Hostname: page-component-cd9895bd7-jkksz Total loading time: 0 Render date: 2024-12-26T13:51:50.595Z Has data issue: false hasContentIssue false
  • English
  • Français

The effects of feeding high concentrations of molasses and supplementing with nitrogen and unprotected tallow on intake and performance of dairy cows

Published online by Cambridge University Press:  02 September 2010

T. Yan ,
D. J. Roberts  and
J. Higginbotham
T. Yan
Affiliation:
Department of Grassland and Ruminant Science, Scottish Agricultural College, Crichton Royal Farm, Dumfries DG1 4SZ
D. J. Roberts
Affiliation:
Department of Grassland and Ruminant Science, Scottish Agricultural College, Crichton Royal Farm, Dumfries DG1 4SZ
J. Higginbotham
Affiliation:
United Molasses, Stretton House, Derby Road, Stretton, Burton-on-Trent DE13 0DW
Get access

Abstract

A series of three replicated 3 × 3 Latin-square design experiments was carried out with lactating dairy cows (15 in experiments 1 and 3, and 18 in experiment 2). The objectives of these experiments were to investigate if the feeding of high concentrations of molasses would be detrimental to the performance or health of cows, and if the strategic supplementation of nitrogen or unprotected fat could enhance the efficiency of molasses feeding. In experiment 1, complete diets were based on grass silage with three inclusion rates of a liquid molasses-based supplement (Molaferm 20) to supply molasses dry matter (DM) of 125, 250 and 375 g/kg DM respectively. In experiment 2, the control diet contained (g/kg DM) 460 grass silage, 310 'molaferm 20' and 192 barley and 22 soya-bean meal, and was then supplemented with urea (12 g/kg DM) or soya-bean meal (177 g/kg DM). In experiment 3, the control diet was based on (g/kg DM) grass silage (460), molaferm 20 (310), barley (130), soya-bean meal (65) and oatfeed (20). Two concentrations, low and high, of unprotected tallow were added to the control diet (12·5 and 25·8 g/kg DM, respectively).

In experiment 1, cows suffered from some scouring on the highest molasses treatment, but recovered when changed to either the medium or low molasses treatment. However, there were no clinical symptoms of ill health observed during experiments 2 and 3. In experiment 1, animal intake and performance on the diets containing molasses DM of 125, 250 and 375 g/kg DM respectively were: total DM intake, 12·8, 16·2 and 18·6 kg/day (s.e.d. 1·03, P < 0·001); milk yield, 15·5,17·4 and 17·6 kg/day (s.e.d. 0·53, low v. medium or high, P < 0·01); fat concentration, 39·6, 39·7 and 40·0g/kg (s.e.d. 0·70, P>0·05); protein concentration, 31·6, 32·7 and 33·6g/kg (s.e.d. 0·22, P < 0·05). In experiment 2, supplementation of the control diet both with urea and soya-bean meal significantly increased DM intake (P < 0·01); milk yield (P < 0·01) and protein concentration in milk (P < 0·05), but had no significant effects on fat concentration in milk (P > 0·05). In experiment 3, there were no significant differences in DM intake between the three treatments. However, supplementation with both low and high concentrations of unprotected tallow significantly increased milk yield (P < 0·01) and significantly decreased fat (P < 0·01) and protein (P < 0·001) concentrations in milk.

It is concluded that lactating dairy cows could be given molasses up to 250 g/kg DM in grass silage-based complete diets without adverse effects on milk production or health. When a diet contained a high concentration of molasses (248 g/kg DM), supplementation with urea and soya-bean meal increased intake and milk production, and supplementation with unprotected tallow also increased milk yield, but fat and protein concentrations in milk were decreased.

Keywords

dairy cowsmilk productionmolassesprotein supplementstallow
Type
Research Article
Information
Animal Science , Volume 64 , Issue 1 , February 1997 , pp. 17 - 24
Copyright
Copyright © British Society of Animal Science 1997

