Hostname: page-component-cd9895bd7-dk4vv Total loading time: 0 Render date: 2024-12-25T05:05:14.124Z Has data issue: false hasContentIssue false

The effects of dietary fibre and starch concentrations on the response by dairy cows to body condition at calving

Published online by Cambridge University Press:  02 September 2010

P. C. Garnsworthy
Affiliation:
Department of Agriculture and Horticulture, University of Nottingham School of Agriculture, Sutton Bonington, Loughborough LE12 5RD
G. P. Jones
Affiliation:
Department of Agriculture and Horticulture, University of Nottingham School of Agriculture, Sutton Bonington, Loughborough LE12 5RD
Get access

Abstract

An experiment was conducted to examine the effects of dietary fibre and starch levels on the response to condition score at calving. Fifty-two cows were used over two winter feeding periods, with 24 and 28 different cows in each. Twelve weeks before their expected calving date, cows were paired and the level of feeding adjusted to attain mean condition scores at calving of 2·0 (T) and 3·5 (F) within pairs. At calving, pairs of cows were allocated to treatment HF or LF, giving four groups in total. Each day for the first 16 weeks of lactation, all cows were offered 10 kg dairy concentrate containing either high-fibre/low-starch (FHF and THF), or low-fibre/high-starch (FLF and TLF), 2 kg sugar-beet pulp and hay ad libitum. Two cows from each group were used to determine apparent digestibility of the whole diet each year, using chromium III oxide as a faecal marker. Eight steers were used to determine the degradabilities of dry matter, nitrogen and fibre in the two concentrates and to provide rumen fluid samples for volatile fatty acid determination.

Type
Research Article
Copyright
Copyright © British Society of Animal Science 1993

Access options

Get access to the full version of this content by using one of the access options below. (Log in options will check for institutional or personal access. Content may require purchase if you do not have access.)

References

East of Scotland College of Agriculture. 1976. Condition scoring — dairy cows. Advisory leaflet, East of Scotland College of Agriculture, No. 100.Google Scholar
Garnsworthy, P. C. 1988. The effect of energy reserves at calving on performance of dairy cows. In Nutrition and lactation in the dairy cow (ed. Garnsworthy, P. C.), pp. 157170. Butterworths, London.Google Scholar
Garnsworthy, P. C. 1989. The interaction between dietary fibre level and protein degradability in dairy cows. Animal Production 48:271281.Google Scholar
Garnsworthy, P. C. and Jones, G. P. 1987. The influence of body condition at calving and dietary protein supply on voluntary food intake and performance in dairy cows. Animal Production 44: 347353.Google Scholar
Garnsworthy, P. C. and Huggett, C. D. 1992. The influence of the fat concentration of the diet on the response by dairy cows to body condition at calving. Animal Production 54: 713.Google Scholar
Goering, H. K. and Van Soest, P. J. 1970. Forage fiber analysis (apparatus, reagents, procedures and some applications). In Agricultural handbook, US Department of Agriculture, no. 379.Google Scholar
Jones, G. P. and Garnsworthy, P. C. 1989. The effects of dietary energy content on the response of dairy cows to body condition at calving. Animal Production 49:183191.Google Scholar
Lees, J. A., Oldham, J. D., Haresign, W. and Garnsworthy, P. C. 1990. The effect of patterns of rumen fermentation on the response by dairy cows to dietary protein concentration. British Journal of Nutrition 63:177186.Google Scholar
Mathers, J. C. and Aitchison, E. M. 1981. Direct estimation of the extent of contamination of food residues by microbial matter after incubation within synthetic fibre bags in the rumen. Journal of Agricultural Science, Cambridge 96: 691693.Google Scholar
Ministry of Agriculture, Fisheries and Food. 1986. Feed composition — UK tables of feed composition and nutritive value for ruminants. Chalcombe Publications, Marlow.Google Scholar
Ørskov, E. R. and McDonald, I. 1979. The estimation of protein degradability in the rumen from incubation measurements weighted according to rate of passage. Journal of Agricultural Science, Cambridge 92:499503.Google Scholar
Sinclair, L. A., Garnsworthy, P. C., Newbold, J. R. and Buttery, P. J. 1993. The effect of synchronising the rate of dietary energy and nitrogen release on rumen fermentation and microbial protein synthesis in sheep. Journal of Agricultural Science, Cambridge 120: 251263.Google Scholar
Sutton, J. D., Bines, J. A., Morant, S. V., Napper, D. J. and Givens, D. I. 1987. A comparison of starchy and fibrous concentrates for milk production, energy utilisation and hay intake by Friesian cows. Journal of Agricultural Science, Cambridge 109: 375386.Google Scholar