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Rumen Bypass of Protein Through Suckling of Liquids by Lactating Heifers¹

Department of Animal Science, Michigan State University, East Lansing 48824

ABSTRACT

Holstein heifers (22 mo) were trained to suckle from a nipple pail through prolonged withdrawal of water from their rations. After 2 to 3 wk the suckling habit was firmly established, and most of the heifers would accept readily the nipple. Bypass of liquid was confirmed by rapid and large increases in blood glucose in trained heifers after suckling a test solution of 500 g glucose, whereas there was little rise in heifers with glucose placed directly into the rumen. When heifers suckled slowly, bypass was less efficient as evidenced by flat tolerance curves for glucose. In heifers that suckled readily, mean blood glucose was over 30 mg/100 ml higher at 2 than at 0 h after suckling.

In a reversal trial, six heifers in early lactation suckled 17% (or 321 g) of their protein intake as whole milk or received a like quantity of casein mixed in their concentrate. Milk yields and protein content of milk were raised slightly by suckling, but milk protein production was increased significantly. Efficiency of conversion of suckled protein to milk protein was estimated between 35 and 63%.

¹ Published with approval of the Director of the Agricultural Experiment Station as Journal Article No. 10043.