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Extended grazing of dry cows

Published online by Cambridge University Press:  20 November 2017

R. J. Dewhurst ,
D. W. R. Davies  and
W. J. Fisher
R. J. Dewhurst
Affiliation:
Institute of Grassland and Environmental Research, Plas Gogerddan, Aberystwyth SY23 3EB, UK
D. W. R. Davies
Affiliation:
Institute of Grassland and Environmental Research, Trawsgoed Research Farm, Aberystwyth SY23 4LL, UK
W. J. Fisher
Affiliation:
Institute of Grassland and Environmental Research, Trawsgoed Research Farm, Aberystwyth SY23 4LL, UK
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Extract

Our earlier studies with dry cows have highlighted a number of factors that affect performance in the subsequent lactation, including forage intake in the peri-parturient period, body condition at calving and supply of Metabolisable Protein (MP) (Moorby et al., 1996; Dewhurst et al., 2000). There is now increased interest in making more use of grazed grass, as a cheap feed, particularly through extending grazing into the late-autumn and winter. Dry cows are suited to extended grazing because they do not need to be brought in for milking each day. The high voluntary intakes of grass may be beneficial for dry cows, though the low MP supply from autumn-grass might be a disadvantage. This experiment evaluated the effects of extended grazing, compared with housing and silage-feeding of dry cows.

Type
Poster Presentations
Information
Proceedings of the British Society of Animal Science , Volume 2001 , 2001 , pp. 189
Copyright
Copyright © The British Society of Animal Science 2001

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References

Dewhurst, R.J., Moorby, J.M., Dhanoa, M.S., Evans, R.T. and Fisher, W.J. 2000. Effects of altering energy and protein supply to dairy cows during the dry period. 1. Intake, body condition and milk production. Journal of Dairy Science 83: 1782–1794.Google Scholar
Moorby, J.M., Dewhurst, R.J. and Marsden, S. 1996. Effect of increasing digestible undegraded protein supply to dairy cows in late gestation on the yield and composition of milk during the subsequent lactation. Animal Science 63: 201–213.Google Scholar