Hostname: page-component-848d4c4894-m9kch Total loading time: 0 Render date: 2024-05-20T12:51:16.997Z Has data issue: false hasContentIssue false
  • English
  • Français

A comparison of starchy and fibrous concentrates for milk production, energy utilization and hay intake by Friesian cows

Published online by Cambridge University Press:  27 March 2009

J. D. Sutton ,
J. A. Bines ,
S. V. Morant ,
D. J. Napper  and
D. J. Givens
J. D. Sutton
Affiliation:
National Institute for Research in Dairying, Shinfield, Reading, RG2 9AT*
J. A. Bines
Affiliation:
National Institute for Research in Dairying, Shinfield, Reading, RG2 9AT*
S. V. Morant
Affiliation:
National Institute for Research in Dairying, Shinfield, Reading, RG2 9AT*
D. J. Napper
Affiliation:
National Institute for Research in Dairying, Shinfield, Reading, RG2 9AT*
D. J. Givens
Affiliation:
Ministry of Agriculture, Fisheries and Food – The Agricultural Development and Advisory Service, Nutrition Chemistry Feed Evaluation Unit, Drayton Manor Drive, Alcester Road, Stratford-upon-Avon, CV37 9RQ
Get access Rights & Permissions [Opens in a new window]

Summary

Twenty-four Friesian cows were allocated to one of four diets for weeks 3–14 of lactation following 2 weeks on a common diet. The diets (kg air-dry feed/day) were 7–2 kg hay and 10·8 kg either starchy or fibrous concentrates (60S and 60F) or 3·5 kg hay and 14·0 kg either starchy or fibrous concentrates (80S and 80F). Rumen samples were taken by stomach tube in weeks 10 and 12 of lactation and the digestibility of the diets was measured with four cows per treatment during weeks 13 and 14. The digestibility of the same feeds was also measured in sheep at maintenance.

The principal carbohydrate constituents of the concentrates were barley, wheat and cassava in the starchy concentrates and citrus pulp, sugar-beet pulp and wheat feed in the fibrous concentrates. The concentrates were designed to have similar concentrations of metabolizable energy (ME) and the diets were planned to provide similar intakes of digestible energy and crude protein.

Milk yield and composition were very similar for treatments 60S and 60F. With the higher proportion of starchy concentrates (80S), milk yield was about 20% greater than on 60S, fat concentration fell severely but protein and lactose concentrations were unaffected. With the higher proportion of fibrous concentrates (80F), milk yield and the protein and lactose concentration were similar to values on 60F but fat concentration was lower, though not nearly so low as on 80S. Milk energy yield was reduced by the higher proportion of concentrates but was unaffected by type of carbohydrates. Live-weight changes were small.

In both the sheep, consuming at maintenance, and the lactating cows consuming at about 3 times maintenance, digestibility of dry matter, organic matter and energy was higher with the higher concentrate diets but was unaffected by type of concentrate. The digestibility of fibre was greater with the fibrous concentrates but the effect of level of concentrate inclusion was inconsistent. Digestibility coefficients were consistently lower for the lactating cows than for the sheep.

The proportion of acetic acid in the rumen volatile fatty acids in the cows was higher and the proportion of propionic acid was lower with the fibrous concentrates. The differences were much greater with the higher proportion of concentrates.

During weeks 15–22 of lactation the cows were reallocated to concentrate treatments and given hay ad libitum. Hay intake was about 1 kg/day higher with the fibrous concentrates but the difference was not significant. Hay intake fell by about 0·6 kg/kg concentrate intake for both concentrate types. No significant differences in milk yield or composition were established, probably because of incomplete adaptation even after 8 weeks.

It is concluded that at concentrate intakes of about 10 kg/day, the source of carbohydrate in the concentrates has little effect on milk production when the concentrates are of similar ME concentration. However, at higher levels of concentrate inclusion, although the diets may have similar ME concentrations, important differences in the yields of fat, protein and lactose occur due to carbohydrate source and these can be related to differences in rumen fermentation.

Type
Research Article
Information
The Journal of Agricultural Science , Volume 109 , Issue 2 , October 1987 , pp. 375 - 386
Copyright
Copyright © Cambridge University Press 1987

