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The effects of physical treatment of barley and rapeseed meal in dairy cows given grass silage

Published online by Cambridge University Press:  20 November 2017

P. Huhtanen
Affiliation:
Agricultural Research Centre, Institute of Animal Production, FIN-31600Jokioinen, Finland
T. Heikkila
Affiliation:
Agricultural Research Centre, Institute of Animal Production, FIN-31600Jokioinen, Finland
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Extract

It is well established that increasing the protein concentration of supplements increases milk yield in cows given grass silage-based diets. The responses are attributed to improved diet digestibility, increased silage dry matter (DM) intake and supply of amino acids from the small intestine. However, physical and chemical treatments of protein supplements used to decrease ruminal protein degradability have produced variable responses in animal production. Another alternative to increase amino acid supply is the processing of the grain supplements, which could affect both the energy availability and protein degradability in the rumen. Kassem et al. (1987) showed some improvements in milk production when barley was treated with a formaldehyde reagent. The aim of this study was to examine the effects of physical treatments to reduce ruminal protein degradability of barley and rapeseed meal (RSM) on milk production in cows fed grass silage ad libitum.

Type
Cattle Nutrition & Production
Copyright
Copyright © The British Society of Animal Science 1995

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References

Huhtanen, P. 1991. The response to replacement of barley with wheat bran and treatment of rapeseed meal in the diets of dairy cows given grass silage ad libitum . Acta Agr. Scand. 41:415426.10.1080/00015129109439924CrossRefGoogle Scholar
Kassem, M.M., Thomas, P.C., Chamberlain, D.G. & Robertson, S. 1987. Silage intake and milk production in cows given barley supplements of reduced ruminal degradability. Grass Forage Sci. 42: 175183.10.1111/j.1365-2494.1987.tb02105.xCrossRefGoogle Scholar
Tuori, M. 1992. Rapeseed meal as a supplementary protein for dairy cows on grass silage-based diet, with the emphasis on the nordic aat-pbv feed protein evaluation system. Agr. Sci. Finland 1: 368439.Google Scholar