Nutritional evaluation of whole plant maize ensiled at three chop lengths and fed to lactating dairy cows

1994 ◽  
Vol 34 (6) ◽  
pp. 709 ◽  
Author(s):  
CR Stockdale ◽  
GW Beavis
Keyword(s):  
Zea Mays ◽  
Regression Analysis ◽  
Dairy Cows ◽  
Maize Silage ◽  
Nutritional Evaluation ◽  
Lactating Dairy Cows ◽  
Whole Plant ◽  
Silage Quality ◽  
Daily Intakes ◽  
Daily Milk

Whole crop maize (Zea mays) was chopped at 3 lengths before ensiling; the maize was harvested with a precision chop harvester with screen apertures of either 9 cm2 (fine chopped maize), 36 cm2 (medium chopped maize), or no screen at all (coarse chopped maize). The 3 silages were each fed as a supplement to pasture to lactating dairy cows in 2 experiments. Although some of the variables measured to assess silage quality suggested that the preservation process may have deteriorated as length of chop increased, length of chop of maize generally appeared to have little effect on silage quality or milk production. In experiment 1, cows ate about 7 kg DM of pasture and 8-9 kg DM of maize silage per day. Mean daily milk yields for the cows offered fine, medium and coarse chopped silage were 18.0, 17.7 and 18.2 kg/cow, respectively. In experiment 2, where daily intakes of each maize silage covered the range of 0-10.7 kg DM/cow, regression analysis could not detect any differences in milk responses between chop lengths. We concluded that aspects other than nutritional considerations should determine the length of chop that farmers aim for when making maize silage; these include ease of compaction in the bunker to ensure the production of good quality silage, and fuel consumption during harvesting.

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.

Replacing grazing with a maize silage-based indoor diet for lactating dairy cows in autumn

2001 ◽  
Vol 2001 ◽  
pp. 195-195
Author(s):  
O. Hernandez-Mendo ◽  
J. D. Leaver
Keyword(s):  
Dairy Cows ◽  
Milk Yield ◽  
Maize Silage ◽  
Behavioural Responses ◽  
Lactating Dairy Cows ◽  
Soyabean Meal ◽  
Grazing Dairy Cows

Reducing the time available for grazing from 20h to 5h daily, and replacing this with access to a maize silage/soyabean meal diet indoors had no significant effect on milk yield in spring (Hernandez-Mendo and Leaver, 1999). Grazing conditions in autumn present additional problems of shorter daylength and accumulated herbage contamination. The objectives were to examine the production and behavioural responses of grazing dairy cows to reducing access to grazing and increasing access to a maize silage/soyabean meal diet offered indoors.

Incremental effects of ground rapeseed on digestion in lactating dairy cows

2002 ◽  
Vol 2002 ◽  
pp. 107-107
Author(s):  
C.K. Reynolds ◽  
D. J. Humphries ◽  
J. D. Sutton ◽  
B. Lupoli ◽  
D.E. Beever
Keyword(s):  
Dairy Cows ◽  
Unsaturated Fatty Acids ◽  
Metabolic Effects ◽  
Inhibitory Effects ◽  
Maize Silage ◽  
Negative Effects ◽  
Grass Silage ◽  
Lactating Dairy Cows ◽  
Production Study ◽  
Fatty Acid Absorption

Crushed rapeseed and other oil seeds offer an economical source of fat and protein in diets for lactating dairy cows, but the potential inhibitory effects of their unsaturated fatty acids on fibre digestion in the rumen are a concern. Feeding crushed rapeseed in a grass silage-based ration increased milk yield without affecting intake (Reynoldset al., 1998), and had no measurable effects on rumen or total tract digestion (Reynoldset al., 2000). In a companion study, feeding increasing amounts of ground rapeseed in a maize silage-based ration decreased DM intake at higher levels of inclusion (Reynoldset al., 2002). This effect may reflect metabolic effects of rapeseed fatty acid absorption, or negative effects of rapeseed oil on rumen fermentation and fibre digestion. The present study was conducted simultaneously to the production study to determine the incremental effects of ground rapeseed on rumen, post-rumen and total tract digestion in lactating dairy cows fed maize silage-based rations.

