Rate of feed degradation in strip-grazing dairy cows

2006 ◽  
Vol 46 (7) ◽  
pp. 975 ◽  
Author(s):  
Y. J. Williams ◽  
P. T. Doyle ◽  
A. R. Egan
Keyword(s):  
Dairy Cows ◽  
Incubation Period ◽  
Perennial Ryegrass ◽  
Rumen Fluid ◽  
Rumen Ph ◽  
Period 2 ◽  
Degradation Rates ◽  
Persian Clover ◽  
Grazing Dairy Cows ◽  
Strip Grazing

Nylon bags containing Persian clover, perennial ryegrass or perennial pasture hay were incubated for 12-h periods in lactating dairy cows grazing Persian clover pasture. The hypothesis was that the rate of dry matter disappearance over the first 12 h of incubation in the rumen would be lower when bags were inserted at a time when the rumen pH was at its lowest point for the day compared with a time when it was at its highest. It was also hypothesised that the reduction in rate of DM loss over 12 h at the initially low and then fluctuating rumen pH would be lower for Persian clover than for perennial ryegrass and the hay. Rumen fistulated cows grazing at 4 different pasture allowances (9, 16, 32 and 53 kg DM/day; 4 cows per treatment) were used in a completely randomised, split-plot design. The nylon bag incubation periods were 0700 to 1900 hours (period 1) and 1900 to 0700 hours (period 2) and rumen fluid pH was measured every 3 h during these periods. The ruminal fluid pH at the time of insertion of the nylon bags was higher (6.3 v. 5.7; P<0.001) in incubation period 1 than in period 2, and there was an interaction between the effects of incubation period and pasture allowance on the average rumen fluid pH in each period. Rate of DM loss was higher (3.47 v. 3.28%/h; P = 0.019) in incubation period 1 than in incubation period 2, highest (P<0.001) for clover, followed by ryegrass and then hay (5.05 v. 3.15 v. 1.93%/h) and higher (P<0.001) in cows grazing at the low (9 and 16 kg DM/cow) compared with high (32 and 53 kg DM/cow) allowances. There was a significant linear relationship (P<0.05) between DM loss rate calculated over 12 h and rumen fluid pH for grass and hay, but for clover this relationship only occurred in incubation period 2. These results suggest that more than 1 factor is important for determining feed degradation rates in the rumen at any particular time and that only using rates of forage DM loss that are obtained from nylon bags inserted prior to the morning feed, may overestimate the extent of rumen degradation of the feed eaten over the whole day in cows strip-grazing highly digestible pastures.

Rumen fermentation characteristics of dairy cows grazing different allowances of Persian clover- or perennial ryegrass-dominant swards in spring

2005 ◽  
Vol 45 (6) ◽  
pp. 665 ◽  
Author(s):  
Y. J. Williams ◽  
G. P. Walker ◽  
P. T. Doyle ◽  
A. R. Egan ◽  
C. R. Stockdale
Keyword(s):  
Fatty Acid ◽  
Dairy Cows ◽  
Perennial Ryegrass ◽  
Volatile Fatty Acid ◽  
Dry Matter ◽  
Rumen Fluid ◽  
Rumen Fermentation ◽  
Total Volatile ◽  
Persian Clover ◽  
Grazing Dairy Cows

An experiment was conducted in which cows in early lactation grazed Persian clover (Trifolium resupinatum L.) or perennial ryegrass (Lolium perenne L.)-dominant pastures at low or high pasture allowances in order to determine the effects of pasture type and level of feeding on rumen fermentation patterns. The hypotheses for grazing dairy cows were: (i) the consumption of Persian clover would result in a more rapid rate of degradation and less stable rumen fermentation patterns compared with perennial ryegrass; and (ii) the greater intake of cows grazing at high compared with low pasture allowances would also cause less stable rumen fermentation patterns. Stability of rumen fermentation refers to the level to which rumen fluid pH declines, especially for long periods of a day, indicating that the rumen is not coping with neutralising and/or removing acids. Cows grazing Persian clover had lower (P<0.05) average daily rumen fluid pH (5.7 v. 5.9), molar proportions of acetic acid (68.3 v. 70.6%) and ratios of lipogenic to glucogenic volatile fatty acid (4.6 v. 5.1) in the rumen than those grazing perennial ryegrass. They had higher (P<0.05) rumen fluid ammonia-N (26.3 v. 13.0 mg/100 mL) and total volatile fatty acid (165 v. 134 mmol/L) concentrations and molar proportions of butyric (11.3 v. 10.7%) and propionic (17.2 v. 16.1%) acids than cows grazing perennial ryegrass. Cows grazing at low pasture allowances had a higher (P<0.05) average daily rumen fluid pH (5.9 v. 5.7) and lower rumen fluid ammonia-N (18.6 v. 20.7 mg/100 mL) and total volatile fatty acid (143 v. 156 mmol/L) concentrations than cows grazing at high pasture allowances. Cows given Persian clover at the high allowance had a rumen fluid pH less than 6.0 for the entire day while rumen fluid pH was below 6.0 for at least 15 h of the day on all the other treatments. There was no effect (P>0.05) of pasture allowance on the degradation rate of perennial ryegrass dry matter, but the higher allowance of Persian clover resulted in the highest (P<0.05) rate of degradation of dry matter compared with either ryegrass treatment or the low allowance of Persian clover. The effective dry matter degradability of Persian clover was greater (P<0.05) than that of perennial ryegrass, and the effective dry matter degradability of herbage in cows grazing at low allowances was greater (P<0.05) than at higher allowances. However, future research should consider neutral detergent fibre degradation in grazing dairy cows with low rumen fluid pH levels.

