phosphate, (iii) 5 kg/day of barley plus 183 g/day of the urea: urea phosphate mixture, (iv) 7 kg/day of dried grass and (v) 10 kg/day of dried grass. The corresponding treatment mean values were: milk yield (kg/day), 10·0, 9·9, 13·4, 15·1, 16·8; fat content (%), 3·43, 3·80, 3·98, 3·92, 3·61; solids-not-fat content (%), 7·95, 8·03, 8·45, 8·51, 8·49; energy intake (MJ/day), 71·2, 76·9, 130·3, 132·7, 138·6; intake of dry matter as maize silage (kg/cow per day), 7·1, 7·7, 8·3, 7·7, 6·5. With the exception of fat content, the differences between treatments 1 and 2 were not significant but the values for these two treatments were significantly lower than those for the other three treatments.

1983 ◽  
Vol 36 (1) ◽  
pp. 79-85 ◽  
Author(s):  
M. S. Gill ◽  
M. E. Castle

ABSTRACTTwo separate experiments were conducted with 12 lactating and four non-lactating Ayrshire cows to compare three frequencies of feeding concentrates per day. Milk production was measured in a 16-week experiment in which the lactating cows were given either a low- or a high-protein concentrate 2, 4 or 22 times (×) per day. Eating behaviour was measured in a 15-week experiment in which the non-lactating cows were also given the low- and high-protein concentrates 2 and 22 × per day. The low- and high-protein concentrates had concentrations of 128 and 202 g crude protein/kg dry matter respectively. Grass silage with a digestibility of organic matter in the dry matter of 0·655 was offered ad libitum to all the cows. Frequency of feeding had no significant effects on silage intake, total nutrient intake, milk yield and live weight. The milk fat concentration increased as the frequency of feeding increased but none of the differences in this and the other milk constituents was significant. Total eating time per day and eating and ruminating time per kg dry matter were not significantly different on the 2 × and the 22 × feeding treatments. There were no interactions between the feeding-frequency treatments and the two types of concentrates. It is concluded that there were no advantages in offering concentrates in more than two separate feeds per day when the daily amount averaged about 7 kg per cow and good-quality silage was available ad libitum


1976 ◽  
Vol 23 (1) ◽  
pp. 125-128
Author(s):  
F. J. Gordon

SUMMARYTwenty-four lactating cows were used in a 6-week randomized block experiment to assess the effect of replacing 2·4 kg of cereal-based concentrate dry matter by either 2·6 or 3·2 kg of kale dry matter for cows with ad libitum access to grass silage. Milk yield, milk composition and live-weight change were not affected by the inclusion of kale. Silage dry-matter intake was significantly lower on the kale treatments than with concentrate, being 8·51, 7·89 and 7·95 kg per day for the concentrate, low-kale and high-kale supplements respectively. Energy digestibilities were 68·1, 74·4 and 76·4% and nitrogen digestibilities 67·1, 74·9 and 78·8% for the three treatments respectively.


1999 ◽  
Vol 1999 ◽  
pp. 79-79
Author(s):  
F.J. Mulligan ◽  
F.P. O'Mara ◽  
M. Rath ◽  
P.J. Caffrey ◽  
J. Callan ◽  
...  

Higher dry matter intakes (DMI) have been reported in dairy cows fed maize silage than in dairy cows fed grass silage. The objective of this experiment was to investigate this phenomenon by the measurement of digestibility and the determination of rumen outflow rates for both forages. The response in milk production of late lactation dairy cows to grass or maize silage was also measured.Fourteen late lactation multiparous dairy cows (n = 7) were fed diets containing either grass silage (GS) (DM: 197g/kg; pH: 4.05; NDF: 642g/kg DM) or high starch maize silage (MS) (DM: 339g/kg; pH: 3.94; starch: 360g/kg DM; NDF: 442g/kg DM) ad-libitum plus 4kgs/hd/day of a dairy concentrate (233g CP/kg DM). Urea (460g N/kg DM) was used as a source of degradable protein (10g/kg DM) for the MS diet which also included straw (40g/kg DM). Dietary NDF equalled 542 and 423g/kg DM for the GS and MS diet.


1968 ◽  
Vol 71 (2) ◽  
pp. 181-188 ◽  
Author(s):  
F. Lomba ◽  
R. Paquay ◽  
V. Bienfet ◽  
A. Lousse

SUMMARYStatistical analyses were carried out on the data obtained under very strict conditions in metabolism stalls with 41 different rations fed to 127 adult non-pregnant dry cows, and with 14 other different rations fed to 35 adult non-pregnant lactating cows that had calved 2 to 6 months earlier and whose daily milk production ranged from 11 to 20 kg.The correlation between faecal and urinary losses of magnesium, magnesium in milk, digestible magnesium, and magnesium balance and the other nutritive factors of the 55 above-mentioned experimental diets have been calculated.The magnesium absorption is enhanced by increasing magnesium and calcium intake, while nitrogen and, to a lesser extent, fat, giving higher faecal losses, have an opposite effect. There is no influence at this level of lactating requirements.The urinary losses of magnesium are not related to the magnesium intake and digestibility, and the balance is thus directly proportional to the digestible amounts. But this balance is decreased when the diet contains more dry matter or energy, to the benefit of urine in dry cows. We were not able to determine whether this balance reduction also benefits the milk production in the lactating cows.Our results demonstrate that the faecal endogenous losses of magnesium can be highly variable.The balance of magnesium is frequently but not inevitably negative in cows with a daily milk production of 11–20 kg.


