Hostname: page-component-cd9895bd7-jn8rn Total loading time: 0 Render date: 2024-12-27T19:33:53.394Z Has data issue: false hasContentIssue false
  • English
  • Français

The effect in ewes of source and level of dietary protein on milk yield, and the relationship between the intestinal supply of non-ammonia nitrogen and the production of milk protein

Published online by Cambridge University Press:  02 September 2010

J. S. Gonzalez ,
J. J. Robinson ,
I. McHattie  and
C. Fraser
J. S. Gonzalez
Affiliation:
Rowett Research Institute, Bucksburn, Aberdeen AB2 9SB
J. J. Robinson
Affiliation:
Rowett Research Institute, Bucksburn, Aberdeen AB2 9SB
I. McHattie
Affiliation:
Rowett Research Institute, Bucksburn, Aberdeen AB2 9SB
C. Fraser
Affiliation:
Rowett Research Institute, Bucksburn, Aberdeen AB2 9SB
Get access

Abstract

Individually penned Finnish Landrace × Dorset Horn ewes in early lactation, and each suckling two lambs, were used to test the effects on milk yield, milk composition and the concentrations of some plasma constituents of supplementing a basal diet with either urea, groundnut, soya bean, linseed, fish, meat and bone, or blood meal. The basal diet contained 94 g crude protein and 10 MJ of metabolizable energy per kg dry matter and supplied daily 0·3 MJ of metabolizable energy per kg body weight. Except for urea, which was tested at an inclusion rate that increased the protein (nitrogen × 6·25) content of the basal diet by 43 g/kg, the remaining sources were tested at three levels, corresponding to increases in protein content of 34,60 and 86 g/kg. Daily milk yields were 1·92 and 2·08 kg for ewes given the basal diet and the basal diet supplemented with urea. For the high inclusion rates of each protein source the following daily yields were obtained (kg): groundnut, 2·26; soya bean, 2·45; meat and bone, 2·49; linseed, 2·68; fish, 2·84; and blood meal, 2·91. The daily yields of true protein in milk were (g): basal diet, 76; basal diet plus urea, 80; groundnut, 104; soya bean, 107; meat and bone, 105; linseed, 112; fish, 136; and blood meal, 125. Plasma concentrations of free fatty acids did not appear to support the hypothesis that the milk yield response to protein is accomplished solely by increases in tissue energy loss.

The increment in the amount of non-ammonia nitrogen reaching the abomasum as a result of the low levels of inclusion of the protein sources in the basal diet was used for the production of true protein-nitrogen in milk with an efficiency of 0·58.

Type
Research Article
Information
Animal Production , Volume 34 , Issue 1 , February 1982 , pp. 31 - 40
Copyright
Copyright © British Society of Animal Science 1982

