Impact of feeding balanced rations on milk production, methane emission, metabolites and feed conversion efficiency in lactating cows

2016 ◽  
Author(s):  
P. L. Sherasia ◽  
B. T. Phondba ◽  
S. A. Hossain ◽  
B. P. Patel ◽  
M. R. Garg
Keyword(s):  
Milk Production ◽  
Conversion Efficiency ◽  
Methane Emission ◽  
Feed Conversion ◽  
Feed Conversion Efficiency ◽  
Lactating Cows ◽  
Microbial Nitrogen ◽  
Enteric Methane ◽  
Effect Of Feeding ◽  
Phosphorus Intake

A field study on early lactating crossbred cows (n=35) was conducted to evaluate the effect of feeding balanced rations on milk production, enteric methane emission, metabolites and feed conversion efficiency (FCE). In comparison to requirements, the dietary intake of protein and energy were higher by 25.0 and 12.7% whereas, calcium and phosphorus intake were lower by 30.0 and 27.0%, respectively. Balanced feeding improved daily 4% FCM yield by 0.7 kg/cow (P<0.05) and intestinal flow of microbial nitrogen (N) by 37.0% (P<0.01), whereas, reduced (P<0.01) feeding cost by 17.0% and enteric methane emission (g/d/cow and g/kg milk yield) by 14.6 and 18.1%, respectively. Level of IgG, IgA, IgM and uric acid content increased significantly, whereas BUN level reduced (P<0.01) from 18.2 to 15.0 mg/dl. FCE improved (P<0.01) from 0.8 to 1.0 and efficiency of microbial protein synthesis also improved (P<0.01) by 63.6% owing to feeding of balanced rations indicating better performance of cows. Present study indicates that feeding nutritionally balanced rations improved milk production, feed conversion efficiency and reduced methane emission in lactating cows under field conditions.

Feed conversion efficiency as a key determinant of dairy herd performance: a review

2007 ◽  
Vol 47 (6) ◽  
pp. 645 ◽  
Author(s):  
D. E. Beever ◽  
P. T. Doyle
Keyword(s):  
Milk Production ◽  
Conversion Efficiency ◽  
Dry Matter ◽  
Dairy Herd ◽  
Farming System ◽  
Feed Conversion ◽  
Dairy Farmers ◽  
Feed Conversion Efficiency ◽  
Stage Of Lactation ◽  
Feed Costs

This paper focuses on dairy herd performance in the United Kingdom and southern Australia, where feed costs have been estimated to comprise between 40 and 67% of the total costs of production. The efficiency of conversion of grazed pasture, home grown forages and purchased feeds into milk has a major bearing on farm profit. Feed conversion efficiency (FCE), defined as ‘kg milk of standardised composition with respect to protein and fat concentrations produced per kg feed dry matter consumed’, is a useful measure of the performance of a farm feeding system, but is seldom used by dairy farmers. It could also be defined as ‘g protein plus fat produced per kg feed dry matter consumed’, given that farmers are often paid for these components. The value of estimating FCE on an annual or shorter-term basis is discussed in relation to accepted principles of feed utilisation and dairy cow energy requirements. The implications of feed intake, conversion of ingested nutrients into absorbed nutrients and the subsequent utilisation of these nutrients for milk production or other purposes, as well as the effects of stage of lactation on FCE, are reviewed. Measuring FCE and identifying opportunities for improvement is relatively straightforward in housed feeding systems, but is more problematic under grazing. Hence, approaches and the key assumptions in estimating FCE in grazing situations, as well as possible limitations of these estimates, are discussed. Finally, a case study examining the potential impact of improved nutritional strategies on FCE and on margin over feed costs is presented. It is concluded that, to remain profitable, dairy farmers need to have a sound knowledge of cow nutrition, along with appropriate measures of FCE to monitor the performance of their milk production system. Such indicators of the biological performance of the farming system are most useful when used in conjunction with appropriate measures of economic performance.

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