Hostname: page-component-586b7cd67f-rdxmf Total loading time: 0 Render date: 2024-11-30T19:00:59.499Z Has data issue: false hasContentIssue false
  • English
  • Français

A note on dried grass as a component of concentrate mixtures for lactating dairy cows

Published online by Cambridge University Press:  02 September 2010

W. A. McIlmoyle ,
J. C. Murdoch  and
F. J. Gordon
W. A. McIlmoyle
Affiliation:
Agricultural Research Institute of Northern Ireland, Hillsborough, Co. Down
J. C. Murdoch
Affiliation:
Agricultural Research Institute of Northern Ireland, Hillsborough, Co. Down
F. J. Gordon
Affiliation:
Agricultural Research Institute of Northern Ireland, Hillsborough, Co. Down
Get access

Summary

Twenty-four cows were used in a randomized block, continuous feeding trial to examine the effects of including 0, 25 or 50% of dried grass in a concentrate given to cows receiving grass silage ad libitum. The concentrates also contained barley, and soya bean meal to maintain the crude protein content at 16%, and were given at the rate of 0·4 kg/kg of milk. The treatments were imposed for a 6-week period after a preliminary feeding period of 4 weeks. At the beginning of the experiment the cows had, on average, calved 39 days previously. The mean intakes of silage dry matter were 7·60, 8·28 and 8·39 kg/day with the concentrates containing 0, 25 and 50% dried grass, respectively, and were significantly greater when dried grass was included in the concentrate. The mean milk yields of 200, 18·2 and 19·6 kg/day for the three treatments respectively were not significantly different. Body-weight change and milk composition were not significantly different between treatments.

Type
Research Article
Information
Animal Production , Volume 20 , Issue 1 , February 1975 , pp. 163 - 166
Copyright
Copyright © British Society of Animal Science 1975

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
Blaxter, K. L., Wainman, F. W. and Smith, J. S. 1970. Nutritive value of mixtures of dried grass and barley as determined by indirect calorimetry. Anim. Prod. 12: 369–370 (Abstr.).Google Scholar
Campling, R. C. 1966. The intake of hay and silage by cows. J. Br. Grassld Soc. 21: 41–48.CrossRefGoogle Scholar
Campling, R. C. and Murdoch, J. C. 1966. The effect of concentrates on the voluntary intake of roughage by cows. J. Dairy Res. 33: 1–11.CrossRefGoogle Scholar
Connell, J. and Jones, J. G. W. 1968. The dried grass cube as a production concentrate for the dairy cow. Anim. Prod. 10: 231 (Abstr.).Google Scholar
Gordon, F. J. and Kormos, J. 1973. The effect of level of feeding of dried grass on milk production and the value of dried grass as a replacement for conventional dairy concentrates. Anim. Prod. 16: 235–243.Google Scholar
Ling, E. R. 1963. Dairy Chemistry (Vol. 2). Chapman and Hall, London.Google Scholar
Porter, J. W. G., Balch, C. C., Coates, M. E., Fuller, R., Latham, M. J., Sharpe, M. E., Smith, R. H., Sutton, J. D. and Jayne-williams, D. J. 1972. The influence of the gut flora on the digestion and metabolism of nutrients in animals. Bienn. Rev. Natn. Inst. Res. Dairying, 1972, pp. 13–38.Google Scholar
Tayler, J. C. 1970. Dried forages for beef production. J. Br. Grassld Soc. 25: 180–190.CrossRefGoogle Scholar
Tayler, J. C. and Aston, K. 1973. Dried grass v barley as a concentrate for milk production. Grass—The Journal of the British Association of Green Crop Driers. No. 6, pp. 3–8.Google Scholar
Wernli, C. G. 1971. Nutritional studies on feed supplements for grass silage. Ph.D. Thesis, University of Reading.Google Scholar
Wilkins, R. J. 1970. The ad libitum intake and digestibility of dried grass pellets and silage by sheep. J. Br. Grassld Soc. 25: 125–130.CrossRefGoogle Scholar