Hostname: page-component-78c5997874-m6dg7 Total loading time: 0 Render date: 2024-11-03T05:12:47.319Z Has data issue: false hasContentIssue false

Effect of altering the starch: fibre ratio in the concentrates on hay intake and milk production by Friesian cows

Published online by Cambridge University Press:  27 March 2009

J. D. Sutton
Affiliation:
AFRC Institute of Grassland and Environmental Research, Hurley, Maidenhead, Berkshire SL6 5LR, UK
S. V. Morant
Affiliation:
AFRC Institute of Grassland and Environmental Research, Hurley, Maidenhead, Berkshire SL6 5LR, UK
J. A. Bines
Affiliation:
AFRC Institute of Grassland and Environmental Research, Hurley, Maidenhead, Berkshire SL6 5LR, UK
D. J. Napper
Affiliation:
AFRC Institute of Grassland and Environmental Research, Hurley, Maidenhead, Berkshire SL6 5LR, UK
D. I. Givens
Affiliation:
ADAS Drayton, Feed Evaluation Unit, Drayton Manor Drive, Alcester Road, Stratford-Upon-Avon CV37 9RQ, UK

Summary

Sixty-four multiparous Friesian cows were given one of eight diets from weeks 4–20 of lactation at the former National Institute for Research in Dairying, Shinfield, Reading in 1983–84. The diets consisted of 13·5 kg/day of experimental concentrates plus hay at 4·5 kg/day (fixed) or ad libitum. Concentrates were high-starch (S) based on cereal grains and cassava, high-fibre (F) based on highquality by-products, and two intermediate types containing 2:1 (SF) and 1:2 (FS) starch:fibre, all with a crude protein concentration of c. 180 g/kg DM. The diets were designed to provide similar intakes of digestible energy and crude protein at fixed hay intakes.

With ad libitum feeding, hay intake was lowest on S concentrates. With increasing fibre in the concentrates, the yields of milk, protein and lactose fell but fat concentration and yield were increased. These changes were linear and were unaffected by hay intake. Increasing hay intake to ad libitum had no effect on milk yield but increased the concentrations and yields of fat and protein. It also changed a net liveweight loss on fixed intakes to a gain on ad libitum intakes.

Diet digestibility was measured using sheep at about maintenance and cows at production intakes. Digestibility was higher in the sheep, probably because of the difference in level of intake. In the cows, increasing fibre in the concentrates reduced the digestibility of dry matter, organic matter, energy and nitrogen but increased the digestibility of fibre fractions and ether extract. Level of hay intake had variable effects on mean digestibility and on the relationship with concentrate type.

Increasing the fibre in the concentrates increased the molar proportions of acetate and n-butyrate in the rumen and reduced the proportions of propionate, n-valerate and n-caproate.

It is concluded that, with mixed diets of hay and relatively high proportions of concentrates, changes in the starch:fibre ratio of the concentrates by substitution of high quality by-products for starchy ingredients can induce linear changes in the yields of milk and the principal solids constituents and in milk fat concentration. Since changes in yields of fat and protein went in opposite directions, the optimal concentrate composition depends on the milk composition required by the market. These conclusions may not apply if poorer quality by-products are used.

