Preference of dairy cows for ryegrass, white clover and red clover, and its effects on nutrient supply and milk quality

Two experiments were conducted with 30 dairy cows each, to study the preference for fresh (Experiment 1) and ensiled (Experiment 2) ryegrass, white and red clover. Both experiments consisted of three choice diets with white or red clover or both, offered with ryegrass, and two diets with ryegrass mi...

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Bibliographic Details
Published in:Archives of animal nutrition 2007-10, Vol.61 (5), p.371-389
Main Authors: van Dorland, H. Anette, Wettstein, Hans-Ruedi, Aeschlimann, Gilles, Leuenberger, Hans, Kreuzer, Michael
Format: Article
Language:English
Subjects:
Animal Feed
Animal Nutritional Physiological Phenomena
Animals
Cattle - physiology
conjugated linoleic acid
Dairying - methods
Digestion
Eating
Fatty Acids - analysis
Fatty Acids, Omega-3 - analysis
Female
Food Preferences
forage
Lactation - metabolism
legume
Linoleic Acids, Conjugated - analysis
Lolium
Medicago
Milk - chemistry
Milk - secretion
Milk - standards
Nutritive Value
omega-3 fatty acid
Preference
Random Allocation
Silage
Trifolium
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Summary:Two experiments were conducted with 30 dairy cows each, to study the preference for fresh (Experiment 1) and ensiled (Experiment 2) ryegrass, white and red clover. Both experiments consisted of three choice diets with white or red clover or both, offered with ryegrass, and two diets with ryegrass mixed with white or red clover (40% clover). Cows consumed diets with 37.7% fresh white and 45.9% red clover, and no preference was observed when the cows were offered all three forages. By contrast, cows preferred white and red clover silage (73.0 and 69.2%, respectively) over ryegrass silage (of lower nutritive quality). When offered three forages, cows preferred white (59.8%) over red clover (17.5%) and ryegrass (22.7%). Choice diets resulted in diets similar (fresh forages) or higher in nutrient content and digestibility (silages). Treatments did not affect feed intake and performance. Choices compared to mixed diets with red clover silage were preferable regarding the fatty acid composition of the milk fat. Obviously, only large differences in nutrient and energy concentration facilitate preferences for clovers over ryegrass, which could, depending on clover type, be beneficial in terms of the milk's fatty acid composition.
ISSN:1745-039X
1477-2817
DOI:10.1080/17450390701565305