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

Agricultural and Food Research Council. 1992. Technical Committee on Responses to Nutrients. Report number 9. Nutritive requirements of ruminant animals: protein. Nutrition Abstracts and Reviews, Series B 62: 788–835.Google Scholar
Biggs, D. A. 1979. Performance specification for infra-red milk analysis. Journal of the Association of Official Analytical Chemists 62:1211–1214.Google Scholar
Briggs, H. M. and Heller, V. G. 1943. The effect of adding blackstrap molasses, potassium salts, sucrose and corn syrup to a lamb-fattening ration. Journal of Agricultural Research 67:81–87.Google Scholar
Broadbent, P. J., Mclntosh, J. A. R. and Spence, A. 1970. The evaluation of a device for feeding group housed animals individually. Animal Production 12: 245–252.Google Scholar
Burgess, P. L. and Nicholson, J. W. C. 1984. Protein levels in grass silage-based total mixed rations for dairy cows in midlactation. Canadian Journal of Animal Science 64:435–442.CrossRefGoogle Scholar
Clapperton, J. L. and Steele, W. 1983. Effects of concentrate with beef tallow on feed intake and milk production of cows fed grass silage. Journal of Dairy Science 66:1032–1038.Google Scholar
Elliott, J. P., Drackley, J. K., Schauff, D. J. and Jaster, E. H. 1993. Diets containing high oil corn and tallow for dairy cows during early lactation. Journal of Dairy Science 76: 775–789.CrossRefGoogle ScholarPubMed
Harris, B. and Van Horn, H. H. 1982. Molasses in dairy nutrition. In Molasses in animal nutrition. National Feed Ingredients Association, Iowa.Google Scholar
International Dairy Federation. 1964. International standard FIL-1DF 29. International Dairy Federation.Google Scholar
Krohn, C. C., Anderson, P. E. and Hvelplund, T. 1985. [Increasing quantities of sugar-beet molasses in complete rodder for milk cows]. Statens Husdyrbrugsforsøg, Meddelelser 568.Google Scholar
Lawes Agricultural Trust. 1988. Genstat 5, release 1.3. Rothamsted Experimental Station, Harpenden, Hertfordshire.Google Scholar
Ling, E. R. 1956. A textbook of dairy chemistry, vol. 2, practical, third edition. Chapman and Hall Ltd, London.Google Scholar
Lonsdale, C. R., Thomas, C. and Haines, M. J. 1977. The effect of urea on voluntary intake by calves of silages preserved with formaldehyde and formic acid. Journal of the British Grassland Society 32:171–176.Google Scholar
Losada, H. and Preston, T. R. 1974. Effects of final or high-test molasses on molasses toxicity. Cuban Journal of Agricultural Science 8:11–20.Google Scholar
Marsili, R. T., Ostapenko, H., Simmons, R. E. and Green, D. E. 1981. High performance liquid chromatographic determination of organic acids in dairy products. Journal of Food Science 46: 52–57.CrossRefGoogle Scholar
Mayne, C. S. 1989. Effect of molasses and sodium bicarbonate on the performance of January-March calving cows offered low levels of a high protein supplement in addition to grass silage. Occasional publication, British Grassland Society, no. 23, pp. 81–85.Google Scholar
Morales, J. L., Van Horn, H. H. and Moore, J. E. 1989. Dietary interaction of cane molasses with source of roughage: intake and lactation effects. Journal of Dairy Science 72: 2331–2338.CrossRefGoogle ScholarPubMed
Murphy, J. J. and Morgan, D. J. 1983. Effect of inclusion of protected and unprotected tallow in the supplement on the performance of lactating dairy cows. Animal Production 37: 203–210.Google Scholar
Oldham, J. D., Buttery, P. J., Swan, H. and Lewis, D. 1977. Interactions between dietary carbohydrates and nitrogen and digestion in sheep. Journal of Agricultural Science, Cambridge 89:467–479.Google Scholar
Pate, F. M. 1982. Molasses in beef nutrition. In Molasses in animal nutrition. National Feed Ingredients Association, Iowa.Google Scholar
Preston, T. R. and Willis, M. B. 1974. Intensive beef production, second edition. Pergamon Press, Oxford, UK.Google Scholar
Roberts, D. J. and Leaver, J. D. 1986. Supplementary feeding of forage to grazing dairy cows. 3. The effect of three daytime stocking rates on the performance of cows offered grass overnight. Grass and Forage Science 41: 71–78.CrossRefGoogle Scholar
Schauff, D. J., Elliott, J. P., Clark, J. H. and Drackley, J. K. 1992. Effects of feeding lactating dairy cows diets containing whole soybeans and tallow. Journal of Dairy Science 75:1923–1935.CrossRefGoogle ScholarPubMed
Scott, M. L. 1953. Use of molasses in the feeding of farm animals. In Review and annotated bibliography. Technical report series no. 9. Sugar Research Foundation Inc., New York.Google Scholar
Sloan, B. K., Rowlison, P. and Armstrong, D. G. 1988. Milk production in early lactating dairy cows given grass silage ad libitum: influence of concentrate energy source, crude protein content and levels of concentrate allowance. Animal Production 46: 317–331.CrossRefGoogle Scholar
Smith, W. A., Harris, B., Van Horn, H. H. and Wilcox, C. J. 1993. Effects of forage type on production of dairy cows supplemented with whole cottonseed, tallow and yeast. Journal of Dairy Science 76: 205–215.Google Scholar
Standing Committee on Tables of Feed Composition. 1990. UK tables of nutritive value and chemical composition of feedingstuffs (ed. Givens, D. I. and Moss, A. R.), pp. 102–103. Rowett Research Services Ltd, Aberdeen.Google Scholar
Sutton, J. D. 1989. Altering milk composition by feeding. Journal of Dairy Science 72: 2801–2814.CrossRefGoogle Scholar
Tayler, J. C., Aston, K. and Daley, S. R. 1979. Milk production from silages and dried forages. 3. Effect of formalin-treated ryegrass silage of high digestibility given ad libitum with and without urea. Animal Production 28: 171–181.CrossRefGoogle Scholar
Wood, B. L. 1990. Dietary effects on milk protein in dairy cows. Ph.D. thesis, University of Glasgow, pp. 108–134.Google Scholar