2011 ◽  
Vol 56 (No. 6) ◽  
pp. 269-278 ◽  
Author(s):  
L. Křížová ◽  
J. Watzková ◽  
J. Třináctý ◽  
M. Richter ◽  
M. Buchta

The objective of this study was to determine rumen degradability and total digestibility of flavonolignans from a milk thistle fruit expeller in dairy cows considering milk production and changes in plasma flavonolignans. The experiment was carried out on three lactating Holstein cows and was divided into three periods as follows: preliminary period (Pr, 3 days) was used for the diet stabilization followed by the adaptation period (A, 6 days) in which the treatment was applied and by the balance period (B, 4 days). Cows were fed individually twice a day (6:40 and 16:40 h) ad libitum the diet based on maize silage, lucerne hay and supplemental mixture. In the periods A and B the diet was supplemented with 150 g/day of milk thistle fruit expeller applied in two equal portions at each feeding. Average daily intake of dry matter and basic nutrients was similar in all periods (P > 0.05). Milk yield and composition were not affected by the treatment (P > 0.05). The milk thistle fruit expeller used in this experiment contained 4.10 ± 0.10 mass percentage of the silymarin complex. Digestibility of silybin A and silybin B was 40.0 and 45.5%, respectively. Digestibility of other components of the silymarin complex was 100%. The highest value of the effective degradation was found for taxifolin (59.11%), while the effective degradation of the other flavonolignans ranged from 23.28 to 35.19%. Animals receiving the milk thistle fruit expeller had a higher content of plasma conjugated silybin (P < 0.001) than those without its supplementation.


1975 ◽  
Vol 20 (2) ◽  
pp. 173-179 ◽  
Author(s):  
F. J. Gordon

SummaryTwenty-eight lactating cows were used in an experiment of changeover design with four periods to evaluate concentrates containing 0, 16, 32, 49, 65, 81 and 97% dried grass. The dry matter of the dried grass was 63% digestible. The concentrates also contained barley, together with groundnut meal to equalize their protein content at approximately 16-5% of dry matter. All animals had grass silage ad libitum and all concentrates were given at the rate of 0·4 kg/kg milk. Milk yield, milk composition and liveweight change were not affected by including dried grass in the concentrate. No significant effect of concentrate on silage intake was obtained. Ration digestibility and nitrogen utilization were measured with four animals per treatment. The digestibility of dry matter, organic matter and nitrogen was not reduced by increasing the proportion of dried grass in the concentrate. The efficiency of utilization of apparently digested nitrogen for total productive purposes (body retention and milk nitrogen) was also not affected by the proportion of dried grass.


1999 ◽  
Vol 1999 ◽  
pp. 32-32 ◽  
Author(s):  
J.D. Sutton ◽  
S.B. Cammell ◽  
D.E. Beever ◽  
R.H. Phipps ◽  
D.J. Humphries

Increasing maturity at harvest of maize silage has been shown to affect feed intake and milk production in Holstein-Friesian cows (Phipps et al., 1998). The purpose of the present experiment was to determine whether the milk production response was related to improvements in the efficiency of feed energy utilisation.Four multiparous Holstein-Friesian cows (mean live weight 620 kg) fitted with permanent cannulas in the rumen and proximal duodenum were given diets based on maize silage and grass silage (3:1 DM ratio) offered ad libitum plus 8.7 kg DM/day of a concentrate (254 g crude protein (CP)/kg DM) starting 5-10 weeks post-calving. The maize silage was harvested at four different stages of maturity as defined by DM content and ensiled without additives. The grass silage was a first-cut perennial ryegrass (260 g DM/kg, 519 g neutral detergent fibre (NDF)/kg DM, 146 g CP/kg DM).


1983 ◽  
Vol 63 (1) ◽  
pp. 155-162 ◽  
Author(s):  
L. KUNG Jr. ◽  
B. W. JESSE ◽  
J. W. THOMAS ◽  
J. T. HUBER ◽  
R. S. EMERY

