scholarly journals Strategic grazing management decreases nitrogen excretion intensity of dairy cows

2022 ◽  
Vol 79 (2) ◽  
Author(s):  
Camila Delveaux Araujo Batalha ◽  
Guilhermo Francklin de Souza Congio ◽  
Flávio Augusto Portela Santos ◽  
Sila Carneiro da Silva
2009 ◽  
Vol 49 (3) ◽  
pp. 233 ◽  
Author(s):  
R. C. Dobos ◽  
W. J. Fulkerson ◽  
K. Sinclair ◽  
G. N. Hinch

To investigate how grazing time, herbage dry matter intake (DMI) and intake rate (IR) are influenced by intensive grazing management, dairy cows strip-grazing subtropical grass pastures (Pennisetum clandestinum) at two compressed sward heights (10 and 13 cm) and at five grazing durations (1, 2, 4, 8 and 15 h) and replicated over 3 days were studied. The study was conducted in summer and the cows were observed every 20 min from 1600 to 0700 hours to calculate the time spent (min/h) grazing, ruminating and resting. Total time spent grazing was 45 min longer for cows grazing the 13-cm sward than for those grazing the 10-cm sward over the 15-h grazing period. The rate of increase in grazing time was 0.64 h/h grazing duration up to 4 h after introduction to fresh pasture. IR of cows grazing the 13-cm sward was significantly higher than those grazing the 10-cm sward (0.17 v. 0.12 kg DM/min spent grazing). The difference in IRs between sward height treatments resulted from the higher DMI in the 13-cm sward within the first 4 h of grazing compared with the 10-cm sward, although following the first 4-h grazing period IR was similar for both sward heights. Grazing time increased with sward height up to a maximum of 4 h after introduction to fresh pasture and had also maximised herbage DMI by this time. These results have important practical implications for dairy cow grazing management systems because they show that dairy managers could remove cows after 4 h with little compromise in production and will help in developing optimum supplementary feeding strategies when pasture availability limits DMI.


1998 ◽  
Vol 1998 ◽  
pp. 51-51
Author(s):  
S.M. Rutter ◽  
R.J. Orr ◽  
P.D. Penning ◽  
N.H. Yarrow ◽  
R.A. Champion ◽  
...  

The development of grazing management strategies to optimise nutrient intake from grazed herbage requires an understanding of the factors influencing the dietary preference of grazing domestic ruminants. Although there has been considerable progress in understanding the factors influencing the dietary preference of grazing sheep, there has been comparatively little research with lactating dairy cows (Rutter et al., 1997). The aim of the experiment reported here was to study the dietary preference of lactating dairy cows grazing grass and clover.


2021 ◽  
Vol 99 (Supplement_3) ◽  
pp. 171-171
Author(s):  
Matthew R Beck ◽  
Cameron Marshall ◽  
Konagh Garrett ◽  
Andrew P Foote ◽  
Ronaldo Vibart ◽  
...  

Abstract Urine nitrogen excretion (g/d; UN) represent a significant environmental impact for both confinement feeding and pastoral based dairy systems. It is difficult to measure UN directly due to animal handling and labor requirements, especially in forage based production systems. The currently available milk urea nitrogen (MUN) equations have been shown to overestimate UN excretion of grazing dairy cows compared with an equation using urinary creatinine and UN concentration, indicating that diet may alter the relationship between MUN and UN. This potential was explored using data retrieved (treatment means: n = 69 and 27 for fresh forage [FF] and total mixed ration [TMR] fed cattle, respectively) from the literature and new data obtained from dairy cows fed FF (n = 15) in metabolism crates was used to test the new equations. The TMR data from literature was further split into a training set (to develop the model; n = 53) and a test set (to validate the model; n = 16). There was an interaction for diet type (P < 0.01) where UN (g/d) = 0.023 × MUN (mg/dL) × live-weight (kg, LW) for TMR fed cattle, (similar to a pre-established equation); however, UN (g/d) = 0.015 × MUN × LW for FF fed cattle. For FF based equations, the New MUN equation and the creatinine equation showed good precision and accuracy (Lin’s CCC = 0.79 and 0.74, respectively) and adequate predictive ability (RMSEP = 29.8 and 35.9, respectively). The new MUN equation for TMR fed cattle showed excellent accuracy and precision (Lin’s CCC = 0.87) with good predictive ability (RMSEP = 24.3) for UN excretion (observed mean = 216.5 g/d). The new equations generated during this meta-analysis provide promising predictive ability of UN excretion, which can be used for management considerations, future research, and policy making.


