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Food intake, milk production and body-weight change of milking cows given complete diets to appetite

Published online by Cambridge University Press:  02 September 2010

D. A. Poole
D. A. Poole
Affiliation:
Boxworth Experimental Husbandry Farm, Boxworth, Cambridge CB3 8NN
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Abstract

In each of 2 years, 20 Friesian cows were given either a low-energy or a high-energy complete diet to appetite during weeks 3 to 20 of lactation. The diets for trial 1 contained concentrates, lucerne silage and chopped grass hay in the proportions 33:47:20 or 58:29:13. In trial 2, concentrates and lucerne silage were mixed in the proportions 38:62 or 75:25. These mixtures had energy concentrations of 10·2 or 11·2 and 10·3 or 11·9 MJ metabolizable energy per kg dry matter (DM) and crude protein concentrations of 144 or 160 and 140 or 157 g/kg DM in the low- and high-energy diets of trials 1 and 2 respectively.

Cows offered the low-energy diet consumed less DM daily (14·5 v. 17·4 (P < 0·001) and 15·2 v. 18·2 (P < 0·001) kg DM per day in trials 1 and 2). Daily milk yields were lower with low-energy diets (19·2 v. 22·3 (P < 0·001) and 18·7 v. 24·2 (P < 0·001) kg/day in trials 1 and 2), and there were significant differences between treatments in milk composition and live-weight changes.

The correlation between food intake and milk yield during weeks 3 to 20 was moderately strong (r2 = 0·58). Variation in food utilization efficiency between diets and parity groups was small in comparison to variation within parity groups.

During weeks 21 to 44 of lactation the cows were at grass. In trial 2, but not in trial 1, cows previously given the low-energy diet gave less milk (1999 v. 2644 (P < 0·001) kg) but gained more live weight. There were also differences in the composition of milk produced in this period.

Type
Research Article
Information
Animal Production , Volume 42 , Issue 3 , June 1986 , pp. 305 - 313
Copyright
Copyright © British Society of Animal Science 1986

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