Hostname: page-component-84b7d79bbc-2l2gl Total loading time: 0 Render date: 2024-07-29T22:52:17.041Z Has data issue: false hasContentIssue false
  • English
  • Français

Systems of concentrate allocation for dairy cattle. 4. A comparison of two amounts and two patterns of allocation

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
Get access

Abstract

For 25 weeks starting at week 3 post partum autumn-calving dairy cows were offered either a flat rate of concentrates in which all cows received the same daily amount throughout the experiment (F), or a variable rate based on their individual milk yield at 2 weeks post partum, and which was reduced at weeks 10, 15 and 20 of the experiment (V). Two mean amounts of concentrates were compared, 11 kg/day (11) and 7 kg/day (7) and grass silage was available ad libitum. For treatments 11F, 11V, 7F and 7V respectively, mean milk yields were 26·2, 24·5, 21·5 and 21·3 kg/day, mean live-weight changes were +0·18, +0·07, -0·09 and -0·05 kg/day, and mean silage dry-matter intakes were 8·0, 7·1, 9·4 and 9·0 kg/day. Differences between systems of allocation were not significant, but differences between amounts of concentrates offered were significant. Due to the greater milk yield and milk fat concentration of the F system of allocation, milk fat yield was significantly greater than for the V system. The substitution rate of concentrates for silage dry matter was significantly greater during the first 10 weeks of the experiment than during the succeeding 15 weeks. In the residual period (3 weeks indoors and 14 weeks grazing), there were no significant effects on performance. The mean 305-day milk yields for 11F, 11V, 7F and 7V respectively were 6957, 6388, 5862 and 5901 kg.

Type
Research Article
Information
Animal Production , Volume 43 , Issue 1 , August 1986 , pp. 17 - 26
Copyright
Copyright © British Society of Animal Science 1986

Access options

Get access to the full version of this content by using one of the access options below. (Log in options will check for institutional or personal access. Content may require purchase if you do not have access.)

References

REFERENCES

Blaxter, K. L. 1959. Dairy cows. In Scientific Principles of Feeding Farm Livestock, pp. 40–61. Farmer and Stockbreeder Publications Ltd, London.Google Scholar
Blaxter, K. L. 1967. The feeding of dairy cows for optimal production. George Scott Robertson Memorial Lecture, No. 16. The Queen's University, Belfast.Google Scholar
Broster, W. H., Broster, Valerie J., Smith, T. and Siviter, J. W. 1975. Experiments on the nutrition of the dairy heifer. IX. Food utilization in lactation. Journal of Agricultural Science, Cambridge 84: 173–186.Google Scholar
Broster, W. H. and Thomas, C. 1981. The influence of level and pattern of concentrate input on milk output. In Recent Advances in Animal Nutrition — 1981 (ed. Haresign, W.), pp. 49–69. Butterworths, London.CrossRefGoogle Scholar
Burt, A. W. A. 1957. Influence of level of feeding during lactation upon the yield and composition of milk. Dairy Science Abstracts 19: 435–454.Google Scholar
Ekern, A. 1972. Feeding of high yielding dairy cows. Report Department of Animal Nutrition, Agricultural University, Norway, No. 147.Google Scholar
Gordon, F. J. 1982. The effect of pattern of concentrate allocation on milk production from autumn-calving heifers. Animal Production 34: 55–61.Google Scholar
Gordon, F. J. 1984. The effect of pattern of concentrate allocation for autumn-calving cows. Animal Production 38: 521 (Abstr.).Google Scholar
Greenhalgh, J. F. D. and Reid, G. W. 1975. Feeding dairy cows to appetite. Proceedings of the British Society of Animal Production 4: 111 (Abstr.).Google Scholar
Greenhalgh, J. F. D. and Reid, G. W. 1980. Complete diets for dairy cows: comparisons of feeding to appetite with rationing according to milk yield. Journal of Agricultural Science, Cambridge 94: 715–726.Google Scholar
Johnson, C. L. 1977. The effect of the plane and pattern of concentrate feeding on milk yield and composition in dairy cows. Journal of Agricultural Science, Cambridge 88: 79–94.CrossRefGoogle Scholar
Johnson, C. L. 1979. The effect of level and frequency of concentrate feeding on the performance of dairy cows of different yield potential. Journal of Agricultural Science, Cambridge 92: 743–751.Google Scholar
Johnson, C. L. 1982. Feeding dairy cows—A challenging scene. Journal of the Royal Agricultural Society of England 143: 34–45.Google Scholar
Kincaid, R. L. and Cronrath, J. D. 1982. Milk yield and metabolic measures of cows fed grain free choice during early lactation. Journal of Dairy Science 65: 740–745.CrossRefGoogle Scholar
Ministry of Agriculture, Fisheries and Food, Department of Agriculture and Fisherif:S for Scotland and Department of Agriculture for Northern Ireland. 1975. Energy allowances and feeding systems for ruminants. Technical Bulletin 33. Her Majesty's Stationery Office, London.Google Scholar
Moisey, F. R. and Leaver, J. D. 1985. Systems of concentrate allocation for dairy cattle. 3. A comparison of two flat-rate feeding systems at two amounts of concentrates. Animal Production 40: 209–217.Google Scholar
Østergaard, V. 1979. Optimum feeding strategy during lactation. In Feeding Strategy for the High Yielding Dairy Cow (ed. Broster, W. H. and Swan, H.), pp. 171–194. Granada Publishing, St Albans.Google Scholar
Steen, R. W. J. and Gordon, F. J. 1980. The effect of level and system of concentrate allocation to January/February calving cows on total lactation performance. Animal Production 30: 39–51.Google Scholar
Strickland, M. J. 1980. The development and evaluation of components of new systems on experimental husbandry farms. Animal Production 30: 474 (Abstr.).Google Scholar
Sutton, J. D. 1981. Concentrate feeding and milk composition. In Recent Advances in Animal Nutrition — 1981 (ed. Haresign, W.), pp. 35–48. Butterworths, London.CrossRefGoogle Scholar
Taylor, W. and Leaver, J. D. 1984a. Systems of concentrate allocation for dairy cattle. 1. A comparison of three patterns of allocation for autumn-calving cows and heifers offered grass silage ad libitum. Animal Production 39: 315–324.Google Scholar
Taylor, W. and Leaver, J. D. 1984b. 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. Animal Production 39: 325–333.Google Scholar
Wilson, P. N. and Wood, P. D. P. 1983. Some nutritional aspects of high yielding dairy herds. In Recent Advances in Animal Nutrition — 1983 (ed. Haresign, W.), pp. 179–197. Butterworths, London.Google Scholar
Wood, P. D. P. 1969. Factors affecting the shape of the lactation curve in cattle. Animal Production 11: 307–316.Google Scholar
Wood, P. D. P. 1980. A note on the lactation curves of some high-yielding British Friesian cows. Animal Production 30: 299–302.Google Scholar