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

REFERENCES

Agricultural Research Council. 1980. The Nutrient Requirements of Ruminant Livestock. Commonwealth Agricultural Bureaux, Slough.Google Scholar
Bassett, J. M. and Thorburn, G. D. 1971. The regulation of insulin secretion by the ovine foetus in utero. J. Endocr. 50:59–74.CrossRefGoogle ScholarPubMed
Broster, W. H. 1973. Protein-energy interrelationships in growth and lactation of cattle and sheep. Proc. Nutr. Soc. 32: 115–122.CrossRefGoogle ScholarPubMed
Cowan, R. T., Reid, G. W., Greenhalgh, J. F. D. and Tait, C. A. G. 1981. Effects of feeding level in late pregnancy and dietary protein concentration during early lactation on food intake, milk yield, liveweight change and nitrogen balance of cows. J. Dairy Res. 48: 201–212.CrossRefGoogle ScholarPubMed
Cowan, R. T., Robinson, J. J., Greenhalgh, J. F. D. and McHattie, I. 1979. Body composition changes in lactating ewes estimated by serial slaughter and deuterium dilution. Anim. Prod. 29: 81–90.Google Scholar
Cowan, R. T., Robinson, J. J., Mcdonald, I. and Smart, R. 1980. Effects of body fatness at lambing and diet in lactation on body tissue loss, feed intake and milk yield of ewes in early lactation. J. agric. Sci., Comb. 95: 497–514.CrossRefGoogle Scholar
Cowan, R. T., Robinson, J. J., Mchattie, I. and Pennie, K. 1981. Effects of protein concentration in the diet on milk yield, change in body composition and the efficiency of utilization of body tissue for milk production in ewes. Anim. Prod. 33: 111–120.Google Scholar
Forbes, J. M. 1977. Interrelationships between physical and metabolic control of voluntary food intake in fattening, pregnant and lactating mature sheep: a model. Anim. Prod. 24: 91–101.Google Scholar
Gonzalez, J. S., Robinson, J. J., Mchattie, I. and Mehrez, A. Z. 1979. The use of lactating ewes in evaluating protein sources for ruminants. Proc. Nutr. Soc. 38: 145A (Abstr.).Google ScholarPubMed
Hart, I. C., Bines, J. A., Morant, S. V. and Ridley, J. L. 1978. Endocrine control of energy metabolism in the cow: comparison of the levels of hormones (prolactin, growth hormone, insulin and thyroxine) and metabolites in the plasma of high- and low-yielding cattle at various stages of lactation. J. Endocr. 77: 333–345.CrossRefGoogle ScholarPubMed
Kaufmann, W. 1979. Protein utilization. In Feeding Strategy for the High Yielding Dairy Cow (ed. Broster, W. H. and Swan, H.), pp. 90–113. Granada Publishing, London.Google Scholar
Morley, G., Dawson, A. and Marks, V. 1968. Manual and autoanalyser methods for measuring blood glucose using guaiacum and glucose oxidase. Proc. Ass. Clin. Biochem. 5:42–45.Google Scholar
Oldham, J. D. 1980. Protein and the high-yielding cow. In Feeding Strategies for Dairy Cows (ed. Broster, W. H., Johnson, C. L. and Tayler, J. C.), pp. 7.1–7.19. Agricultural Research Council, London.Google Scholar
Oldham, J. D. and Sutton, J. D. 1979. Milk composition and the high yielding cow. In Feeding Strategy for the High Yielding Dairy Cow (ed. Broster, W. H. and Swan, H.), pp. 114–147. Granada Publishing, London.Google Scholar
Oldham, J. D., Sutton, J. D. and Mcallan, A. B. 1979. Protein digestion and utilization by dairy cows. Annls Rech. Vét. 10: 290–293.Google ScholarPubMed
Ørskov, E. R. and McDonald, I. 1979. The estimation of protein degradability in the rumen from incubation measurements weighted according to rate of passage. J. agric. Sci., Camb. 92: 499–503.CrossRefGoogle Scholar
Papas, A. 1977. Protein requirements of lactating Chios ewes. J. Anim. Sci. 44: 672–679.CrossRefGoogle ScholarPubMed
Robinson, J. J., Fraser, C., Gill, J. C. and Mchattie, I. 1974. The effect of dietary crude protein concentration and time of weaning on milk production and body-weight change in the ewe. Anim. Prod. 19: 331–339.Google Scholar
Robinson, J. J., Mchattie, I., Calderon Cortes, J. F. and Thompson, J. L. 1979. Further studies on the response of lactating ewes to dietary protein. Anim. Prod. 29: 257–269.Google Scholar
Rook, J. A. F. 1976. Nutritional influences on milk quality. In Principles of Cattle Production (ed. Swan, H. and Broster, W. H.), pp. 221–236. Butterworth, London.Google Scholar
Van Horn, H. H., Zometa, C. A., Wilcox, C. J., Marshall, S. P. and HarrisB., Jr. B., Jr. 1979. Complete rations for dairy cattle. VIII. Effect of percent and source of protein on milk yield and ration digestibility. J. Dairy Sci. 62: 1086–1093.CrossRefGoogle Scholar