Short-term feed intake regulation of dairy cows fed a total mixed ration or grazing forage oats

The integration of feeding behaviour with hepatic and endocrine–metabolic signals provides insights for a better understanding of short-term intake in dairy pasture-based systems. Therefore, the objective was to quantify hepatic and endocrine–metabolic signals before and after the first daily feeding event relating to feeding behaviour in a total mixed ration (TMR) versus a grazing pasture-based diet. During 15 days of adaptation and 5 days of measurements, 14 multiparous Holstein cows (days in milk = 148 ± 12.7; liveweight = 535 ± 10.9 kg; body condition score = 2.8 ± 0.08 (1–5 scale); milk yield = 28.9 ± 3.32 kg) were assigned to two treatments in a randomised block design: PAS = pasture (herbage allowance = 45 kgDM/cow.day; dry matter (DM) = 21%, net energy requirements for maintenance and lactation = 6.7 MJ/kgDM) + concentrate (0.9% of liveweight) or TMR (55:45 forage:concentrate ratio, as-dry basis; DM = 40%, net energy requirements for maintenance and lactation = 7.2 MJ/kgDM) ad libitum in a free stall facility. The DM intake of the first feeding event, feeding behaviour, and total DM intake and milk production, were measured. Blood and liver samples were taken before and after the first feeding event for hormones and metabolites determination. Comparing TMR versus PAS cows, total DM and net energy requirements for maintenance and lactation intake, milk production, and energy balance were greater (P < 0.05), eating and rumination activities were lower (9.2%, P < 0.01; 2.4%, P = 0.06 respectively) and resting activity was greater (11.6%, P < 0.01), whereas duration and DM intake of the first feeding event did not differ. The insulin:glucagon ratio and liver adenosine triphosphate:adenosine diphosphate ratio increased (P < 0.05), and plasma glucose decreased (P < 0.05) after the first feeding event only in TMR cows, probably due to greater flux of propionate to the liver. A negative correlation between post-feeding liver adenosine triphosphate:adenosine diphosphate ratio and post-feeding liver acetyl coenzyme A (r = –0.82, P = 0.045) was also observed only in TMR cows. It is concluded that hepatic and metabolic signals known to support the hepatic oxidation theory in TMR-fed cows appear not to affect the cessation of the first feeding event in mid-lactation cows grazing a pasture-based diet. Further research is required to relate intake rate, flux of nutrients to liver and its response in hepatic metabolism in grazing dairy cows.

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Supplemental concentrates with four levels of crude protein for grazing Dairy Cows

The Journal of Agriculture of the University of Puerto Rico ◽

10.46429/jaupr.v74i3.6661 ◽

1969 ◽

Vol 74 (3) ◽

pp. 281-292

Author(s):

Paul F. Randel

Keyword(s):

Dairy Cows ◽

Milk Production ◽

Milk Fat ◽

Crude Protein ◽

Energy Requirements ◽

Net Energy ◽

Daily Production ◽

Adequate Quality ◽

Four Levels ◽

Grazing Dairy Cows

Four treatments (T1 through T4), based on pelleted concentrates varying in as fed crude protein (CP) contents (10.8, 12.2, 13.4, and 15.3%, respectively), but theoretically isocaloric (1.67-1.70 Mcal net energy/kg), were compared for efficacy as pasture supplements. Eighteen multiparous cows began the experiment individually not later than 8 weeks postpartum. Five were assigned to T1 and T3 and four to T2 and T4. Daily concentrate allowances were according to milk production, but 4.5 kg was set as the arbitrary minimum. Nocturnal rotational grazing was in 12 0.5-ha paddocks of little fertilized, heterogeneous, gramineous swards, which fluctuated in quality from adequate to marginal during 11 1/2 months of experimentation. Cows assigned to the four treatments in order produced 21.3 ± 3.0, 22.5 ± 4.4, 20.3 ± 2.5, and 20.4 ± 4.5 kg of milk daily during the 5 days before commencing the experiment, and 14.4 ± 1.2, 16.8 ± 3.9, 15.2 ± 2.4 and 14.2 ± 2.4 kg during the 32 weeks of experimentation. Although treatments did not differ significantly (P>.05) over-all, T1 dropped in daily production by 2.7 kg during the initial 4-week interval and persistency decreased in high-producing cows; T2 also caused a large early decline in production, but superior persistency thereafter. Mean milk fat percentages were 2.78 ± .49, 2.68 ± .44, 2.88 ± .33, and 3.17 ± .37 for 7, through T4. Early depression of milk fat was probably due to high concentrate and inadequate fiber intakes. Concentrate intake ranged from 5.82 kg in T4 to 7.1 0 kg in T2 over 32 weeks; milk/concentrate ratio ranged from 2.33 in T3 to 2.45 in T4. Only in T1 was appreciable liveweight (20 kg) temporarily lost early in the experiment. Concentrates containing 13 to 14% CP can be tentatively recommended as supplements to pastures of adequate quality, when fed to meet energy requirements of cows producing up to at least 20 kg of milk daily.

