Maize silage for the pasture-fed dairy cow. 3. A comparison with greenchop maize grazing perennial pasture in late summer

1992 ◽  
Vol 32 (3) ◽  
pp. 293 ◽  
Author(s):  
JB Moran

Dairy cows in mid lactation were pen-fed ad libitum maize silage, ad libitum maize greenchop, or restricted maize greenchop. A cottonseed meal supplement was also fed at 20% forage maize DM. The maize greenchop was harvested daily over 5 weeks during February and March. Both forms of forage maize were fed to sheep in metabolism cages. Digestibility was always higher with maize silage. Digestibility of maize greenchop improved with time until 34-36% DM, after which it declined, this being associated with changes in structural carbohydrates in the crop. Cows fed maize silage produced more milk and gained less weight than cows fed both greenchop diets. In a concurrent field trial, cows grazed irrigated perennial pastures in late summer and were offered 7-8 kg DM/day of the silage or greenchop. Additional cows were allocated extra pasture with no supplement. Treatment differences in milk production and liveweight change were not significant. There were differences in rumen metabolism between diets in both pen-fed and grazed cows; rumen ammonia levels increased during the day in cows fed maize silage, but they decreased or remained constant when maize greenchop was fed. There was more maize grain in greenchop at physiological maturity than in silage, and this could have contributed to observed differences in performance and rumen metabolism. The low rumen ammonia levels, and the fact that forage maize was higher in energy than the pasture on offer, suggest that milk response would have improved with the inclusion of a rumen-degradable nitrogen source such as urea with the forage maize supplements.

1999 ◽  
Vol 1999 ◽  
pp. 22-22
Author(s):  
R.L.G. Zom ◽  
E. Kamerman ◽  
G. Remmelink ◽  
G. van Duinkerken

The Dutch DVE/OEB protein evaluation system (Tamminga et al., 1994) gives predictions for the concentration of whole true protein digested in the small intestine (DVE) in cattle feeds, but not for the concentration of single amino acids. Therefore, new standard methods has been introduced for the prediction of true methionine and lysine digested in the small intestine (DVmet and DVlys, respectively) in cattle feeds based on the principles of the calculation of DVE (van Duinkerken and Blok, 1998). These methods give the opportunity to select particular feeds and concentrate ingredients in order to manipulate the concentration of DVmet and DVlys in diets and compound concentrates. However, in the Netherlands, there are no recommendations for DVmet and DVlys in dairy cow rations established yet. An experiment was therefore conducted to study the effects of feeding compound concentrate supplements with either a low (L) or high (H) level of DVmet on feed intake and milk production in dairy cows fed a grass and maize silage mixture ad libitum


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.


2017 ◽  
Vol 84 (3) ◽  
pp. 240-247 ◽  
Author(s):  
Ruairi P McDonnell ◽  
Martin vH Staines

This research paper describes the effect of partially replacing wheat with maize grain and canola meal on milk production and body condition changes in early lactation Holstein-Friesian dairy cows consuming a grass silage-based diet over an 83-d period. Two groups of 39 cows were stratified for age, parity, historical milk yield and days in milk (DIM), and offered one of two treatment diets. The first treatment (CON) reflected a typical diet used by Western Australian dairy producers in summer and comprised (kg DM/cow per d); 8 kg of annual ryegrass silage, 6 kg of crushed wheat (provided once daily in a mixed ration), 3·6 kg of crushed lupins (provided in the milking parlour in two daily portions) and ad libitum lucerne haylage. The second treatment diet (COMP) was identical except the 6 kg of crushed wheat was replaced by 6 kg of a more complex concentrate mix (27% crushed wheat, 34% maize grain and 37% canola meal). Lucerne haylage was provided independently in the paddock to all cows, and no pasture was available throughout the experiment. The COMP group had a greater mean overall daily intake (22·5vs20·4 kg DM/cow) and a higher energy corrected milk (ECM) yield (29·2vs27·1 kg/cow;P= 0·047) than the CON cows. The difference in overall intake was caused by a higher daily intake of lucerne haylage in COMP cows (4·5vs2·3 kg DM/cow). The CON group had a higher concentration of milk fat (42·1vs39·3 g/kg;P= 0·029) than COMP cows. Milk protein yield was greater in COMP cows (P< 0·021); however, milk fat yield was unaffected by treatment. It is concluded that partially replacing wheat with canola meal and maize grain in a grass silage-based diet increases voluntary DMI of conserved forage and consequently yields of ECM and milk protein.


