Published online by Cambridge University Press: 01 June 2009
The effects of depriving cows of pasture, for part or all of a single interval between the morning and evening milkings, on milk yield and composition have been investigated. The yields of milk and solids-not-fat, but not of fat, were reduced. The characteristics of the butterfat obtained at the first 2 milkings following grazing restriction differed markedly from those of cows allowed to graze normally.
The changes observed suggested that the grazing restriction led to a temporary reduction in the supply of volatile fatty acids from the rumen and an increased utilization of fatty acids from body fat by the mammary gland.