Hostname: page-component-586b7cd67f-rdxmf Total loading time: 0 Render date: 2024-12-02T19:24:28.318Z Has data issue: false hasContentIssue false
  • English
  • Français

The effect of plane of nutrition in early lactation on the performance of beef cows

Published online by Cambridge University Press:  02 September 2010

B. G. Lowman ,
R. A. Edwards ,
S. H. Somerville  and
G. M. Jolly
B. G. Lowman
Affiliation:
East of Scotland College of Agriculture, West Mains Road, Edinburgh EH9 3JG
R. A. Edwards
Affiliation:
East of Scotland College of Agriculture, West Mains Road, Edinburgh EH9 3JG
S. H. Somerville
Affiliation:
East of Scotland College of Agriculture, West Mains Road, Edinburgh EH9 3JG
G. M. Jolly
Affiliation:
ARC Unit of Statistics, King's Buildings, West Mains Road, Edinburgh EH9 3JG
Get access

Abstract

Twenty-one mature autumn-calving Blue Grey cows were divided into three groups for a 3-year change-over experiment, and each group was allocated to one of three planes of nutrition for the first 150 days of lactation during each year. Milk yields were recorded by machine milking twice daily. The three planes of nutrition corresponded to 1·63, 1·21 and 0·89 of the cow's maintenance allowance 12 h post partum. Increasing the plane of nutrition significantly (P<0·05) increased 150-day cumulative milk yield, but had no significant effect on milk composition. The extent of live-weight loss decreased significantly (P<0·001) as plane of nutrition increased and was reflected in cows maintaining better condition, measured as condition score, through the experimental period.

The small 150-day cumulative milk yield response (32·8 kg per additional 10 MJ metabolizable energy and 62 g digestible crude protein/day) demonstrated the limitation of feeding beef cows for increased milk production in comparison with feeding the calf directly. However, the possible relationship between plane of nutrition, live-weight loss and fertility suggests an important limitation of under-feeding cows during the mating period. Within the constraints imposed, the medium treatment (64 MJ metabolizable energy and 516 g digestible crude protein/day) resulted in levels of cow performance similar to those currently recorded in commercial units. One of the major constraints in the present investigation was the high level of body reserves available in the cows at the start of lactation.

Type
Research Article
Information
Animal Production , Volume 29 , Issue 3 , December 1979 , pp. 293 - 303
Copyright
Copyright © British Society of Animal Science 1979

Access options

Get access to the full version of this content by using one of the access options below. (Log in options will check for institutional or personal access. Content may require purchase if you do not have access.)

References

REFERENCES

Agricultural Research Council. 1965. The Nutrient Requirements of Farm Livestock. No. 2, Ruminants. Agricultural Research Council, London.Google Scholar
Balch, C. C. 1972. Milk composition. In Handbuch der Tierernährung (ed. Lenkeit, W., Breirem, K. and Crasemann, E.), Vol. 2, pp. 259–265. Parey, Hamburg.Google Scholar
British Standards Institution. 1963. Methods for the chemical analysis of liquid milk and cream. BS 1741. British Standards Institution, London.Google Scholar
British Standards Institution. 1969. Gerber method for the determination of fat in milk and milk products. BS 696, Part 2, Methods. British Standards Institution, London.Google Scholar
Broster, W. H. 1972. Effect on milk yield of the cow of the level of feeding during lactation. Dairy Sci. Abstr. 34: 265–288.Google Scholar
Economides, S. J., Miller, T. B., Topps, J. H., Gelman, A. L. and Keith, D. G. 1973. A preliminary study of the milk production, bodyweight changes and some blood characteristics of underfed beef cows. Br. vet. J. 129: 63–72.CrossRefGoogle ScholarPubMed
Federation Of United Kingdom Milk Marketing Boards. 1976. UK Dairy Facts and Figures. Federation of United Kingdom Milk Marketing Boards, Thames Ditton, Surrey.Google Scholar
Flatt, W. P., Moe, P. W., Munson, A. W. and Cooper, T. 1969. Energy utilization by high producing dairy cows. II. Summary of energy balance experiments with lactating Holstein cows. In Energy Metabolism of Farm Animals (ed. Blaxter, K. L., Kielanowski, J. and Thorbek, Greta), pp. 235–251. Oriel Press, Newcastle upon Tyne.Google Scholar
Foley, R. C, Bath, D. L., Dickinson, F. N. and Tucker, H. A. 1972. Dairy Cattle: Principles, Practices, Problems, Profits. Lea and Febiger, Philadelphia, Pa.Google Scholar
King, J. O. L. 1968. The relationship between the conception rate and changes in body-weight, yield and SNF content of milk in dairy cows. Vet. Rec. 83: 492–494.CrossRefGoogle ScholarPubMed
Lowman, B. G., Scott, N. and Somerviixe, S. 1973. Condition scoring of cattle. E. Scotl. Coll. Agric, Bull. No. 6.Google Scholar
Meat And Livestock Commission. 1974. Results for suckler herds 1974. Rec. Rep. No. 35. Meat and Livestock Commission, Bletchley, Buckinghamshire.Google Scholar
Ministry Of Agriculture, Fisheries And Food, Department Of Agriculture And Fisheries For Scotland And Department Of Agriculture For Northern Ireland. 1975. Energy allowances and feeding systems for ruminants. Tech. Bull. 33. Her Majesty's Stationery Office, London.Google Scholar
Reid, J. T. 1956. Some nutritional effects of varying concentrate-roughage ratios in relation to feed input-milk output by dairy cows. Mem. Cornell Univ. agric. Exp. Stn, No. 344.Google Scholar
Somerville, S. H. 1977. Nutrition of the lactating beef cow. Ph.D.Thesis, Univ. Edinburgh.Google Scholar
Somerville, S. H., Lowman, B. G. and Deas, D. W. 1979. The effect of plane of nutrition during lactation on the reproductive performance of beef cows. Vet. Rec. 104: 95–97.CrossRefGoogle ScholarPubMed
Stewart, A. G. D., Runcie, K. V., Lowman, B. G., Rowbottom, J. D. and Smith, R. S. 1972. Suckled calf production. E. Scotl. Coll. Agric, Bull. No. 4.Google Scholar
Van Es, A. J. H. and Nijkamp, H. J. 1969. Energy, carbon and nitrogen balance experiments with lactating cows. In Energy Metabolism of Farm Animals (ed. Blaxter, K. L., Kielanowski, J. and Thorbek, Greta), pp. 209–212. Oriel Press, Newcastle upon Tyne.Google Scholar
Wood, P. D. P. 1969. Factors affecting the shape of the lactation curve in cattle. Anim. Prod. 11: 307–316.Google Scholar
Wood, P. D. P. 1976. Algebraic models of the lactation curves for milk, fat and protein production, with estimates of seasonal variation. Anim. Prod. 22: 35–40.Google Scholar