1998 ◽  
Vol 1998 ◽  
pp. 148-148
Author(s):  
E.M. Browne ◽  
M.J. Bryant ◽  
D.E. Beever ◽  
C.L. Thorp

Dry matter (DM) concentration of maize silage is directly related to maturity of the crop at harvest and widely reported to be positively correlated with total forage DM intake. The objective of this experiment was to investigate these effects using a late maturing beef genotype and a contemporary forage maize variety.Forage maize (variety Hudson) was harvested at four different stages of maturity during September and October 1996. Each stage of maturity was ensiled in a separate clamp with no additive. Resultant silage corrected dry matter contents were 247 (L), 305 (M/L), 331(M/H) and 388 (H)g/kgFW, respectively. Each diet was formulated to be isonitrogenous with fishmeal fed twice daily on top of the silage. Silage was offered ad libitum to 32 growing Simmental X Friesian heifers (mean initial weight 217kg), housed in individual pens in an open-sided Dutch barn and bedded on wheat straw. Eight animals were allocated to each treatment, in a completely randomised design with pre-treatment intake (non-experimental maize silage) used as a covariate in the statistical analysis.


1998 ◽  
Vol 1998 ◽  
pp. 9-9
Author(s):  
N. C. Friggens ◽  
G. C. Emmans ◽  
R. F. Veerkamp

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.


2001 ◽  
Vol 2001 ◽  
pp. 192-192
Author(s):  
R.E. Lawson ◽  
A.R. Moss ◽  
C. Rymer ◽  
J.S. Blake

Mansbridge (1995) reported that replacing ground wheat with a mix of ground wheat and maize grain increased milk protein concentration, which led the authors to speculate that increased inclusion of maize grain increased rumen by-pass starch. Indeed, de Visseret al(1990) reported that feeding less rapidly degradable starches has led to increased milk protein concentration.The objective of this study was to examine the effects of starch concentration and source on feed intake, milk yield and milk composition of dairy cows.


2002 ◽  
Vol 2002 ◽  
pp. 220-220 ◽  
Author(s):  
M.D. Cooper ◽  
D. R. Arney ◽  
C. J. C. Phillips

The effects of high milk yields on the behaviour and welfare of the dairy cow are unclear. A high milk yield increases the need to consume sufficient fodder in an attempt to meet high nutrient demands. The failure to meet the demands may result in persistent hunger in the dairy cow having to modify her behaviour by employing various coping strategies. These modifications may help the cow overcome a state of hunger but at the expense of being unable to express other important behaviours. The objective of this study was therefore to determine whether the behaviour and welfare of the genetically high yielding dairy cow is being compromised by the increased nutritional demands of milk production, and to investigate the possibility that an increased amount of time spent in food-directed behaviours may have a detrimental effect on the time available to perform other important behaviours.


2002 ◽  
Vol 2002 ◽  
pp. 108-108
Author(s):  
J.D. Sutton ◽  
D.J. Humphries ◽  
R H Phipps ◽  
M. Witt

The complete replacement of soyabean meal by maize distillers grains (MDG) in dairy cow diets had no significant effects on milk production, rumen digestion or the supply of non-ammonia N to the duodenum (Sutton et al., 2000; Phipps et al., 2001). The present experiment was designed to extend this work by examining the response when barley (BDG) or wheat (WDG) distillers grains replaced soyabean meal.


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