Persian clover and maize silage. III. Rumen fermentation and balance of nutrients when clover and silage are fed to lactating dairy cows

1994 ◽  
Vol 45 (8) ◽  
pp. 1783 ◽  
Author(s):  
CR Stockdale
Keyword(s):  
Zea Mays ◽  
Dairy Cows ◽  
Milk Fat ◽  
Maize Silage ◽  
Lactating Dairy Cows ◽  
Degradation Rates ◽  
Persian Clover ◽  
Yield Responses ◽  
Trifolium Resupinatum

Six rumen fistulated dairy cows, at various stages of lactation, were housed in metabolism stalls on a total of nine occasions in three experiments in which various combinations of Persian clover (Trifolium resupinatum) and maize (Zea mays) silage were offered. These experiments considered some aspects of digestion of Persian clover and Persian clover/maize silage diets in order to understand the good milk yield responses attributed to maize silage measured in previous research. Rumen ammonia concentrations and nylon bag degradation rates suggested that the cows made better use of one or both feeds when Persian clover and maize silage were offered together than they did when Persian clover was offered alone. While Persian clover and maize silage appeared to be a substantially inferior diet in terms of apparent in vivo digestibility coefficients and availability of nutrients when compared with Persian clover offered alone, milk yields were unaffected. In addition, no matter how much maize silage was offered, milk fat content remained constant. These results were attributed to an improved balance of absorbed nutrients.

The effect of perennial ryegrass ploidy and white clover inclusion on milk production of dairy cows

2020 ◽  
Vol 60 (1) ◽  
pp. 143 ◽  
Author(s):  
Bríd McClearn ◽  
Trevor Gilliland ◽  
Clare Guy ◽  
Michael Dineen ◽  
Fergal Coughlan ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Dairy Cows ◽  
Milk Production ◽  
Perennial Ryegrass ◽  
White Clover ◽  
Application Rate ◽  
Dairy Farmers ◽  
Increase Milk Production ◽  
Grazing Systems ◽  
Fertiliser Application ◽  
Grazing Dairy Cows

Grazed grass is considered the cheapest feed available for dairy cows in temperate regions, and to maximise profits, dairy farmers must utilise this high-quality feed where possible. Recent research has reported that including white clover (Trifolium repens L.) in grass swards can have a positive effect on milk production. The aim of the present study was to quantify the effect of tetraploid and diploid perennial ryegrass (Lolium perenne L.; PRG) swards sown with and without white clover on the milk production of grazing dairy cows. Four grazing treatments were used for the study; tetraploid-only PRG swards, diploid-only PRG swards, tetraploid PRG with white clover swards and diploid PRG with white clover swards. Thirty cows were assigned to each treatment and swards were rotationally grazed at a stocking rate of 2.75 cows/ha and a nitrogen-fertiliser application rate of 250 kg/ha annually. There was no significant effect of ploidy on milk production. Over the present 4-year study, cows grazing the PRG–white clover treatments had greater milk yields (+597 kg/cow.year) and milk-solid yield (+48 kg/cow.year) than cows grazing the PRG-only treatments. This significant increase in milk production suggests that the inclusion of white clover in grazing systems can be effectively used to increase milk production of grazing dairy cows.

scholarly journals PSVII-11 Monensin and supplementation level effects on ruminal parameters and in-situ disappearance of steers receiving bermudagrass

2019 ◽  
Vol 97 (Supplement_3) ◽  
pp. 299-299
Author(s):  
Jhone de Sousa ◽  
Joao Vendramini ◽  
Philipe Moriel ◽  
Hiran da Silva ◽  
Joao Sanchez ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Incubation Period ◽  
Cynodon Dactylon ◽  
Rumen Fluid ◽  
Latin Square ◽  
Rumen Ph

