|
|
||||||||
Department of Animal Science, Michigan State University, East Lansing 48824-1225
Corresponding author:
M. S. Allen; e-mail:
allenm{at}msu.edu.
The relationships between pretrial milk yield and effects of dietary forage-to-concentrate ratio on dry matter intake (DMI), digestion, and milk yield were evaluated using 32 Holstein cows in a crossover design with two 16-d periods. Cows were 197 ± 55 (mean ± SD) days in milk at the beginning of the experiment. Milk yield averaged 33.9 kg/d and ranged from 16.5 to 55.0 kg/d for the 4 d before initiation of treatments. Treatments were diets with forage-to-concentrate ratios of 67:33 and 44:56. Forages were alfalfa silage and corn silage, each at 50% of forage dry matter (DM). Neutral detergent fiber (NDF) concentrations of high-forage and low-forage diets were 30.7 and 24.3% of DM, respectively. Dry matter intake was 1.7 kg/d higher for cows fed the low-forage diet. Milk yield was 2.3 kg/d greater on low forage than on high forage, but 3.5% fat-corrected milk yield and yield of milk fat were not different between treatments. Individual DMI response to the low-forage diet relative to the high-forage diet (low–high) was positively and linearly related to pretrial fat-corrected milk yield, but fat-corrected milk yield response demonstrated a quadratic relationship with pretrial fat-corrected milk yield. Milk yield responded more positively to low forage among low- and high-producing cows than among moderate-producing cows. Energy partitioned to body reserves and to milk, and passage rate of indigestible NDF, also responded to dietary forage level in quadratic relationships with pretrial milk energy output. Individual responses of intake, production, and fiber digestion to a change in forage-to-concentrate ratio were dependent on production level.
Key Words: milk yield forage level energy partitioning ruminal digestion
Abbreviation key: F:C = forage-to-concentrate ratio, HF = high-forage diet, INDP = indigestible neutral detergent fiber, LF = low-forage diet, pFCMY = pretrial 3.5% FCM yield, pMEO = pretrial milk energy output
This article has been cited by other articles:
![]() |
J. A. Voelker Linton and M. S. Allen Nutrient Demand Interacts with Forage Family to Affect Intake and Digestion Responses in Dairy Cows J Dairy Sci, July 1, 2008; 91(7): 2694 - 2701. [Abstract] [Full Text] [PDF] |
||||
![]() |
T. J. DeVries, K. A. Beauchemin, and M. A. G. von Keyserlingk Dietary Forage Concentration Affects the Feed Sorting Behavior of Lactating Dairy Cows J Dairy Sci, December 1, 2007; 90(12): 5572 - 5579. [Abstract] [Full Text] [PDF] |
||||
![]() |
J. A. Voelker Linton and M. S. Allen Nutrient Demand Affects Ruminal Digestion Responses to a Change in Dietary Forage Concentration J Dairy Sci, October 1, 2007; 90(10): 4770 - 4779. [Abstract] [Full Text] [PDF] |
||||
![]() |
A. N. Hristov, W. J. Price, and B. Shafii A Meta-Analysis on the Relationship Between Intake of Nutrients and Body Weight with Milk Volume and Milk Protein Yield in Dairy Cows J Dairy Sci, August 1, 2005; 88(8): 2860 - 2869. [Abstract] [Full Text] [PDF] |
||||
![]() |
S. K. Ivan, R. J. Grant, D. Weakley, and J. Beck Comparison of a Corn Silage Hybrid with High Cell-Wall Content and Digestibility with a Hybrid of Lower Cell-Wall Content on Performance of Holstein Cows J Dairy Sci, January 1, 2005; 88(1): 244 - 254. [Abstract] [Full Text] [PDF] |
||||
![]() |
Z. Wu, S. K. Tallam, V. A. Ishler, and D. D. Archibald Utilization of Phosphorus in Lactating Cows Fed Varying Amounts of Phosphorus and Forage J Dairy Sci, October 1, 2003; 86(10): 3300 - 3308. [Abstract] [Full Text] [PDF] |
||||
| HOME | HELP | FEEDBACK | SUBSCRIPTIONS | ARCHIVE | SEARCH | TABLE OF CONTENTS |