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Diet change from a system combining total mixed ration and pasture to confinement system (total mixed ration) on milk production and composition, blood biochemistry and behavior of dairy cows

Animal Science Journal ◽

10.1111/asj.13288 ◽

2019 ◽

Vol 90 (11) ◽

pp. 1484-1494 ◽

Cited By ~ 1

Author(s):

Lucía Grille ◽

Maria L. Adrien ◽

Mara Olmos ◽

Pablo Chilibroste ◽

Juan P. Damián

Keyword(s):

Dairy Cows ◽

Milk Production ◽

Blood Biochemistry ◽

Diet Change ◽

Total Mixed Ration ◽

Confinement System ◽

And Behavior

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Association of Feed Efficiency, Feeding Rate, and Behaviour with the Milk Performance of Dairy Cows

Dairy ◽

10.3390/dairy2040053 ◽

2021 ◽

Vol 2 (4) ◽

pp. 684-694

Author(s):

Lenka Krpálková ◽

Niall O’Mahony ◽

Anderson Carvalho ◽

Sean Campbell ◽

Gerard Corkery ◽

...

Keyword(s):

Dairy Cows ◽

Milk Production ◽

Milk Yield ◽

Feed Intake ◽

Feed Efficiency ◽

Feeding Behaviour ◽

Feeding Rate ◽

Feeding Time ◽

Feed Conversion ◽

Milk Performance

Identification of the associations of cow feed efficiency with feeding behaviour and milk production is important for supporting recommendations of strategies that optimise milk yield. The objective of this study was to identify associations between measures of feed efficiency, feed intake, feeding rate, rumination time, feeding time, and milk production using data collected from 26 dairy cows during a 3 month period in 2018. Cows averaged (mean ± standard deviation) 2.2 ± 1.7 lactations, 128 ± 40 days in milk, 27.5 ± 5.5 kg/day milk, 1.95 ± 0.69 kg feed/1 kg milk—the measure used to express feed conversion ratio (FCR), 575 ± 72 min/day rumination time, and 264 ± 67 min/day feeding time during the observation period. The coefficient of variation for rumination time (min/d) was 12.5%. A mixed linear model was selected for analyses. The most feed inefficient cows with the highest FCR (≥2.6 kg feed/1 kg milk) showed the lowest milk yield (24.8 kg/day), highest feed intake (78.8 kg), highest feeding rate (0.26 kg/min) and BCS (3.35 point). However, the relative milk yield (milk yield per 100 kg of body weight) was the highest (4.01 kg/day) in the most efficient group with the lowest FCR (≤1.4 kg feed/1 kg milk). Our study showed that the most efficient cows with the lowest FCR (≤1.4 kg feed/1 kg milk) had the highest rumination time (597 min/day; p < 0.05), feeding time (298 min/day; p < 0.05), rumination/activity ratio (4.39; p < 0.05) and rumination/feeding ratio (2.04; p < 0.05). Less active cows (activity time 164 min/day; p < 0.05) were the most efficient cows with the lowest FCR (≤1.4 kg feed/1 kg milk). The behavioural differences observed in this study provide new insight into the association of feed behaviour and feed efficiency with milk performance. Incorporating feeding behaviour into the dry matter intake model can improve its accuracy in the future and benefit breeding programmes.

