scholarly journals Effect of supplemental concentrate type on milk production and metabolic status in early-lactation dairy cows grazing perennial ryegrass-based pasture

2012 ◽  
Vol 95 (8) ◽  
pp. 4541-4549 ◽  
Author(s):  
S.J. Whelan ◽  
K.M. Pierce ◽  
B. Flynn ◽  
F.J. Mulligan
Animals ◽  
2020 ◽  
Vol 10 (6) ◽  
pp. 976 ◽  
Author(s):  
Peter J. Moate ◽  
Joe L. Jacobs ◽  
Josh L. Hixson ◽  
Matthew H. Deighton ◽  
Murray C. Hannah ◽  
...  

Globally, annual production of grape marc (GM), the residue of skins, seeds and stems remaining after making wine, has been estimated to be approximately nine million tonnes. No previous studies have compared effects on milk production and methane emissions when GM from either red or white grapes was fed to dairy cows. This experiment examines the effects of partial replacement of a perennial ryegrass (Lolium perenne L.) based diet with GM from either red or white grapes on yield and composition of milk and methane emissions. Thirty-two Holstein dairy cows in early lactation were offered either a control diet containing 15.0 kg dry matter (DM) of freshly harvested perennial ryegrass and 5.2 kg of a concentrate mix, or a diet similar to the control diet but with 5 kg DM of ryegrass replaced with 5 kg DM of GM from red grapes (RGM), or a diet similar to the RGM diet except the GM was from white grapes (WGM). Individual cow feed intakes, milk yields, and methane emissions were measured. Both diets containing GM decreased milk yields by approximately 10% and methane emissions by 15%. When fed to dairy cows, GM reduces methane emissions but at the cost of decreased milk production.


Author(s):  
V.M. Russo ◽  
W.J. Wales ◽  
B.J. Leury ◽  
M.C. Hannah ◽  
E. Kennedy

The diet of dairy cows in Ireland traditionally changes abruptly from predominantly pasture silage before calving to grazed perennial ryegrass immediately after calving. This potentially leads to problems with adaptation of microbes in the rumen with consequences of reduced intake and ultimately lower milk production. This experiment aimed to determine if introducing first-lactation dairy cows to perennial ryegrass herbage in the final weeks of pregnancy, thus eliminating a major dietary change at calving, could improve the adaptation process, potentially increasing dry matter intake (DMI) and milk production in early lactation. Three weeks prior to their expected calving date, 14 spring calving dairy cows were assigned to one of two treatments (n = 7): pasture silage pre-partum and perennial ryegrass herbage post-partum, or perennial ryegrass herbage both pre- and post-partum. Treatment diets were fed for 11 (±7) d pre-partum and for 14 (±0) d post-partum. For both treatments, DMI increased post-partum, but there was no difference between treatments, pre- or post-partum (5.9 and 8.8 kg DM/cow per day, respectively). There were no differences in milk yield or composition between the treatments. Body condition score declined following parturition but there were no differences between treatments. Plasma non-esterified fatty acids, glucose and β-hydroxybutyrate were also unaffected by treatment but did indicate a state of negative energy balance in early lactation. The results of this experiment suggest that pre-partum adaptation to perennial ryegrass herbage would not benefit milk production in first-lactation dairy cows in early lactation in Irish dairy farms employing this system.


2016 ◽  
Vol 32 (1) ◽  
pp. 1-8 ◽  
Author(s):  
Radojica Djokovic ◽  
Zoran Ilic ◽  
Vladimir Kurcubic ◽  
Milan Petrovic ◽  
Violeta Caro-Petrovic ◽  
...  

The objective of the present study was to investigate nutritional and metabolic status in Simmental cows during early and mid-lactation. Fifteen early lactating cows and 15 mid lactating cows were chosen for the investigation. Blood samples were collected to measure beta-hydroxybutyrate (BHB), nonesterified fatty acids (NEFA), triglycerides (TG), glucose and the activity of aspartate transaminase (AST). Early lactation as compared to mid lactating cows were found to have significantly higher (P<0.05) blood serum concentrations of NEFA, BHB and AST and lower blood serum concentrations of glucose (P<0.05) and TG (P>0.05). Significantly negative correlations were observed between BHB and glucose (P<0.01), BHB and TG (P<0.05), NEFA and glucose (P<0.05). Significantly positive correlations were observed between NEFA and BHB (P<0.05), NEFA and AST (P<0.05), glucose and TG (P<0.01). The results suggest that these parameters can serve as useful indicators of the nutritional and metabolic status of dairy cows during lactation.


animal ◽  
2013 ◽  
Vol 7 (9) ◽  
pp. 1479-1485 ◽  
Author(s):  
A.Werner Omazic ◽  
M. Tråvén ◽  
J. Bertilsson ◽  
K. Holtenius

2020 ◽  
Vol 60 (1) ◽  
pp. 143 ◽  
Author(s):  
Bríd McClearn ◽  
Trevor Gilliland ◽  
Clare Guy ◽  
Michael Dineen ◽  
Fergal Coughlan ◽  
...  

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.


1996 ◽  
Vol 1996 ◽  
pp. 66-66
Author(s):  
T. Yan ◽  
D.C. Patterson ◽  
F.J. Gordon

In a previous study carried out at this Institute the application of a bacterial inoculant to unwilted grass at ensiling produced significant increases in silage DM intake and milk production across 3 harvests, while the use of the inoculant with wilted grass silages indicated no benefits in those two parameters (Yan, Patterson and Gordon, 1995). The reason for the lack of improvement when the inoculant was used with wilted grass silages was unclear, but could partially reflect greater potential rates of aerobic deterioration with wilted inoculated than wilted untreated silages during the feeding-out period. The present study was designed to further investigate the effects of inoculation of both unwilted and wilted grass silages.A set of four silages, comprising unwilted and wilted material, both with and without application of one of four bacterial inoculants at ensiling, was prepared from perennial ryegrass swards on each of 8 harvesting occasions during 1994.


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