Hostname: page-component-586b7cd67f-r5fsc Total loading time: 0 Render date: 2024-11-26T15:10:50.246Z Has data issue: false hasContentIssue false
  • English
  • Français

The influence of the fat concentration of the diet on the response by dairy cows to body condition at calving

Published online by Cambridge University Press:  02 September 2010

P. C. Garnsworthy  and
C. D. Huggett
P. C. Garnsworthy
Affiliation:
Department of Agriculture and Horticulture, University of Nottingham School of Agriculture, Sutton Bonington, Loughborough LE12 5RD
C. D. Huggett
Affiliation:
Department of Agriculture and Horticulture, University of Nottingham School of Agriculture, Sutton Bonington, Loughborough LE12 5RD
Get access

Abstract

Twenty-four Friesian dairy cows were divided into two groups of 12 between 12 and 18 weeks prior to calving and fed to achieve condition scores at calving of 3·2 (F) or 2·3 (T). For the first 11 weeks of lactation, six cows from each group (H) were given daily 9 kg of a high-fat compound (acid ether extract (AEE) 96 g/kg dry matter (DM)), 3 kg molassed sugar-beet pulp and hay ad libitum. The other six cows in each group (L) were given 10 kg of a low-fat compound (AEE 29 g/kg DM), 2 kg sugar-beet pulp and hay ad libitum. Allowances of compound and sugar-beet pulp were designed to provide equal amounts of energy, neutral-detergent fibre and protein. The fat source used in compound H was a calcium salt of palm acid oil (Megalac®).

DM intake was not affected by treatment but fat intake was significantly higher on diet H (P < 0·001). Group TH had higher intakes of digestible energy (DE) than group FH (249 v. 229 MJ/day; P < 0·05), but condition at calving did not affect DE intake with diet L (FL = 230, TL = 233 MJ/day). Milk yield was not significantly affected by treatment, although cows in group TL tended to yield less milk than other groups (28·3, 27·3, 28·0 and 24·3 kg/day for FH, FL, TH and TL respectively). The concentration of milk fat was higher and of milk protein lower with diet H compared with diet L (milk fat 48·1, 42·2, 42·9 and 39·6; milk protein 28·0, 31·0, 28·4 and 30·5 g/kg for FH, FL, TH and TL respectively). Loss of condition score was greater for cows in group F (0·65 units) than for those in group T (0·04 units). Within group F, loss of condition tended to be greater with diet L.

It is concluded that the increased intake of fat with diet H tended to decrease loss of condition in cows that were fat at calving but increase milk yield in cows that were thin at calving. It also tended to increase milk fat concentration but decreased milk protein concentration.

Keywords

body conditioncalvingdairy cowsdietary fatmilk production
Type
Research Article
Information
Animal Production , Volume 54 , Issue 1 , February 1992 , pp. 7 - 13
Copyright
Copyright © British Society of Animal Science 1992

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

Chalupa, W., Vecchiarelli, B., Elser, A. E., Kronfeld, D. S., Sklan, D. and Palmquist, D. L. 1986. Ruminal fermentation in vivo as influenced by long-chain fatty acids. Journal of Dairy Science 69:1293–1301.CrossRefGoogle ScholarPubMed
Devendra, C. and Lewis, D. 1974. The interaction between dietary lipids and fibre in the sheep. 2. Digestibility studies. Animal Production 19: 67–76.Google Scholar
East of Scotland College of Agriculture. 1976. Condition scoring — dairy cows. Advisory leaflet, East of Scotland College of Agriculture, no. 100.Google Scholar
Enser, M. 1984. The chemistry, biochemistry and nutritional importance of animal fats. In Fats in animal nutrition (ed. Wiseman, J.), pp. 23–51. Butterworths, London.CrossRefGoogle Scholar
Erickson, P. S., Murphy, M. R. and Clark, J. H. 1989. Calcium salts of long chain fatty acids and nicotinic acid supplementation of diets fed to Holstein cows in early lactation, Journal of Dairy Science 67: suppl. no. 1, p.483 (abstr.).Google Scholar
Garnsworthy, P. C. 1989. The interaction between dietary fibre level and protein degradability in dairy cows. Animal Production 48:271–281.Google Scholar
Garnsworthy, P. C. 1990. Feeding calcium salts of fatty acids in high-starch or high-fibre compound supplements to lactating cows at grass. Animal Production 51:441–447.Google Scholar
Jenkins, T. C. and Palmquist, D. L. 1984. Effect of fatty acids or calcium soaps on rumen and total nutrient digestibility of dairy rations. Journal of Dairy Science 67: 978–986.CrossRefGoogle ScholarPubMed
Jones, G. P. and Garnsworthy, P. C. 1989. The effects of dietary energy content on the response of dairy cows to body condition at calving. Animal Production 49:183–191.Google Scholar
Klusmeyer, T. H., Lynch, G. L., Clark, J. H. and Nelson, D. R. 1989a. Effects of source of protein and calcium salts of long chain fatty acids (Ca-LCFA) on ruminal fermentation and flow of nutrients to the small intestine of lactating dairy cows, Journal of Dairy Science 67: suppl. no. 1 p.482 (abstr.).Google Scholar
Klusmeyer, T. H., Lynch, G. L., Clark, J. H. and Nelson, D. R. 1989b. Effect of amount of forage and calcium salts of long chain fatty acids (Ca-LCFA) on ruminal fermentation and flow of nutrients to the small intestine of lactating dairy cows. Journal of Dairy Science 67: suppl. no. 1, p.482. (abstr.).Google Scholar
Ministry of Agriculture, Fisheries and Food. 1986. Feed composition — UK tables of feed composition and nutritive value for ruminants. Chalcombe Publications, Marlow.Google Scholar
Thomas, P. C. and Martin, P. A. 1988. The influence of nutrient balance on milk yield and milk composition. In Nutrition and lactation in the dairy cow (ed. Garnsworthy, P. C.), pp.97–118. Butterworths, London.CrossRefGoogle Scholar
United Kingdom Agricultural Supply Trade Association, Agricultural Development and Advisory Service and Council of Scottish Agricultural Colleges. 1985. Prediction of energy values of compound feed. Report of UKASTA, ADAS, COSAC working party. Ministry of Agriculture, Fisheries and Food, London.Google Scholar