Whole barley was treated with sodium hydroxide (NaOH) in laboratory trials. Dry matter disappearance from nylon bags in the rumen of whole barley treated with 2.5, 3.5, or 4.9% NaOH for 30 h was 59.6, 72.4, and 93.0%, respectively, compared with 82.2% for untreated ground barley. In a subsequent lactation trial, 24 Holstein cows (eight per treatment) were fed high moisture ground ear corn, high moisture rolled barley or high moisture whole barley treated with 3.5% NaOH. Milk persistencies tended to be greater for cows fed high moisture rolled barley, next for ground ear corn and least for NaOH-treated barley. Milk composition was similar for all treatments. Dry matter intake was greatest for cows fed ground ear corn and lower for those fed the barley diets. Alpha-linked glucose and pH of feces were similar for cows fed ground ear corn and high moisture rolled barley diets, but fecal pH was lower and alpha-linked glucose concentrations three times greater for NaOH-treated barley. Digestibility percents of dry matter, acid detergent fiber and nitrogen were 61.4, 25.3, 64.7 for ground ear corn; 64.4, 38.0, 67.1 for high moisture rolled barley; and 56.8, 43.2, 54.8 for NaOH-treated barley, respectively. Rumen grain turnover estimated by excretion of ytterbium in feces was greatest for NaOH-treated barley (9.09%/h), intermediate for ground ear corn (6.10%/h) and lowest for high moisture rolled barley (4.93%/h). Key words: Dairy, sodium hydroxide, high moisture grains


1970 ◽  
Vol 12 (1) ◽  
pp. 23-36 ◽  
Author(s):  
T. T. Treacher

SUMMARY1. Scottish Half-bred ewes carrying twin foetuses were fed individually to make live-weight gains in the last six weeks of pregnancy of (1) 20%, (2) 10% and (3) 0% of their live weight in week 14 of pregnancy. In lactation the ewes were fed ad libitum. The lambs were removed 12 to 16 hr after parturition and the ewes were machine-milked twice daily for the first six weeks of lactation.2. Total birth weights per ewe of twin lambs from the treatments were (1) 10·10 kg, (2) 9·44 kg and (3) 8·18 kg and differed significantly.3. The level and pattern of voluntary intake in lactation did not differ significantly between the treatments. Total dry-matter intakes in the six weeks of lactation were (1) 121·9 kg (2) 105·9 kg and (3) 109·5 kg.4. The pregnancy treatments affected the level of milk production and the shape of lactation curves. The total yields in the first six weeks of lactation were (1) 58·8 kg, (2) 43·5 kg and (3) 26·9 kg. Higher contents of fat and protein and the lower content of lactose in the milk from treatment-3 ewes on days 1 and 3 of lactation indicated a slower onset of lactation in these ewes. Between days 7 and 35 of lactation the contents of fat and SNF were lowest on treatment 3 but the differences were not significant.5. The live-weight changes in lactation, which were in inverse order to the gains in late pregnancy, were (1) 3·4 kg, (2) 5·5 kg and (3) 9·5 kg.


2020 ◽  
Vol 9 (2) ◽  
pp. e128922150
Author(s):  
Carla Giselly de Souza ◽  
Severino Gonzaga Neto ◽  
Lara Toledo Henriques ◽  
Gherman Garcia Leal Araújo ◽  
Luciana Thie Seki Dias ◽  
...  

The present research objective was to evaluate the performance and blood parameters of lactating cows fed with a diet of two tannin sources, based on sorghum (condensed tannin)  with increasing concentrations of tannic acid (hydrolyzable tannin’s). Increasing levels of tannic acid in a sorghum-based diet for five Holstein/Zebu crossbred lactating cows were subject to a 5 × 5 Latin square experimental design. To assess the effect on cow intake, digestibility, milk production, and blood parameters. All cows received 9.87 kg/DM of corn silage as roughage and 6.38 kg of concentrate consisting of 2.58 kg/DM of ground sorghum 0.87 kg/DM of cornmeal 1.32 kg/DM of soybean bran 0.44 kg/DM of wheat bran 0.2 kg/ DM of urea and 0.18 kg/ DM of mineral mixture. Diet 1 (control) contained low-tannin sorghum and the other diets contained high-tannin sorghum. The levels of tannic acid added to the diets were established based on the quantity of condensed tannin in high-tannin sorghum. Thus, diets 2, 3, 4 and 5 were supplemented with 1.5g (13.%DM), 79.5g (2.6%DM), 157.5g (3.9%DM) and 235.5g (5.2%DM) of tannic acid, totalling 0.078, 0.156, 0.234 and 0.321 total tannin kg/day respectively, to assess the effect on microbial protein synthesis. The diets contained 35 kg of corn silage (roughage) and 6.40 kg of concentrate. The natural and dry matter intake did not significantly differ between groups, except for ether extract (EE) intake that significantly differed. The DM apparent digestibility, crude protein, EE, neutral detergent fiber, total carbohydrate, and non-fibrous carbohydrate did not differ (P > 0.05) with the increase in dietary tannin supplementation. The GOT levels increased linearly. The blood glucose, triglyceride, and cholesterol (total, LDL and HDL) levels did not significantly differ. Hemoglobin showed a significant difference. No significant difference in urea, creatinine and uric acid occurred. Diets using two tannins sources supplementation caused no decrease in the dietary intake or digestibility in the animals. The GOT level changed significantly, showing linear behavior, however below the toxicity level, without any change in the other blood parameters. Milk production decreased with the increase in dietary tannin supplementation. 


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