Yield response of dairy cows fed different proportions of alfalfa silage and corn silage

• Published in: Journal of dairy science 1997-09, Vol.80 (9), p.2069-2082
• Main Authors: Dhiman, T.R, Satter, L.D
• Format: Article
• Language: English
• Subjects: ACIDE AMINE; ACIDE GRAS VOLATIL; ACIDO GRASO VOLATIL; ALFALFA; AMINO ACIDS; AMINOACIDOS; AMMONIA; Ammonia - metabolism; AMMONIAC; AMONIACO; Animal Nutritional Physiological Phenomena; Animal productions; Animals; Biological and medical sciences; Cattle - physiology; CONTENIDO DE LIPIDOS; CONTENIDO DE MATERIA SECA; CONTENIDO PROTEICO; COSTOS; COSTS; COUT; CRUDE PROTEIN; DAIRY COWS; DIET; DIETA; DIETARY FIBRES; DIGESTIBILIDAD; DIGESTIBILITE; DIGESTIBILITY; DRY MATTER CONTENT; ENERGIA; ENERGIE; ENERGY; ENERGY INTAKE; ENERGY VALUE; ENSILADO; ENSILAGE (PRODUIT); ENTRETIEN; FEED INTAKE; Feeding. Feeding behavior; Female; Fermentation; FIBER CONTENT; FIBRA DE LA DIETA; FIBRE ALIMENTAIRE; FOOD INTAKE; Fundamental and applied biological sciences. Psychology; GAIN DE POIDS; GANANCIA DE PESO; GRASA DE LA LECHE; INGESTION DE ALIMENTOS; INGESTION DE NUTRIENTES; INGESTION DE PIENSOS; INGESTION DE SUBSTANCES NUTRITIVES; Kinetics; LACTACION; LACTATION; Lactation - physiology; LACTATION NUMBER; LACTATION STAGE; LAIT; LECHE; LIPID CONTENT; LIVEWEIGHT GAIN; LUCERNE; LUZERNE; MAINTENANCE; MAIS; MAIZ; MAIZE; MANTENIMIENTO; MATIERE GRASSE DU LAIT; Medicago sativa; METABOLISME DES PROTEINES; METABOLISMO PROTEICO; MILK; MILK FAT; MILK PROTEIN; Milk Proteins - metabolism; MILK YIELD; Nitrogen - metabolism; NUMERO DE LACTACION; NUMERO DE LACTATION; NUTRIENT INTAKE; ORINA; PRISE ALIMENTAIRE (ANIMAUX); PRISE ALIMENTAIRE (HOMME); PROTECTED PROTEIN; PROTEIN CONTENT; PROTEIN METABOLISM; PROTEIN RETENTION; PROTEINA BRUTA; PROTEINAS; PROTEINAS DE LA LECHE; PROTEINE; PROTEINE BRUTE; PROTEINE DU LAIT; PROTEINS; REGIME ALIMENTAIRE; RENDEMENT LAITIER; RENDIMIENTO LECHERO; RUMEN; Rumen - metabolism; SILAGE; TENEUR EN LIPIDES; TENEUR EN MATIERE SECHE; TENEUR EN PROTEINES; Terrestrial animal productions; UREA; UREE; URINE; VACAS LECHERAS; VACHE LAITIERE; VALEUR ENERGETIQUE; VALOR ENERGETICO; Vertebrates; Vertebrates: anatomy and physiology, studies on body, several organs or systems; VOLATILE FATTY ACIDS; WEIGHT GAIN; Zea mays
• ISSN: 0022-0302; 1525-3198
• DOI: 10.3168/jds.S0022-0302(97)76152-6

Forty-five multiparous and 29 primiparous cows were used in a complete lactation study to determine milk yield and the potential for improving N utilization by cows fed diets containing different proportions of alfalfa and corn silages. Cows were fed diets with a 50:50 forage to grain ratio. The forage portion of the diet was either all alfalfa silage, two-thirds alfalfa silage and one-third corn silage, or one-third alfalfa silage and two-thirds corn silage (dry matter basis). Treatment diets were fed to 6 ruminally cannulated cows to study dietary effects on ruminal fermentation. Diets were fed as a total mixed ration. Dry matter intake as a percentage of body weight was higher for cows fed the diet containing one-third corn silage. Mean 3.5% fat-corrected milk yield from wk 1 to 36 of lactation was 31.0, 32.9, and 31.8 kg/d for cows fed the alfalfa, one-third corn silage, and two-thirds corn silage treatment diets, respectively. For 305 d of lactation, milk yield for multiparous cows was 9593, 10,170, and 10,024 kg and for primiparous cows was 8124, 8412, and 8168 kg for cows consuming the alfalfa, one-third corn silage, and two-thirds corn silage treatment diets, respectively. Diets containing two-thirds corn silage decreased milk fat content of multiparous cows during early lactation. Ruminal NH3 concentration was lower and N excretion in the environment was reduced by 6 to 15% with the diets containing corn silage. Results suggested that corn silage should constitute one-third to two-thirds of dietary forage dry matter when fed with alfalfa silage to derive maximal benefit