Type
Animals
Copyright
Copyright © Cambridge University Press 1993

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 (1980). The Nutrient Requirements of Ruminant Livestock. Farnham Royal: Commonwealth Agricultural Bureaux.Google Scholar
Bines, J. A., Broster, W. H., Sutton, J. D., Broster, V. J., Napper, D. J., Smith, T. & Siviter, J. W. (1988). Effect of amount consumed and diet composition on the apparent digestibility of feed in cattle and sheep. Journal of Agricultural Science, Cambridge 110, 249259.CrossRefGoogle Scholar
Blaxter, K. L. & Clapperton, J. L. (1965). Prediction of the amount of methane produced by ruminants. British Journal of Nutrition 19, 511522.CrossRefGoogle ScholarPubMed
Broster, W. H., Sutton, J. D., Bines, J. A., Broster, V. J., Smith, T., Siviter, J. W., Johnson, V. W., Napper, D. J. & Schuller, E. (1985). The influence of plane of nutrition and diet composition on the performance of dairy cows. Journal of Agricultural Science, Cambridge 104, 535557.CrossRefGoogle Scholar
De Visser, H. & De Groot, A. A. M. (1981). The influence of the starch and sugar content of concentrates on food intake, rumen fluid, production and composition of milk. In Metabolic Disorders of Farm Animals (Eds Giesecke, D., Dirksen, G. & Stangassinger, M.), pp. 4148. Munich: Veterinary Faculty of the University.Google Scholar
Garnsworthy, P. C. (1989). The interaction between dietary fibre level and protein degradability in dairy cows. Animal Production 48, 271281.Google Scholar
Jackson, D. A., Johnson, C. L. & Forbes, J. M. (1991). The effect of compound composition and silage characteristics on silage intake, feeding behaviour, production of milk and live-weight change in lactating dairy cows. Animal Production 52, 1119.Google Scholar
Lees, J. A., Oldham, J. D., Haresign, W. & Garnsworthy, P. C. (1990). The effect of patterns of rumen fermentation on the response by dairy cows to dietary protein concentration. British Journal of Nutrition 63, 177186.CrossRefGoogle ScholarPubMed
Mayne, C. S. & Gordon, F. J. (1984). The effect of type of concentrate and level of concentrate feeding on milk production. Animal Production 39, 6576.Google Scholar
O'Shea, J., Do Valle Ribeiro, M. A. & Moran, M. A. (1968). Relationships between digestibility (in vitro), crude fibre and cellulose content of some animal feeds. Irish Journal of Agricultural Research 7, 173181.Google Scholar
Phipps, R. H., Sutton, J. D., Weller, R. F. & Bines, J. A. (1987). The effect of concentrate composition and method of silage feeding on intake and performance of lactating dairy cows. Journal of Agricultural Science, Cambridge 109, 337343.CrossRefGoogle Scholar
Robinson, P. H., Tamminga, S. & Van Vuuren, A. M. (1987). Influence of declining level of feed intake and varying the proportion of starch in the concentrate on milk production and whole tract digestibility in dairy cows. Livestock Production Science 17, 1935.CrossRefGoogle Scholar
Sloan, B. K., Rowlinson, P. & Armstrong, D. G. (1988). Milk production in early lactation dairy cows given grass silage ad libitum: influence of concentrate energy source, crude protein content and level of concentrate allowance. Animal Production 46, 317331.CrossRefGoogle Scholar
Spörndly, E. (1989). Effects of diet on milk composition and yield of dairy cows with special emphasis on milk protein content. Swedish Journal of Agricultural Research 19, 99106.Google Scholar
Sutton, J. D., Oldham, J. D. & Hart, I. C. (1980). Products of digestion, hormones and energy utilization in milking cows given concentrates containing varying proportions of barley or maize. In Energy Metabolism (Ed. Mount, L. E.), pp. 303306. London: Butterworths.CrossRefGoogle Scholar
Sutton, J. D., Bines, J. A., Morant, S. V., Napper, D. J. & Givens, D. I. (1987). A comparison of starchy and fibrous concentrates for milk production, energy utilization and hay intake by Friesian cows. Journal of Agricultural Science, Cambridge 109, 375386.CrossRefGoogle Scholar
Sutton, J. D., Broster, W. H., Schuller, E., Napper, D. J., Broster, V. J. & Bines, J. A. (1988). Influence of plane of nutrition and diet composition on rumen fermentation and energy utilization by dairy cows. Journal of Agricultural Science, Cambridge 110, 261270.CrossRefGoogle Scholar
Thomas, C., Aston, K., Daley, S. R. & Bass, J. (1986). Milk production from silage. 4. The effect of the composition of the supplement. Animal Production 42, 315325.Google Scholar
Tyrrell, H. F. & Moe, P. W. (1975). Effect of intake on digestive efficiency. Journal of Dairy Science 58, 11511163.CrossRefGoogle Scholar