Hostname: page-component-586b7cd67f-g8jcs Total loading time: 0 Render date: 2024-11-26T23:56:50.020Z Has data issue: false hasContentIssue false

A mixture of malt distillers' grains (draff) and pot ale syrup as a food for dairy cows

Published online by Cambridge University Press:  02 September 2010

M. E. Castle
Affiliation:
Hannah Research Institute, Ayr KA6 5HL
J. N. Watson
Affiliation:
Hannah Research Institute, Ayr KA6 5HL
Get access

Abstract

Twelve Ayrshire cows in a 16-week changeover design experiment were offered 8 kg hay per day together with a daily supplement of either: A, 8 kg concentrates; B, 6 kg concentrates and 4·5 to 50 kg draff/syrup mixture; or C, 4 kg concentrates and 9·0 to 10·0 kg draff/syrup mixture. The concentrate and the draff/syrup mixture had dry-matter concentrations of 872 and 385g/kg, and contained 229 and 255 g crude protein per kg dry matter respectively. Total daily intakes of dry matter were 13·77, 13·80 and 13·81 kg per cow for treatments A, B and C respectively, and were not significantly different. The mean daily milk yields for treatments B and C were 18·2 and 18·5 kg per cow respectively, and were significantly higher than the yield of 17·3 kg per cow for treatment A. The solids-not-fat and lactose concentrations in the milk, and the mean live weights, were also significantly higher for treatment C than for treatment A. Based on the differences in milk yield and composition between treatments, it was estimated that the metabolizable energy value of the draff/syrup mixture was 12·2MJ/kg dry matter. It is concluded that the draff/syrup mixture was a safe and acceptable food for dairy cows when it replaced half of the concentrate dry matter.

Type
Research Article
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

Blaxter, K. L. and Clapperton, J. L. 1965. Prediction of the amount of methane produced by ruminants. Br. J. Nutr. 19: 511522.CrossRefGoogle ScholarPubMed
Ministry of Agriculture, Fisheries and Food, Department of Agriculture and Fisheries for Scotland and Department of Agriculture for Northern Ireland. 1975. Energy allowances and feeding systems for ruminants. Tech. Bull. 33. Her Majesty's Stationery Office, London.Google Scholar
North of Scotland College of Agriculture. 1969. Drafffor Animal Feeding. A report made to Pot Still Malt Distillers' Association of Scotland. North of Scotland College of Agriculture, Aberdeen.Google Scholar
Patterson, H. D. and Lucas, H. L. 1962. Change-over designs. Tech. Bull. N. Carol, agric. Exp. Stn, No. 147, pp 353.Google Scholar
Wainman, F. W. and Dewey, P. J. S. 1982. The energy value ot ruminants of malt distillers' draff, and of a mixture of draff and pot ale syrup. Anim. Prod. 34: 325328.Google Scholar