Abstract The objective of this study was to evaluate the effects of monensin and supplementation level on bermudagrass (Cynodon dactylon) in situ disappearance and ruminal parameters. The experiment was conducted in Ona, FL. Treatments were the factorial arrangement of 2 supplementation levels [0.4 (low) or 4 kg/d (high)] and 2 monensin levels (20 mg/kg of the DM intake or no monensin) distributed in a latin square design. Four rumen-cannulated steers were used with 10-d adaptation and 3-d incubation and collection periods. Samples were incubated in the rumen with nylon bags and analyzed for DM, CP, and NDF disappearance. Rumen fluid was collected for 3 d during the incubation period and analyzed for pH, ammonia, propionate, lactate, and butyrate. There was no effect (P &gt; 0.05) of monensin on potential DM, CP, and NDF disappearance; however, greater supplementation level increased (P &lt; 0.03) potential DM disappearance (64 vs. 61%) and NDF disappearance (60 vs. 57%). Steers receiving greater supplementation level had greater (P = 0.01) total DMI (1.4 vs. 1.0% BW) but there was no difference in forage DMI (P = 0.72, mean = 1.0 ± 0.1% BW). There was a monensin × supplementation level interaction on ruminal propionate concentration. The interaction occurred because there was no effect (P = 0.64) of monensin with low supplementation (mean = 12 ± 1.2 mol/100 mol); however, monensin increased propionate on high supplementation from 15 to 19 mol/100 mol. There was an increase (P &lt; 0.05) in ruminal ammonia (from 1.9 to 4.4 mg/100 ml) and lactate (from 60 to 64 mol/100 mol) from low to high supplementation. Rumen pH and butyrate were not affected by monensin or supplementation (P &gt; 0.12). Monensin did not change forage disappearance parameters but increased ruminal propionate production in steers receiving greater amount of concentrate.

Rumen gases and bloat in grazing dairy cows

1997 ◽  
Vol 129 (4) ◽  
pp. 459-469 ◽  
Author(s):  
P. J. MOATE ◽  
T. CLARKE ◽  
L. H. DAVIS ◽  
R. H. LABY
Keyword(s):  
Carbon Dioxide ◽  
Dairy Cows ◽  
Perennial Ryegrass ◽  
White Clover ◽  
Tracer Technique ◽  
Novel Technique ◽  
Lactating Dairy Cows ◽  
Headspace Gas ◽  
Grazing Dairy Cows ◽  
Kinetics Of

Results are reported from three experiments conducted at the Dairy Research Institute, Ellinbank, Australia during 1992/93 which examined the composition and kinetics of the gas in the rumen headspace of lactating dairy cows grazing white clover/perennial ryegrass pastures. Before grazing, rumen headspace gas was composed of carbon dioxide 65%, methane 31% and nitrogen 4% whereas, after one hour of active grazing, the headspace gas was composed of carbon dioxide 76%, methane 22% and nitrogen 2%. The composition of headspace gas was not affected by antibloat capsules (which release 250 mg/day of monensin). The headspace gas from bloated cows contained slightly less (P<0·01) carbon dioxide and slightly more nitrogen than that from non-bloated cows.A novel technique which employs ethane as a tracer to measure rumen headspace volume and the kinetics of the rumen headspace gases is described. The tracer technique was used in two experiments in which the influence of grazing, antibloat capsules and bloat on the rumen headspace volume and the kinetics of the headspace gases were examined. It is concluded that our ethane tracer technique provides a simple and inexpensive way to estimate methane production by grazing ruminants.

Persian clover and maize silage. I. Silage as a supplement for lactating dairy cows offered herbage of different quality

1994 ◽  
Vol 45 (8) ◽  
pp. 1751 ◽  
Author(s):  
CR Stockdale
Keyword(s):  
Dairy Cows ◽  
Body Condition ◽  
Perennial Ryegrass ◽  
Milk Fat ◽  
Milk Composition ◽  
Maize Silage ◽  
Lactating Dairy Cows ◽  
Milk Protein Content ◽  
Persian Clover ◽  
Basal Ration