A note on the effect of cyclical changes in energy intake on lactating dairy cows

1975 ◽  
Vol 21 (1) ◽  
pp. 85-88 ◽  
Author(s):  
D. S. Scrimgeour ◽  
J. K. Thompson
Keyword(s):  
Dairy Cows ◽  
Energy Intake ◽  
Milk Yield ◽  
Significant Variation ◽  
Blood Composition ◽  
Lactating Dairy Cows ◽  
Fat Yield ◽  
Daily Milk Yield ◽  
Peak Lactation ◽  
Daily Milk

SUMMARYTwelve Ayrshire cows which had reached or just passed peak lactation were selected and divided into two balanced groups. One group was fed strictly according to yield. The other was fed overall according to yield, but was subjected to a 4-day cycle of energy intake. For 2 days energy intake was 12·2% above calculated requirements and for the next 2 days intake was 12·2% below calculated requirements. The treatment was imposed for 10 weeks and milk yield and composition, body weight and blood composition were measured in both groups of cows. A significant variation in daily milk yield and daily solids-not-fat yield was found to follow the feed cycle. Blood composition showed no significant variation.

Production of lactating dairy cows fed diets with lucerne or red clover silage with or without supplemental maize silage

2001 ◽  
Vol 2001 ◽  
pp. 186-187
Author(s):  
G. A. Broderick ◽  
R. P. Walgenbach
Keyword(s):  
Dairy Cows ◽  
Feed Efficiency ◽  
Trifolium Pratense ◽  
Enzyme System ◽  
Red Clover ◽  
Northern Europe ◽  
Maize Silage ◽  
Plant Phenols ◽  
Lactating Dairy Cows ◽  
Supplemental Protein

Lucerne (Medicago sativa) is a major, high protein forage fed to dairy cattle. However, during ensiling, much of the CP in lucerne silage (LS) is broken down to nonprotein N (NPN); high levels of NPN in LS depress protein utilisation in lactating dairy cows. Red clover (Trifolium pratense) is a high quality legume forage that can be grown in Britain and Northern Europe. Polyphenol oxidase, an enzyme system in red clover, converts plant phenols into quinones that react rapidly with forage proteins in the silo and result in red clover silage (RCS) having less NPN than LS. Earlier (Broderick et al., 2000), we reported that replacing LS with RCS lowered milk yield but improved feed efficiency and apparent digestibility. Our objective was to compare the production of dairy cows fed equal amounts DM as LS or RCS, with or without maize silage (MS) and supplemental protein added to the diet.

scholarly journals Increasing harvest maturity of whole-plant corn silage reduces methane emission of lactating dairy cows

2016 ◽  
Vol 99 (1) ◽  
pp. 354-368 ◽  
Author(s):  
B. Hatew ◽  
A. Bannink ◽  
H. van Laar ◽  
L.H. de Jonge ◽  
J. Dijkstra
Keyword(s):  
Dairy Cows ◽  
Methane Emission ◽  
Corn Silage ◽  
Lactating Dairy Cows ◽  
Whole Plant ◽  
Harvest Maturity

scholarly journals Effect of supplemental rumen-protected lysine, methionine or both added to diet of lactating dairy cows on milk fatty acids profile

2010 ◽  
Vol 58 (1) ◽  
pp. 87-94 ◽  
Author(s):  
Ludmila Křížová ◽  
Jiří Třináctý ◽  
Jarmila Svobodová ◽  
Michal Richter ◽  
Vladimír Černý ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Fatty Acids ◽  
Dairy Cows ◽  
Milk Fat ◽  
Latin Square ◽  
Total Content ◽  
Experimental Period ◽  
Maize Silage ◽  
Milk Fatty Acids ◽  
Fatty Acids Profile ◽  
Lactating Dairy Cows

The objective of this study was to determine the effect of supplemental lysine (Lys), methionine (Met) or both added to diet of dairy cows in the form of rumen-protected (RP) tablets on changes in milk fatty acids (FA) profile. The trial was carried out on four lactating Holstein cows in the form of Latin square design and was divided into 4 periods of 14 d (10-d preliminary period and a 4-d experimental period). The four treatments were as follows: C – control without amino acids (AA) supplementation, L – supplement of RP Lys, M – supplement of RP Met and ML – supplement of RP Met and Lys. Cows were fed on a diet based on maize silage, lucerne hay and supplemental mixture. Milk yield in ML (34.18 kg/d) was higher than in L or M (32.46 kg and 32.13 kg, respectively, P < 0.05) and tended to be higher than in C (33.33 kg/d, P > 0.05). Protein yield in ML (1054 g / d) was higher than that found in C, L or M (990, 998 or 968 g / d, respectively, P < 0.05). Milk fat content and yield in C and ML was higher in comparison to L and M (P < 0.05). Content of short-chain FA (C 4:0–C 12:0) was not affected by the treatment except of L that was lower than in C (P < 0.05). Content of medium-chain FA in M was lower compared to C, L or ML (P < 0.05). The content of long-chain FA in M was significantly higher than in other groups (P < 0.05). The total content of SFA in M was lower than in C or ML (P < 0.05) and tended to be lower than in L. Contents of UFA, MUFA and PUFA in M were higher than in C and ML (P < 0.05).

