scholarly journals A comparison of grass silages harvested at first, second and third cut on feed intake and milk production of dairy cows

2021 ◽  
Vol 30 (2) ◽  
Author(s):  
Auvo Sairanen ◽  
Sari Kajava ◽  
Annu Palmio ◽  
Marketta Rinne

The objective of this study was to compare the milk production potential of first, second and third harvest of grass silage from the same sward in Northern latitudes. Three change-over design dairy cow feeding experiments were conducted during different years which differed markedly in weather conditions. The silages were supplemented with a cereal based The objective of this study was to compare the milk production potential of subsequent first, second and third cuts of grass silage from the same sward in Northern latitudes. Three change-over design dairy cow feeding experiments were conducted during different years which differed markedly in weather conditions. The silages were supplemented with a cereal based concentrate (average concentrate proportion 431 g kg-1 diet dry matter). Feed intake and milk production was highest with first-cut and lowest with third-cut silage. The energy corrected milk yields averaged over three experiments were 35.0, 33.2 and 31.9 kg d-1 for first, second and third harvest silages, respectively. Respective dry matter intakes were 23.1, 21.9 and 20.7 kg d-1. Compared to analysed feed values, the average intake of third-cut silages was lower than expected. Due to the high risk of low intake potential of third-cut silages, they are not recommended for cows in early lactation if there are other silages available.

Author(s):  
T. W. J. Keady ◽  
J. J. Murphy

In general cows have higher intakes and higher milk yields when outdoors grazing pasture compared to indoors consuming grass silage. However, this observation is not valid as a direct comparison of grass and silage due to the following reasons. Firstly, the cows consuming the silage and grass are usually at different stages of lactation and secondly the silage has not been produced from the herbage being grazed. There is little information available in the literature comparing the intakes of grass and silage harvested from the same sward at the same stage of maturity when fed to lactating dairy animals at similar stages of lactation. The present study was initiated as part of a series of studies at this Institute, to evaluate factors affecting silage intake. The main aims of this study were to determine the actual effect which ensiling “per se” had firstly on dry matter intake and secondly on animal performance by the lactating dairy cow.


2007 ◽  
Vol 2007 ◽  
pp. 122-122
Author(s):  
D. C. Patterson ◽  
D. J. Kilpatrick

Patterson et al. (2004, 2005) obtained positive intake and milk production responses to the inclusion of maize silage in grass silage-based diets under Northern Ireland conditions. However, fermented whole crop and high dry matter (DM) milled urea/urease-treated whole crop wheats both increased forage intake, but had no significant effect on milk production. The aim of the present study was to further investigate the milk production potential of milled high DM whole crop wheat, in both urea-treated and ‘fermented’ forms, and fermented triticale whole crop, as a partial replacement for grass silage.


2001 ◽  
Vol 2001 ◽  
pp. 3-3 ◽  
Author(s):  
A.T. Adesogan ◽  
M.B. Salawu ◽  
R.J. Dewhurst

One of the ways by which UK farmers can maintain profitability in the current low milk price climate is to increase home-grown forage utilization in livestock diets. Previous work has shown that pea/wheat bi-crops are energy and protein rich forages that give higher intakes and nitrogen (N) retention than grass silage but only marginal improvements in milk production (Adesogan et al., 2000). This study determined whether the milk response from such bi-crops could be improved by using a short-straw pea variety instead of the conventional tall straw variety.


1992 ◽  
Vol 1 (3) ◽  
pp. 279-290
Author(s):  
Pekka Huhtanen ◽  
Harri Miettinen

Twelve Finnish Ayrshire cows were used in a 4 x 4 Latin square design with 4-week experimental periods to study the effects of replacing increasing amount of barley with wet distiller’s solubles (WDS) on feed intake, milk production, digestibility and blood constituents. The four dietary treatments consisted of grass silage ad libitum and 7.8 kg dry matter (DM)/d of barley, of which 0 (WDSO), 1 (WDS1), 2 (WDS2) and 3 kg DM/d (WDS3) was replaced with WDS. Mainly because of a greater intake of concentrate with WDS containing diets silage DM intake varied quadratically (P


Animals ◽  
2021 ◽  
Vol 11 (6) ◽  
pp. 1822
Author(s):  
Cory T. Parsons ◽  
Julia M. Dafoe ◽  
Samuel A. Wyffels ◽  
Timothy DelCurto ◽  
Darrin L. Boss

We evaluated heifer post-weaning residual feed intake (RFI) classification and cow age on dry matter intake (DMI) at two stages of production. Fifty-nine non-lactating, pregnant, (Study 1) and fifty-four lactating, non-pregnant (Study 2) commercial black Angus beef cows were grouped by age and RFI. Free-choice, hay pellets were fed in a GrowSafe feeding system. In Study 1, cow DMI (kg/d) and intake rate (g/min) displayed a cow age effect (p < 0.01) with an increase in DMI and intake rate with increasing cow age. In Study 2, cow DMI (kg/d) and intake rate (g/min) displayed a cow age effect (p < 0.02) with an increase in DMI and intake rate with increasing cow age. Milk production displayed a cow age × RFI interaction (p < 0.01) where both 5–6-year-old and 8–9-year-old low RFI cows produced more milk than high RFI cows. For both studies, intake and intake behavior were not influenced by RFI (p ≥ 0.16) or cow age × RFI interaction (p ≥ 0.21). In summary, heifer’s post-weaning RFI had minimal effects on beef cattle DMI or intake behavior, however, some differences were observed in milk production.