A penfeeding experiment, involving 29 lactating dairy cows, was undertaken to assess the use of Persian clover (Trifolium resupinaturn) herbage instead of perennial ryegrass (Lolium perenne)-dominant herbage as the basal ration in diets in which maize silage (0 to 10.6 kg DM/cow day-1) was used as a supplement. This was supported by a second experiment in which 16 cows grazed limited amounts of Persian clover pasture (herbage allowance of 16.5 kg DM/cow day-1) and were supplemented with various amounts of maize silage (0 to 8.3 kg DM/cow daym-1). In the pen experiment, feeding maize silage to cows grossly underfed with perennial ryegrass pasture resulted in a marginal response to additional feeding of 0.9 kg milk for each of the first 5 kg DM of supplement eaten. This level of supplementary feeding constituted about 40% of the diet. Thereafter, maize silage resulted in virtually no additional milk and the best fed cows only produced about 20 kg of milk. A much greater response in milk yield (1.4 kg milk/kg DM of additional maize silage eaten) was obtained when Persian clover was substituted as the basal ration. There were no differences in milk composition or changes in body condition between cows offered the different basal herbages. Milk fat content averaged 3.9% across all cows, while milk protein content and change in body condition increased by 0.03% and 0.13 units for each additional kg DM of maize silage eaten each day. In the grazing experiment, when a small amount of maize silage was fed to the cows, the marginal return was 1.2 kg milk for each additional kg DM of maize silage eaten. This is only slightly lower than that reported for the indoor feeding study. A major reason for the good response was the negligible substitution of maize silage for Persian clover that occurred with the first increment of supplement in the diet. With higher levels of maize silage feeding, no extra milk was produced. It was the increase in the level of substitution at the higher levels of maize silage that eliminated the possibility of additional responses in milk production.

Synchronization of ingestive behaviour by grazing dairy cows

1995 ◽  
Vol 60 (1) ◽  
pp. 25-30 ◽  
Author(s):  
A. J. Rook ◽  
C. A. Huckle
Keyword(s):  
Dairy Cows ◽  
Perennial Ryegrass ◽  
White Clover ◽  
Kappa Statistic ◽  
Lactating Dairy Cows ◽  
Random Expectation ◽  
Grazing Dairy Cows ◽  
Ingestive Behaviour

AbstractThe synchronization of eating, ruminating and idling activity by lactating dairy cows grazing a perennial ryegrass-white clover sward was studied. Synchronization was defined as the number of pairs of cows engaged in a particular activity as a proportion of the total possible number of pairs and was compared with random expectation using a kappa statistic. All three activities were significantly more synchronized than random expectation. This suggests that wherever possible individual cows should not be treated as replicates in grazing experiments.

505 Late-Breaking: Ruminal Microbiota, Inflammation Cytokines, and Performance of High-yield Dairy Cows Supplemented with Saccharomyces Cerevisiae Culture

2021 ◽  
Vol 99 (Supplement_3) ◽  
pp. 179-180
Author(s):  
Xiaoge Sun ◽  
Shu Zhang ◽  
Erdan Wang ◽  
Na Lu ◽  
Wei Wang ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Saccharomyces Cerevisiae ◽  
Dairy Cows ◽  
Milk Yield ◽  
Relative Abundance ◽  
Milk Fat ◽  
Rumen Fluid ◽  
High Yield ◽  
Rumen Ph ◽  
And Performance ◽  
Inflammation Cytokines

Abstract Dramatic increases in milk yields in recent decades have created challenges in terms of rumen pH and microbial health which ultimately impact dairy cow health. The objective of this study was to assess the effects on ruminal pH, Volatile Fatty Acid (VFA), microbiota, inflammation, and performance of high-yield dairy cows by supplementing Saccharomyces cerevisiae culture (SC). Forty Holstein cows were divided into two groups based on their milk yield, days of milk, and parity fed the same basal ration diet that did or did not contain 100 g of SC /cow per day. Individual dry matter intake (DMI) and milk yield were recorded each day. Rumen fluid and milk samples were collected after 2 hours of morning feeding at intervals of 15 days during the experiment period. The data showed that rumen pH was increased by 0.19 (P = 0.09) when SC was supplemented than no SC was provided. SC-supplemented cow consumed 0.28 kg (P &lt; 0.05) extra DM/d. Those supplemented with SC produced 1.36 kg (P &lt; 0.05) more milk/cow per day than did non-supplemented cows. Milk fat percentage was higher (4.11 vs. 3.96%) for cows receiving SC. There were no differences in milk protein percentage. Rumen fluid VFA concentration was not statistically affected by SC but was numerically higher acetic and lower propionic for supplemented cows. The blood of the SC group with lower inflammation cytokines and somatic cell count (SCC). SC-supplemented cows had a greater relative abundance of Prevotellaceae, Succinivibrionaceae, Fibrobacteraceae, Lactobacillaceae, and lower relative abundance of Spirochaetaceae, Methanobacteriaceae, Enterobacteriaceae than the unsupplemented cows. It had greater functions on xylanolysis, fermentation, cellulolysis in the rumen in terms of the KEGG function prediction analysis. This study demonstrated that high-yield lactation cows receiving supplemental SC produced more milk and potentially reduced the inflammation and enhanced rumen cellulolysis bacteria growth.

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