2003 ◽  
Vol 12 (1) ◽  
pp. 21-34 ◽  
Author(s):  
P. VIRKAJÄRVI ◽  
A. SAIRANEN ◽  
J.I. NOUSIAINEN

The timing of turnout is an important factor affecting the grazing management of dairy cows. However,its consequences are not well known in the short grazing season of northern Europe. Thus, the effect of the turnout date of dairy cows to pasture on sward regrowth, herbage mass production and milk production was studied in two experiments,1)a grazing trial with 16 Holstein-Friesian dairy cows and 2)a plot trial where the treatments simulated the grazing trial.The treatments were early turnout (1 June)and normal turnout (6 June).Early turnout decreased the annual herbage mass (HM) production in the plot trial (P =0.005),but due to a higher average organic matter (OM)digestibility (P 0.05). Although early turnout had no effect on milk yields it meant easier management of pastures.;


1998 ◽  
Vol 1998 ◽  
pp. 49-49
Author(s):  
R.J. Orr ◽  
S.M. Rutter ◽  
P.D. Penning ◽  
N.H. Yarrow ◽  
L.D. Atkinson ◽  
...  

Grazed herbage is the cheapest feed available for dairy cows but total intake of nutrients from grazed pasture alone is generally insufficient to allow high yielding dairy cows to reach their production potential. Cows have their main daily meal following afternoon milking in the period up to sunset (e.g. Rook et al., 1994 ). In addition, both the DM content and water soluble carbohydrate (WSC) concentration of grass increase over the day (e.g. Orr et al., 1997) due to the loss of moisture and the accumulation of the products of photosynthesis. Based on this evidence, this study tested the hypothesis that dairy cows receiving strip-grazing allocations following the afternoon rather than the morning milking would show higher intake rates and consequently higher milk yields.Twenty Holstein-Friesian cows (median calving date 10 February 1997) were each supplemented with 4 kg concentrates day-1 and strip-grazed a perennial ryegrass pasture in four groups of 5 cows.


Animals ◽  
2019 ◽  
Vol 9 (8) ◽  
pp. 507 ◽  
Author(s):  
Zhang ◽  
Xu ◽  
Cao ◽  
Wang ◽  
Yang ◽  
...  

This study investigated the effect of tannin sources on nutrient intake, digestibility, performance, nitrogen utilization, and blood parameters in lactating dairy cows. Four multiparous lactating Holstein cows were used in a balanced 4 × 4 Latin square design, with each period lasting 28 days. Cows were randomly assigned to one of four dietary treatments: Control diet (CON, a totally mixed ration without tannin supplements), control diet supplemented with 3% bayberry condensed tannins (BCT), control diet supplemented with 3% Acacia mangium condensed tannins (ACT), and control diet supplemented with 3% valonia hydrolyzed tannins (VHT). Dietary treatments did not significantly affect nutrient intake, milk yield or composition, microbial protein synthesis, nitrogen utilization efficiency, or plasma concentrations of glucose, non-esterified fatty acids, β-hydroxybutyrate, total protein, and globulin, or the albumin-to-globulin ratio. Tannin supplements decreased the apparent total tract nutrient digestibility to varying degrees and significantly decreased the milk and blood urea nitrogen contents (p < 0.05). Tannin supplements altered nitrogen excretion routes in lactating dairy cows, and BCT significantly decreased the urinary nitrogen excretion (p = 0.04). Compared with the CON, ACT, and VHT diets, BCT yielded the highest nitrogen retention and nitrogen retention-to-digestible nitrogen ratio despite having a similar nitrogen utilization efficiency (p < 0.05). Bayberry condensed tannin supplementation may be a potential way to improve nitrogen utilization and reduce concerns regarding nitrogen excretion in dairy cows.


1963 ◽  
Vol 61 (2) ◽  
pp. 147-166 ◽  
Author(s):  
C. P. McMeekan ◽  
M. J. Walshe

1. A large-scale grazing management study comparing rotational grazing and continuous grazing with dairy cows at two stocking rates over four complete production seasons is described.2. The four treatments were: (i) controlled grazing, light stocking rate; (ii) controlled grazing, heavy stocking rate; (iii) uncontrolled grazing, light stocking rate; (iv) uncontrolled grazing, heavy stocking rate.Each treatment involved 40 cows for a first 2-year phase and 42 cows for the following 2 years. Each herd had a normal age distribution pattern and seven 2-year-old first lactation heifers (17% of total herd) were introduced each year to maintain this pattern.3. Stocking rate was the more important factor affecting the efficiency of pasture utilization as measured by per acre output of milk and butterfat. In general, high stocking was associated with higher outputs per acre despite lower yields per animal.4. Grazing method was of less importance. In general, controlled rotational grazing was superior to uncontrolled continuous grazing, both per animal and per acre, but the average influence even of these extremes of management was only half that of stocking rate.5. Significant interactions between stocking rate and grazing method existed. Under continuous grazing a point was reached where production per acre declined to the vanishing point with increased stocking rate due to excessive depression of per cow yield: this point was not reached under rotational grazing at the same high stocking levels.6. The results suggest that optimum stocking rate under rotational grazing occurs at a level some 5–10% higher than under continuous grazing. A depression of 10–12% in per cow yield, compared with more lenient grazing, corresponds with optimum stocking level irrespective of the grazing system. This estimate is suggested as a guide line in applying the principles involved.


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