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

Aerts, J. V., De Boever, J. L., Cottyn, B. G., De Brabander, D. L. & Buysse, F. X. (1984–1985). Comparative digestibility of feedstuffs by sheep and cows. Animal Feed Science and Technology 12, 47–56.CrossRefGoogle Scholar
Agricultural Research Council (1980). The Nutrient Requirements of Ruminant Livestock. Farnham Royal: Commonwealth Agricultural Bureaux.Google Scholar
Balch, C. C, Balch, D. A., Bartlett, S., Hosking, Z. D., Johnson, V. W., Rowland, S. J. & Turner, J. (1955). Studies of the secretion of milk of low fat content by cows on diets low in hay and high in concentrates. V. The importance of the type of starch in the concentrates. Journal of Dairy Research 22, 10–15.CrossRefGoogle Scholar
Balch, C. C., Broster, W. H., Rook, J. A. F. & Tuck, V. J. (1965). The effect on growth rate and on milk yield and composition of finely grinding the hay and cooking (flaking) the maize in mixed diets for growing and for milking heifers. Journal of Dairy Research 32, 1–11.CrossRefGoogle Scholar
Blaxter, K. L. & Clapperton, J. (1965). Prediction of the amount of methane produced by ruminants. British Journal of Nutrition 19, 511–522.CrossRefGoogle ScholarPubMed
Broster, W. H., Sutton, J. D., Bines, J. A., Broster, V. J., Smith, T., Siviter, J. W., Johnson, V. W., Napper, D. J. & Schuller, E. (1985). The influence of plane of nutrition and diet composition on the performance of dairy cows. Journal of Agricultural Science, Cambridge 104, 535–557.CrossRefGoogle Scholar
Castle, M. E. (1972). A comparative study of the feeding value of dried sugar-beet pulp for milk production. Journal of Agricultural Science, Cambridge 78, 371–377.CrossRefGoogle Scholar
Castle, M. E., Gill, M. S. & Watson, J. N. (1981). Silage and milk production: a comparison between barley and dried sugar-beet pulp as silage supplements. Grass and Forage Science 36, 319–324.CrossRefGoogle Scholar
Chamberlain, D. G., Thomas, P. C., Wilson, W. D., Kassem, M. E. & Robertson, S. (1984). The influence of the type of carbohydrate in the supplementary concentrate on the utilization of silage diets for milk production. In Proceedings of the 7th Silage Conference, Queen's University, Belfast (ed. Gordon, F. J. and Unsworth, E. F.), pp. 37–38.Google Scholar
de Visser, H. & De Groot, A. A. M. (1981). The influence of the starch and sugar content of concentrates on food intake, rumen fluid, production and composition of milk. In Metabolic Disorders of Farm Animals (ed. Giesecke, D., Dirksen, G. and Stangassinger, M.), pp. 41–48. Munich: Veterinary Faculty of the University.Google Scholar
Elliot, J. M. & Loosli, J. K. (1959). Effect of the dietary ratio of hay to concentrate on milk production, ration digestibility and urinary energy losses. Journal of Dairy Science 42, 836–842.CrossRefGoogle Scholar
Flatt, W. P., Moe, P. W., Moore, L. A., Hooven, N. W., Lehmann, R. P., Ørskov, E. R. & Hemken, R. W. (1969 a). Energy utilization by high producing dairy cows. I. Experimental design, ration composition, digestibility data, and animal performance during energy balance trials. In Energy Metabolism of Farm Animals (ed. Blaxter, K. L., Thorbek, G. and Kielanowski, J.), pp. 221–234. Newcastle-upon-Tyne: Oriel Press.Google Scholar
Flatt, W. P., Moe, P. W., Munson, A. W. & Cooper, T. (1969 b). Energy utilization by high producing dairy cows. II. Summary of energy balance experiments with lactating Holstein cows. In Energy Metabolism of Farm Animals (ed. Blaxter, K. L., Thorbek, G. and Kielanowski, J.), pp. 235–249. Newcastle-upon-Tyne: Oriel Press.Google Scholar
MacRae, J. C. & Armstrong, D. G. (1968). Enzyme method for determination of α-linked glucose polymers in biological materials. Journal of the Science of Food and Agriculture 19, 578–581.CrossRefGoogle Scholar
Mayne, C. S. & Gordon, F. J. (1984). The effect of type of concentrate and level of concentrate feeding on milk production. Animal Production 39, 65–76.Google Scholar
Moe, P. W., Flatt, W. P. & Tyrrell, H. F. (1972). Net energy value of feeds for lactation. Journal of Dairy Science 55, 945–958.CrossRefGoogle Scholar
O'Shea, J., Do Valle Ribeiro, M. A. & Moran, M. A. (1968). Relationships between digestibility (in vitro), crude fibre and cellulose content of some animal feeds. Irish Journal of Agricultural Research 7, 173–181.Google Scholar
Powell, E. B. (1938). One cause of fat variation in milk. Proceedings of the American Society of Animal Production, pp. 40–47.Google Scholar
Schneider, B. H. & Flatt, W. P. (1975). The Evaluation of Feeds through Digestibility Experiments. Athens, U.S.A.: University of Georgia.Google Scholar
Storry, J. E. & Sutton, J. D. (1969). The effect of change from low-roughage to high-roughage diets on rumen fermentation, blood composition and milk fat secretion in the cow. British Journal of Nutrition 23, 511–521.CrossRefGoogle ScholarPubMed
Sutton, J. D., Broster, W. H., Napper, D. J. & Siviter, J. W. (1985). Feeding frequency for lactating cows: effects on digestion, milk production and energy utilization. British Journal of Nutrition 53, 117–130.CrossRefGoogle ScholarPubMed
Sutton, J. D., Hart, I. C., Bhoster, W. H., Elliott, R. J. & Schuller, E. (1986). Feeding frequency for lactating cows: effects on rumen fermentation and blood metabolites and hormones. British Journal of Nutrition 56, 181–192.CrossRefGoogle ScholarPubMed
Thomas, C., Aston, K., Daley, S. R. & Bass, J. (1986). Milk production from silage. 4. The effect of the composition of the supplement. Animal Production 42, 315–325.Google Scholar
Tyrrell, H. F. & Moe, P. W. (1974). Effect of intake on digestive efficiency. Journal of Dairy Science 58, 1151–1163.CrossRefGoogle Scholar
Van Soest, P. J. & Wine, R. H. (1967). Determination of cell wall constituents. Journal of the Association of Official Agricultural Chemists 50, 50–55.Google Scholar
Van Soest, P. J. & Wine, R. H. (1968). Determination of lignin and cellulose in acid-detergent fibre with permanganate. Journal of the Association of Official Agricultural Chemists 51, 780–785.Google Scholar