The effect of pattern of concentrate allocation for autumn-calving cows

Extract

The traditional system of feeding concentrates according to milk yield implies that higher levels of concentrates are offered during early lactation and that animals of higher yield potential receive greater concentrate inputs than their lower yielding herd-mates. However the results from recent studies would suggest that, when forage is offered ad libitum such an approach will result in no better herd performance than a flat rate system which takes neither of these two factors into consideration. The aim of the present study was to provide further information on this topic for autumn-calving cows, by examining the effects of variations in both the pattern of concentrate allocation over the lactation and the distribution of concentrates between animals within the herd. In the present study step feeding and flat rate feeding systems were compared with each system being operated with either all animals offered similar concentrate levels per animal or alternatively animals of higher yield potential being offered greater concentrate inputs than lower yielding animals.