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.

scholarly journals Choice of grazed herbage or maize silage by lactating dairy cows: influence of sward height and concentrate level

2010 ◽  
Vol 62 (5) ◽  
pp. 1158-1166 ◽  
Author(s):  
O. Hernandez-Mendo ◽  
J.D. Leaver
Keyword(s):  
Dairy Cows ◽  
Feeding Time ◽  
Maize Silage ◽  
Concentrate Supplementation ◽  
Sward Height ◽  
Lactating Dairy Cows ◽  
Herbage Intake ◽  
Holstein Friesian ◽  
Concentrate Level ◽  
Friesian Cows

The preference of lactating dairy cows for grazed herbage or maize silage (MS), simultaneously offered ad libitum in the field, was examined at two sward heights (SH 4-6 and 8-10cm) and two concentrate levels (CL 0 and 6kg day-1) in a 2x2 factorial arrangement within a completely randomised experimental design. The experiment lasted 35 days and was carried out in spring using 24 multiparous Holstein Friesian cows. On average, the cows proportionately spent more time grazing than eating MS (0.85:0.15) and even though the higher rate of intake (RI) of dry matter (DM) of MS compared with grazed herbage (76 versus 26g DM min-1), the proportion of total DM intake as herbage was higher compared to that of MS (0.56:0.44). The higher crude protein and low fibre content of grazed herbage appeared to have a higher priority of choice than RI, as the cows chose to graze for longer (grazing time 385 min, MS feeding time 67min) despite the lower RI of herbage. The low proportion MS intake indicated that RI was a secondary factor of choice. Concentrate supplementation had a greater depressing effect on herbage intake than on MS intake. These results suggest that the animals reduce the intake of feed with lower RI when the labor associated to eat is decreased. The factors influencing the choice for herbage over maize silage remain unclear.

Efficacy of a lasalocid supplement in the diet of dairy cows in early lactation in a pasture-based dairy system

2007 ◽  
Vol 47 (6) ◽  
pp. 658 ◽  
Author(s):  
C. R. Stockdale
Keyword(s):  
Dairy Cows ◽  
Milk Yield ◽  
Control Group ◽  
Early Lactation ◽  
Maize Silage ◽  
Production History ◽  
Equivalent Control ◽  
Yield Responses ◽  
Daily Milk Yield ◽  
Daily Milk

The lasalocid supplement, Bovatec, was fed to dairy cows at 300 mg of active ingredient for ~3 weeks precalving to up to 16 weeks postcalving in a pasture-based system. Sixty primiparous cows and 120 multiparous cows were allocated to equivalent control and lasalocid groups based on expected calving date, size and previous production history. To facilitate the feeding of the lasalocid, it was mixed with maize silage (~1 kg DM/cow.day) and fed as one feed on a concrete feed pad early in the morning each day before calving and before the afternoon milking during lactation. The control group received the maize silage without lasalocid. Otherwise, the feeding of both groups was exactly the same. The key response associated with adding lasalocid to the diet differed between the primiparous and multiparous cows. Although the average daily milk yield responses to lasalocid were not significant (P > 0.05) at 1.1 and 0.6 kg/cow for the primiparous and multiparous cows, respectively, significant (P < 0.05) increases in the milk yield of the primiparous cows were consistently recorded between weeks 5 and 15 of lactation. With the multiparous cows, there was a significant (P < 0.05) decrease in the circulating concentrations of serum β-hydroxybutyrate in those fed the lasalocid, with this being related to a tendency (P = 0.087) for these animals to maintain higher body condition scores for much of the early lactation treatment period. There were no other treatment differences of biological importance.

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