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The use of short-term secretion rate measurements for estimating the milk production of suckler cows

Journal of Dairy Research ◽

10.1017/s0022029900016125 ◽

1978 ◽

Vol 45 (1) ◽

pp. 1-4 ◽

Cited By ~ 9

Author(s):

Y. L. P. Le Du ◽

R. D. Baker ◽

J. M. Barker

Keyword(s):

Dairy Cows ◽

Milk Production ◽

Milk Yield ◽

Milk Composition ◽

Secretion Rate ◽

Short Term ◽

Beef Cow ◽

Total Milk ◽

Fat Yield ◽

Good Agreement

SummaryTwo experiments with dairy cows and one with suckler cows and their calves were conducted to examine the use of secretion rate measurements for estimating total milk production. In the first experiment both 4- and 6- h intervals between measurements gave similar estimates of total 7-d milk yield. The second experiment compared estimated and measured milk composition as well as yield. Milk and solids-not-fat yields were underestimated with dairy cows as a result of an extended milking interval before measurement. However, fat yield was overestimated, indicating that all residual milk was not removed at the first oxytocinaided milking. It was concluded that for the beef cow, previous interval effects would be eliminated by the frequency of calf suckling, but that residual milk effects might cause a 3–6% and a 16% overestimation of milk and fat yields respectively.In the third experiment, the milk yield of suckler cows was estimated from measurements of secretion rate and from changes in calf weight; good agreement was obtained provided there were at least 3 consecutive controlled sucklings.

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A simplified feeding system did not affect milk production compared with a total mixed ration system in dairy cows

Italian Journal of Animal Science ◽

10.1080/1828051x.2020.1805369 ◽

2020 ◽

Vol 19 (1) ◽

pp. 887-895

Author(s):

Maira Cuffia ◽

Javier Baudracco ◽

Luis Romero ◽

Alejandra Cuatrin ◽

Gerardo Gagliostro ◽

...

Keyword(s):

Dairy Cows ◽

Milk Production ◽

Feeding System ◽

Total Mixed Ration

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The influence of parity on lactation curve coefficients in dairy cows

Proceedings of the British Society of Animal Science ◽

10.1017/s0308229600032220 ◽

1998 ◽

Vol 1998 ◽

pp. 9-9

Author(s):

N. C. Friggens ◽

G. C. Emmans ◽

R. F. Veerkamp

Keyword(s):

Dairy Cows ◽

Milk Production ◽

Energy Requirement ◽

Energy Requirements ◽

High Quality ◽

Lactation Curve ◽

Ad Libitum

There are marked differences between heifers, 2nd parity and older cows in their lactation curves, even when they are offered high quality rations ad libitum. These differences indicate different energy requirements, and thus should be taken into account when formulating rations for the different parities. The objective of this study was to quantify how the pattern of milk production relative to time from calving is affected by parity for incorporation into energy requirement predictions.

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The biologically relevant unit for the analysis of short-term feeding behaviour of dairy cows

Proceedings of the British Society of Animal Science ◽

10.1017/s1752756200000041 ◽

2000 ◽

Vol 2000 ◽

pp. 3-3

Author(s):

D.P.N. Schweitzer ◽

B.J. Tolkamp ◽

I. Kyriazakis

Keyword(s):

Dairy Cows ◽

Feeding Behaviour ◽

Gradual Increase ◽

Daily Intake ◽

Feed Consumption ◽

Short Term ◽

Biologically Relevant ◽

Feeding Motivation ◽

A New Technique ◽

Log Normal

Study of short-term feeding behaviour (STFB) could improve the understanding of variation in daily intake in dairy cows. STFB is generally measured in short bouts (e.g. visits to feeders) that are clustered in larger bouts (or meals). The value of bout analysis depends strongly on the choice of an appropriate bout. Before bouts can be grouped into meals, a meal criterion (MC, that is: the longest non-feeding interval accepted as part of a meal) must be estimated. Tolkamp and Kyriazakis (1999) criticised existing methods and recently developed a new technique to estimate meal criteria. These log-normal models were developed on basis of the idea that eating bouts end when animals are satiated (i.e., in a state of low feeding motivation) (Tolkamp and Kyriazakis, 1999). This implies that feed consumption during the relevant eating bout will result in a gradual increase in satiety. This will be associated with an increase in the probability of cows ending a bout. In this study we will analyse whether meals are a more biologically relevant unit of STFB than the short feeding bouts (i.e. visits) that are routinely recorded.

