Yield response of dairy cows fed different proportions of alfalfa silage and corn silage.
Forty-five multiparous and 29 primiparous cows were used in a complete lactation study to determine milk yield and the potential for improving N utilization by cows fed diets containing different proportions of alfalfa and corn silages. Cows were fed diets with a 50:50 forage to grain ratio. The forage portion of the diet was either all alfalfa silage, two-thirds alfalfa silage and one-third corn silage, or one-third alfalfa silage and two-thirds corn silage (dry matter basis). Treatment diets were fed to 6 ruminally cannulated cows to study dietary effects on ruminal fermentation. Diets were fed as a total mixed ration. Dry matter intake as a percentage of body weight was higher for cows fed the diet containing one-third corn silage. Mean 3.5% fat-corrected milk yield from wk 1 to 36 of lactation was 31.0, 32.9, and 31.8 kg/d for cows fed the alfalfa, one-third corn silage, and two-thirds corn silage treatment diets, respectively. For 305 d of lactation, milk yield for multiparous cows was 9593, 10,170, and 10,024 kg and for primiparous cows was 8124, 8412, and 8168 kg for cows consuming the alfalfa, one-third corn silage, and two-thirds corn silage treatment diets, respectively. Diets containing two-thirds corn silage decreased milk fat content of multiparous cows during early lactation. Ruminal NH3 concentration was lower and N excretion in the environment was reduced by 6 to 15% with the diets containing corn silage. Results suggested that corn silage should constitute one-third to two-thirds of dietary forage dry matter when fed with alfalfa silage to derive maximal benefit.
Dhiman
T R
TR
US Dairy Forage Research Center, USDA, Madison, USA.
Satter
L D
LD
D000641:Ammonia / Q000378:metabolism; D000824:Animal Nutritional Physiological Phenomena; D000818:Animals; D002417:Cattle / Q000502:physiology*; D004032:Diet; D005260:Female; D005285:Fermentation; D007700:Kinetics; D007774:Lactation / Q000502:physiology*; D000455:Medicago sativa; D008894:Milk Proteins / Q000378:metabolism; D009584:Nitrogen / Q000378:metabolism; D012417:Rumen / Q000378:metabolism; D012820:Silage; D003313:Zea mays
D008894:Milk Proteins; D000641:Ammonia; D009584:Nitrogen