Dairy Cows Offered Fresh Chicory Instead of Ensiled Pasture during an Acute Heat Challenge Produced More Milk and Had Lower Body Temperatures

The frequency, duration, and intensity of heat waves in Australia are increasing. To reduce the impact of heat waves on milk production, novel management strategies are required. Altering the forage type and amount offered affect the heat load on dairy cows and offer potential strategies to ameliora...

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Bibliographic Details
Published in:Animals (Basel) 2023-02, Vol.13 (5), p.867
Main Authors: Williams, S Richard O, Moate, Peter J, Garner, Josie B, Hannah, Murray C, Giri, Khageswor, Wales, William J, Marett, Leah C
Format: Article
Language:English
Subjects:
Animal lactation
Body temperature
Carbohydrates
Cattle
Chicory
Cichorium
Costs (Law)
Cow's milk
Dairy cattle
Diet
Dietary fiber
Experiments
feed amount
feed type
Feeds
Fermentation
Heat
Heat stress
Heat tolerance
Heat waves
Hot weather
Metabolism
Milk
Milk production
Pasture
Silage
Weather
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Summary:The frequency, duration, and intensity of heat waves in Australia are increasing. To reduce the impact of heat waves on milk production, novel management strategies are required. Altering the forage type and amount offered affect the heat load on dairy cows and offer potential strategies to ameliorate the effects of hot weather. Thirty-two multiparous, lactating Holstein-Friesian cows were assigned one of four dietary treatments: chicory high amount, chicory low amount, pasture silage high amount, or pasture silage low amount. These cows were exposed to a heat wave in controlled-environment chambers. Cows that were offered fresh chicory had similar feed intake to cows that were offered pasture silage (15.3 kg DM/d). However, cows that were offered chicory produced greater energy-corrected milk (21.9 vs. 17.2 kg/d) and had a lower maximum body temperature (39.4 vs. 39.6 °C) than cows that were offered pasture silage overall. Cows that were offered the high amount of forage had greater feed intake (16.5 vs. 14.1 kg DM/d) and energy corrected milk yield (20.0 vs. 17.9 kg/d) than cows that were offered the low amount, as intended, but with no difference in maximum body temperature (39.5 °C). We conclude that feeding chicory instead of pasture silage to dairy cows shows promise as a dietary strategy to ameliorate the effect of heat exposure, and there was no advantage in restricting feed amount.
ISSN:2076-2615
2076-2615
DOI:10.3390/ani13050867