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Effect of timing of protein supplementation on the performance of lactating dairy cows

Australian Journal of Experimental Agriculture ◽

10.1071/ea03209 ◽

2005 ◽

Vol 45 (4) ◽

pp. 337

Author(s):

B. C. Granzin

Keyword(s):

Dairy Cows ◽

Milk Production ◽

Milk Fat ◽

Protein Supplementation ◽

Net Energy ◽

Maize Silage ◽

Holstein Friesian ◽

Grazing Dairy Cows ◽

And Control ◽

Friesian Cows

Two experiments were undertaken to determine the effect of timing of protein supplementation on performance of grazing, lactating Holstein–Friesian cows fed maize silage and grain-based concentrate. In experiment 1, 36 cows were fed 0.8 kg DM/day of solvent-extracted cottonseed meal (CSM) either as 1 meal at 1200 hours with maize silage (CSM 1200) or at 1530 hours with concentrate (CSM 1530), or in 2 meals at 0600 and 1530 hours with concentrate (CSM 600 + 1530). In experiment 2, 36 cows were either fed no CSM (control) or fed 1.0 kg DM/day as either CSM 1200 or CSM 600 + 1530. In experiment 1, daily yields of 4% fat-corrected milk (FCM) and milk fat for CSM 600 + 1530 were significantly higher than for CSM 1530 with respective means of 22.8 v. 20.7 L and 895 v. 804 g. Daily yields of FCM and milk fat for CSM 1200 were intermediate (21.7 L and 841 g/cow, respectively). A similar trend for daily protein yield per cow was noted (712, 695 and 666 g for CSM 600 + 1530, 1200 and 1530, respectively). In experiment 2, milk yield differed numerically between CSM 600 + 1530 and other treatments, with means (± s.e.d.) of 24.7 ± 0.78, 22.9 ± 0.78 and 22.9 ± 0.78 L/cow.day for CSM 600 + 1530, CSM 1200 and control, respectively. Mean (± s.e.d.) net energy requirements for milk production and liveweight change tended to be lower for the control (68 ± 3.6 MJ/cow.day) as opposed to CSM 600 + 1530 (79 ± 3.6 MJ/cow.day) and CSM 1200 (76 ± 3.6 MJ/cow.day). Cumulative time where rumen degradable nitrogen:rumen degradable dry matter was less than 22 g/kg were 2, 2 and 3 h for CSM 600 + 1530, CSM 1200 and CSM 1530, respectively, in experiment 1, and 6, 4 and 2 h for the control, 1200 and CSM 600 + 1530, respectively, in experiment 2. No differences in rumen ammonia-N concentrations were noted between treatments in experiment 1. In experiment 2, a significantly lower mean (± s.e.d.) rumen ammonia-N concentration was recorded for the control at 1530 hours (62 ± 14.1 mg/dL) in comparison to CSM 600 + 1530 (114 ± 14.1 mg/dL) and CSM 1200 (119 ± 14.1 mg/dL). These experiments show that for grazing dairy cows supplemented with maize silage and grain-based concentrate, feeding a daily aliquot of CSM as 2 meals at 0600 and 1530 hours rather than 1 meal at 1200 or 1530 hours improves milk production.

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Short-term feeding behaviour of dairy cows relative to food composition and stage of lactation

Proceedings of the British Society of Animal Science ◽

10.1017/s0308229600032384 ◽

1998 ◽

Vol 1998 ◽

pp. 25-25

Author(s):

B.L. Nielsen ◽

N.C. Friggens ◽

I. Kyriazakis ◽

B.J. Tolkamp ◽

G.C. Emmans

Keyword(s):

Food Intake ◽

Dairy Cows ◽

Feeding Behaviour ◽

Food Composition ◽

Short Term ◽

Physiological Mechanisms ◽

Stage Of Lactation ◽

Behavioural Characteristics ◽

Major Factors ◽

Voluntary Food Intake

Short-term feeding behaviour (STFB) has been used to elucidate the physiological mechanisms which control eating. It has been proposed as a means by which to predict voluntary food intake, and could be used to quantify behavioural characteristics of the cow. The first step in assessing the usefulness of STFB for these purposes is to identify the major factors which influence STFB. The aim of the study reported here was to evaluate, in dairy cows, the differences in STFB resulting from two different foods, the effect of stage of lactation on STFB, and the effect on STFB of changing from one food to another.

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