Hostname: page-component-78c5997874-fbnjt Total loading time: 0 Render date: 2024-11-19T05:34:30.407Z Has data issue: false hasContentIssue false
  • English
  • Français

Intake of selected minerals on commercial dairy herds in central and northern England in comparison with requirements

Published online by Cambridge University Press:  02 October 2014

L. A. SINCLAIR  and
N. E. ATKINS
N. E. ATKINS
Affiliation:
Department of Animal Production, Welfare and Veterinary Sciences, Harper Adams University, Edgmond, Newport, Shropshire TF10 8NB, UK
Get access Rights & Permissions [Opens in a new window]

Summary

Overfeeding minerals to dairy herds will raise diet cost, increase their excretion into the environment and for minerals such as copper (Cu) can lead to poisoning and cow death. In contrast, underfeeding may compromise cow performance, health and fertility. Despite this, the level of mineral intake on commercial dairy units is poorly documented. To determine the mineral intake on commercial dairy herds in central and northern England over the winter of 2011/12 and compare these to recommended levels, samples of compound feed, forage mix, supplementary sources (including lick blocks, rumen boluses, free access minerals and drenches) and drinking water were collected from 50 herds over the winter feeding period and analysed for 10 macro and trace minerals. For cows in early lactation the mean dietary concentration of phosphorus (P) was 4·5 g/kg dry matter (DM) (s.d. 0·70), 0·1 g/kg DM below UK requirements, and for calcium (Ca) was 10·2 g/kg DM (s.d. 2·94), 5·9 g/kg DM above requirements. Trace mineral concentrations were also in excess of requirements in early lactation, with a mean dietary Cu concentration of 28 mg/kg DM (s.d. 9·85), approximately 18 mg/kg DM above UK requirements, with 32 of the 50 herds feeding above the UK industry recommended maximum of 20 mg/kg DM and 6 above the EU limit of 40 mg/kg DM. Dietary mineral concentrations were generally lower in late lactation but still higher than requirements. The forage mix (including supplementary feeds and minerals) contributed the greatest amount of minerals, with percentile ranges (10th–90th) of 2·1–4·4 g/kg diet DM for P, 1·4–3·2 g/kg diet DM for magnesium (Mg) and 5·3–25·0 mg/kg diet DM for Cu. Compounds fed in the milking parlour supplied (10th–90th percentile) 0·0–1·4 g P g/kg diet DM, 0·0–1·2 g Mg/kg diet DM and 0·0–11·6 mg Cu/kg diet DM. For the upper 90th percentile of dairy herds, water supplied proportionally 0·08 of Ca requirements recommended in early lactation in the UK, whilst supplementary mineral sources supplied up to 0·64 of Cu and 0·43 of zinc (Zn) requirements. High dietary concentrations of Cu were not justified by the presence of the dietary antagonist molybdenum (Mo), with no relationship between the two minerals in early or late lactation diets. In conclusion, most dairy herds were feeding excess amounts of minerals over the winter feeding period when compared to UK or other national recommended guidelines, with the implications of a higher diet cost and negative impact on the environment and animal health.

Type
Animal Research Papers
Information
The Journal of Agricultural Science , Volume 153 , Issue 4 , May 2015 , pp. 743 - 752
Copyright
Copyright © Cambridge University Press 2014 

