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Effect of increasing digestible undegraded protein supply to dairy cows in late gestation on the yield and composition of milk during the subsequent lactation

Published online by Cambridge University Press:  02 September 2010

J. M. Moorby ,
R. J. Dewhurst  and
S. Marsden
J. M. Moorby
Affiliation:
Grassland and Ruminant Science Department, Scottish Agricultural College, Auchincruive, Ayr KA6 5HW
R. J. Dewhurst
Affiliation:
Grassland and Ruminant Science Department, Scottish Agricultural College, Auchincruive, Ayr KA6 5HW
S. Marsden
Affiliation:
Dalgety Agriculture Ltd, 180 Aztec West, Almondsbury, Bristol BS12 4TH
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Abstract

Effects of feeding a protein supplement to dairy cows during the dry period on performance during the following lactation were investigated in two experiments. Holstein-Friesian cows were paired towards the end of lactation, and, after drying off, one of each pair received a typical dry cow management regime of ad libitum grass silage (experiment 1), or a mix of grass silage and distillers' grains or pressed beet pulp (experiment 2). The other cows were offered restricted access to the same basal diet, together with ad libitum access to barley straw and 0·5 kg/day high protein maize gluten meal. During the following lactation, animals from both groups were treated without reference to dry period treatment, and were offered equal access to the same lactation diet. Data were analysed by analysis of variance of experiment means and by parallel curve analysis using sample means. In experiment 1, milk yields were similar (27·2 v. 27·9 (s.e.d. 2·12) kg/day for control and supplemented animals respectively) but milk protein yields, and hence concentrations, were significantly higher (P < 0·001) from supplemented animals (28·9 v. 31·8 (s.e.d. 0·58) g/kg). In experiment 2, milk yields were significantly higher (P < 0·001) from supplemented animals (mean 33·3 v. 35·4 (s.e.d. 1·66) kg/day; however, milk protein yields were also significantly increased (P < 0·001) and the change in milk protein concentration was small. No difference in dry-matter intake was recorded in a subset of animals during early lactation in experiment 2. It is hypothesized that the maternal labile body protein pool was maintained or replenished during the dry period by the provision of the protein supplement, and that this had a significant effect on subsequent lactation performance.

Keywords

dairy cowsdry periodmilk productionmilk protein
Type
Research Article
Information
Animal Science , Volume 63 , Issue 2 , October 1996 , pp. 201 - 213
Copyright
Copyright © British Society of Animal Science 1996

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