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Systems of concentrate allocation for dairy cattle 2. A comparison of two patterns of allocation for autumn-calving cows offered two qualities of grass silage ad libitum

Published online by Cambridge University Press:  02 September 2010

W. Taylor  and
J. D. Leaver
W. Taylor
Affiliation:
West of Scotland Agricultural College, Crichton Royal Farm, Dumfries DG1 4SZ
J. D. Leaver
Affiliation:
West of Scotland Agricultural College, Crichton Royal Farm, Dumfries DG1 4SZ
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Abstract

In a 25-week experiment beginning at week 3 post partum, grass silages of 10·5 (H) and 8·9 (L) MJ metabolizable energy per kg dry matter (DM) were offered ad libitum to two groups of 24 autumn-calving dairy cows. Within each silage-quality group, two patterns of concentrate allocation were compared, a flat-rate (F) and a variable rate (V). All four treatment groups, HF, HV, LF and LV, received on average 1575 kg fresh weight per cow of a concentrate containing 170 g crude protein per kg during the 25 weeks. The cows on treatment F were all individually given 9 kg concentrate per day throughout. Individuals on the V treatments received different levels of concentrate, based initially on their 14-day milk yield and then reduced by 1 kg/day at 10, 15 and 20 weeks. For treatments HF, HV, LF and LV respectively, mean adjusted daily milk yields were, 24·4, 24·1, 21·6 and 22·1 kg; intakes of silage DM, 9·1, 8·7, 7·6 and 7·6 kg/day, and live-weight gains, 0·39, 0·31, 0·28 and 0·22 kg/day. The effects of silage quality were significant in each case, but the effects of pattern of concentrate allocation were not. Cows given the H silage produced milk with significantly greater lactose and solids-not-fat concentrations. During the residual period (2 weeks indoors and 14 weeks grazing) no significant differences in milk yield were observed. The 305-day yields of 6215, 6096, 5786 and 5824 kg for treatments HF, HV, LF and LV respectively, reflected the differences obtained during the indoor feeding period.

Type
Research Article
Information
Animal Production , Volume 39 , Issue 3 , December 1984 , pp. 325 - 333
Copyright
Copyright © British Society of Animal Science 1984

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References

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