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

Advisory Committee on Animal Feed (2010). Presentation on copper supplementation in animal feed. In Minutes of the ACAF Meeting held on 15th Dec 2010, Aviation House, London. London: ACAF. Available online from: http://acaf.food.gov.uk/acafmeets/acaf_2010_meetings/acafmeet151210/acafmins1210 (accessed August 2014).Google Scholar
Agricultural and Food Research Council (AFRC) (1991). Technical committee on responses to nutrients, Report 6. A reappraisal of the calcium and phosphorus requirements of sheep and cattle. Nutrition Abstracts and Reviews (Series B) 61, 573–612.Google Scholar
Agricultural Research Council (ARC) (1980). Nutrient Requirements of Ruminant Livestock. Farnham Royal, Slough, UK: CAB.Google Scholar
Animal Health and Veterinary Laboratories Agency (AHVLA) (2014). Yearly trends 2005–1012: Cattle. In Veterinary Investigation Surveillance Report (VIDA): 2012. London: HMSO. Available online from: https://www.gov.uk/government/statistics/veterinary-investigation-diagnosis-analysis-vida-report-2012 (accessed April 28, 2014).Google Scholar
Anon. (2001). July sees an increased incidence of copper poisoning in cattle. Veterinary Record 149, 257–260.Google Scholar
Association of Official Analytical Communities (AOAC) (2000). Official Methods of Analysis. 17th edn.Arlington, VA, USA: AOAC.Google Scholar
Beede, D. K., Wang, C., Donovan, G. A., Archbald, L. F. & Sanchez, W. K. (1991). Dietary cation-anion difference (electrolyte balance) in late pregnancy. In: Proceedings of the 28th Annual Florida Dairy Production Conference: Dairying in the 90s, pp. 98–103. Gainsville, FL, USA: University of Florida. Available online from: http://dairy.ifas.ufl.edu/dpc/1991/Beede.pdf (accessed August 2014).Google Scholar
Bidewell, C. A., David, G. P. & Livesey, C. T. (2000). Copper toxicity in cattle. Veterinary Record 147, 399–400.Google Scholar
Call, J. W., Butcher, J. E., Shupe, J. L., Lamb, R. C., Boman, R. L. & Olsen, A. E. (1987). Clinical effects of low dietary phosphorus concentrations in feed given to lactating dairy cows. American Journal of Veterinary Research 48, 133–136.Google ScholarPubMed
Castillo, A. R., St-Pierre, N. R., Silva del Rio, N. & Weiss, W. P. (2013). Mineral concentrations in diets, water, and milk and their value in estimating on-farm excretion of manure minerals in lactating dairy cows. Journal of Dairy Science 96, 3388–3398.Google Scholar
Challa, J., Braithwaite, G. D. & Dhanoa, M. S. (1989). Phosphorus homoeostasis in growing calves. Journal of Agricultural Science, Cambridge 112, 217–226.Google Scholar
Cope, C. M., Mackenzie, A. M., Wilde, D. & Sinclair, L. A. (2009). Effects of level and form of dietary zinc on dairy cow performance and health. Journal of Dairy Science 92, 2128–2135.Google Scholar
Commonwealth Scientific and Industrial Research Organisation (CSIRO) (2007). Nutrient Requirements of Domesticated Ruminants. Collingwood, Australia: CSIRO Publishing.Google Scholar
Department for the Environment, Food and Rural Affairs (Defra) (2013). Agriculture in the United Kingdom 2012. London: Defra. Available online from: https://www.gov.uk/government/publications/agriculture-in-the-united-kingdom-2012. (accessed 17th December 2013)Google Scholar
Elizondo Salazar, J. A., Ferguson, J. D., Beegle, D. B., Remsburg, D. W. & Wu, Z. (2013). Body phosphorus mobilization and deposition during lactation in dairy cows. Journal of Animal Physiology and Animal Nutrition 97, 502–514.Google Scholar
Ferris, C. P., Patterson, D. C., McCoy, M. A. & Kilpatrick, D. J. (2010 a). Effect of offering dairy cows diets differing in phosphorus concentration over four successive lactations: 1. Food intake, milk production, tissue changes and blood metabolites. Animal 4, 545–559.Google Scholar
Ferris, C. P., McCoy, M. A., Patterson, D. C. & Kilpatrick, D. J. (2010 b). Effect of offering dairy cows diets differing in phosphorus concentration over four successive lactations: 2. Health, fertility, bone phosphorus reserves and nutrient utilisation. Animal 4, 560–571.CrossRefGoogle ScholarPubMed