1995 ◽  
Vol 1995 ◽  
pp. 113-113
Author(s):  
D M Harris ◽  
A Barlet ◽  
A T Chamberlain

The pressure transducer technique has been proposed as a method of evaluating feed degradation characteristics (Theodorou, 1993) and it has been shown to predict the in vivo and in sacco degradability of forages (Blummel and Orskov, 1993). However the original technique requires rumen liquor and hence access to surgically prepared animals. Faecal material is generally easier to obtain and this work assessed it's suitability as an alternative source of microbes.Rumen liquor (R) and faeces (F) were collected simultaneously from a rumenally fistulated lactating dairy cow. R was mixed 1:1 with modified van Soest medium and F 1:2 to obtain similar dry matter contents. Homogenised strained 20 ml aliquats were inoculated into vented 250 ml bottles containing 180 ml of modified van Soest medium and 1.5g DM of a 7:3 mixture of milled air dried grass silage and 180 g CP / kg DM concentrates. The 7:3 ratio of silage and concentrates was chosen to reflect the diet the donor cow was consuming.


1998 ◽  
Vol 1998 ◽  
pp. 146-146 ◽  
Author(s):  
R. H. Phipps ◽  
J.D. Sutton ◽  
A. K. Jones

Interest in the use of whole crop cereals as a complementary forage for dairy cows has developed in Europe over the last fifteen years. Initial studies in the UK concluded that near maximum dry matter (DM) yield/ha of whole crop wheat (WCW) occurred in late July/early August when crops contained at least 500 g/kg DM. However, it was noted that when these crops were ensiled they tended to be aerobically unstable. To minimise this problem it was recommended that these crops were preserved with urea rather than being ensiled. Early studies with dairy cows demonstrated that the use of both urea-treated and low DM fermented WCW increased forage intake and milk yield but effects on milk composition were inconsistent (Leaver and Hill, 1992, Phipps et al., 1995). Concern has been expressed that the use of urea in crop preservation was environmentally unacceptable and that high DM fermented WCW offered a possible alternative, which would provide high DM yields/ha of a starch-rich crop. The objective of the current study was to examine the effect of crop maturity on feed intake and milk production of dairy cows. An additional treatment was included to examine the effectiveness of an additive containing L. buchneri designed to improve aerobic stability.


2000 ◽  
Vol 2000 ◽  
pp. 142-142
Author(s):  
R. J. Dewhurst ◽  
D. W. R. Davies ◽  
W. J. Fisher

Earlier studies (e.g. Dewhurst et al., 1996, 1999) have shown marked declines in forage voluntary intake as calving approaches. The resultant reduction in nutrient supply may compromise performance in the next lactation, because it coincides with a period of intense metabolic activity in preparation for the next lactation. Feeding concentrates to dry cows did not overcome this problem (Dewhurst et al., 1999). The objective of the current experiment was to investigate alternative dry cow strategies, using only high-quality grass silage, to minimise the severity and consequences for subsequent milk production of the reduction in nutrient supply in this period.


1995 ◽  
Vol 1995 ◽  
pp. 4-4
Author(s):  
J D Sutton ◽  
A L Abdalla ◽  
R H Phipps ◽  
S B Cammell ◽  
D J Humphries

Whole crop wheat (WCW) appears to offer an attractive alternative forage to grass silage for dairy cows, particularly in those areas where maize silage cannot be grown. However in previous feeding trials the inclusion of WCW with grass silage has increased food intake but has not led to a corresponding increase in milk yield (Phipps et al,1993). As part of a programme to try to overcome the low efficiency of diets containing WCW, the present experiment was designed to examine the effects on feed intake and digestibility and milk production of the step-wise replacement of GS by urea-treated WCW.Winter wheat (cv Hussar), harvested at 620g DM/kg fresh weight and preserved with 20 or 40 g urea/kg DM (WCW-2, WCW-4) was compared with first-cut perennial ryegrass silage (GS). Six multiparous Holstein-Friesian cows in mid-lactation were offered six diets over three 4-week periods in an incomplete change-over design. Diets were 6kg DM concentrates daily with forages ad lib. Treatments (DM basis) were GS alone, 2:1 GS:WCW-2 or WCW-4, 1:2 GS: WCW-2 or WCW-4, and WCW-4 alone. Feed intake and milk production were measured in weeks 3 and 4 and digestibility in week 4.


Author(s):  
K W Agnew ◽  
C S Mayne

In a previous study at this Institute, significant increases in total dry matter intake were obtained with first lactation animals offered grass silage and concentrates as a complete diet rather than in separate feeds. However, the increased DM intake associated with complete diet feeding was not reflected in improved animal performance. Similar results have also been reported by Phipps, Bines, Fulford and Weller (1984) and Cassel, Merrill, Milligan and Guest (1984).The aim of this experiment was to investigate the effect on animal performance of offering two types of concentrate in addition to grass silage, with concentrates offered either as a complete diet or in three feeds per day.


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