Genther, O. N. & Beede, D. K. (2013). Preference and drinking behavior of lactating dairy cows offered water with different concentrations, valences, and sources of iron. Journal of Dairy Science 96, 1164–1176.Google Scholar
Gould, L. & Kendall, N. R. (2011). Role of the rumen in copper and thiomolybdate absorption. Nutrition Research Reviews 24, 176–182.Google Scholar
Hristov, A. N., Hazen, W. & Ellsworth, J. W. (2006). Efficiency of use of imported nitrogen, phosphorus, and potassium and potential for reducing phosphorus imports on Idaho dairy farms. Journal of Dairy Science 89, 3702–3712.CrossRefGoogle ScholarPubMed
Hristov, A. N., Hazen, W. & Ellsworth, J. W. (2007). Efficiency of use of imported magnesium, sulfur, copper and zinc on Idaho dairy farms. Journal of Dairy Science 90, 3034–3043.Google Scholar
Jarrige, R. (1989). Ruminant Nutrition: Recommended Allowances and Feed Tables. Paris, France: INRA.Google Scholar
Laven, R. A. & Livesey, C. T. (2005). The diagnosis of copper related disease, Part 2: copper responsive disorders. Cattle Practice 13, 55–60.Google Scholar
Li, Y., McCrory, D. F., Powell, J. M., Saam, H. & Jackson-Smith, D. (2005). A survey of heavy metal concentrations in Wisconsin dairy feeds. Journal of Dairy Science 88, 2911–2922.Google Scholar
Little, W. & Shaw, S. R. (1978). A note on the individuality of the intake of drinking water by dairy cows. Animal Production 26, 225–227.Google Scholar
Morant, S. V. & Gnanasakthy, A. (1989). A new approach to the mathematical formulation of lactation curves. Animal Production 49, 151–162.Google Scholar
National Research Council (NRC) (2001). Nutrient Requirements of Dairy Cattle. 7th revised edn.Washington, DC: National Academy Press.Google Scholar
National Research Council (NRC) (2005). Mineral Tolerance of Animals. 2nd revised edn.Washington, DC: National Academy Press.Google Scholar
Phillippo, M., Humphries, W. R., Atkinson, T., Henderson, G. D. & Garthwaite, P. H. (1987). The effect of dietary molybdenum and iron on copper status, puberty, fertility and oestrus cycles in cattle. Journal of Agricultural Science, Cambridge 109, 321–336.Google Scholar
Schnewille, J. T., Van't Klooster, A. T. & Beynen, A. C. (1994). High phosphorus intake depresses apparent magnesium absorption in pregnant heifers. Journal of Animal Physiology and Animal Nutrition 71, 15–21.Google Scholar
Sinclair, L. A. (2006). Effect of sample position within a clamp on the nutritive value of fermented and urea-treated whole crop wheat. Proceedings of the British Society of Animal Science p. 44. Penicuik, UK: BSAS.Google Scholar
Sinclair, L. A. & Mackenzie, A. M. (2013). Mineral nutrition of dairy cows: supply vs. requirements. In Recent Advances in Animal Nutrition (Eds, Garnsworthy, P. C. & Wiseman, J.) pp. 13–30. Ashby de la Zouch, UK: Context Products Ltd.Google Scholar
Sinclair, L. A., Hart, K. J., Johnson, D. & Mackenzie, A. M. (2013). Effect of inorganic or organic copper fed without or with added sulfur and molybdenum on the performance, indicators of copper status and hepatic mRNA in dairy cows. Journal of Dairy Science 96, 4355–4367.CrossRefGoogle ScholarPubMed
Socha, M. T., Ensley, S. M., Tomlinson, D. J. & Johnson, A. B. (2003). Variability of water composition and potential impact on animal performance. In Proceedings of the Intermountain Nutrition Conference, Salt Lake City, Utah, pp. 85–96. Logan, USA: Utah State University.Google Scholar
Suttle, N. F. (2010). Mineral Nutrition of Livestock. 4th edn.Wallingford, UK: CABI.Google Scholar
Valk, H. & Sěbek, L. B. J. (1999). Influence of long-term feeding of limited amounts of phosphorus on dry matter intake, milk production and body weight of dairy cows. Journal of Dairy Science 82, 2157–2163.Google Scholar
Wu, Z., Satter, L. D., Blohowiak, A. J., Stauffacher, R. H. & Wilson, J. H. (2001). Milk production, estimated phosphorus excretion, and bone characteristics of dairy cows fed different amounts of phosphorus for two or three years. Journal of Dairy Science 84, 1738–1748.Google Scholar
Zhang, M., He, Z., Calvert, D. V., Stoffella, P. J. & Yang, X. (2003). Surface runoff losses of copper and zinc in sandy soils. Journal of Environmental Quality 32, 909–915.Google Scholar