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ARS Home » Midwest Area » St. Paul, Minnesota » Plant Science Research » Research » Publications at this Location » Publication #99992
Title: EFFECTS OF FEEDING DIFFERENT LEVELS OF FORAGE NDF FROM CORN SILAGE IN DIETSOF LACTATING DAIRY COWS

Author
item KUEHN, CARLA - UNIVERSITY OF MINNESOTA
item LINN, JAMES - UNIVERSITY OF MINNESOTA
item HANSEN, WILLIAM - UNIVERSITY OF MINNESOTA
item Jung, Hans Joachim
item ENDRES, MARCIA - MYCOGEN SEEDS

Submitted to: Journal of Dairy Science
Publication Type: Peer Reviewed Journal
Publication Acceptance Date: 6/20/1999
Publication Date: N/A
Citation: N/A

Interpretive Summary: Maintaining high levels of milk production by dairy cows is typically the most economically beneficial management system for farmers. To achieve these high levels of milk production, farmers generally feed diets to dairy cows that are rich in grains and other starch containing feeds. As a result of inclusion of large amounts of grain in the diet, cows are fed minimal amounts of fiber rich forage crops. Unfortunately, these low forage, high grain, high starch diets can often lead to health problems for dairy cows because their digestive system is not able to handle the products from large amounts of starch digestion. This leads to reduced feed intake, lower milk fat content, lower milk production, hoof problems, and occasionally death. Because it is known that feeding more fiber containing forages can avoid these health problems, we examined the impact of feeding increasing amounts of corn silage (which is rich in both starch and fiber) and found that substantially more forage fiber could be include in the diet of dairy cows without decreasing milk production if extra feed energy was supplied in a fat supplement. The addition of more corn silage increased the time cows spent chewing their cuds which promotes the saliva production that prevents the health problems associated with starch digestion. Farmers can feed more corn silage plus fat supplement and less grain, thereby maintaining milk production and promoting improved cow health.

Technical Abstract: Fifty-one Holstein cows (22 primiparous (P) and 29 multiparous (M)) were used to compare diets varying in NDF from forage (NDFF). Five dietary levels of NDFF (18, 20, 22, 24, and 26% of total dietary DM), where the source of NDFF was corn silage and alfalfa hay, were fed. The amount of hay in diets was constant at 13% of the DM. To achieve NDFF levels, corn silage in diets increased and corn grain decreased. A rumen inert fat was added to maintain isocaloric diets. Cows received a standardized diet containing 22% NDFF from calving until 20 to 26 d post calving when dietary treatments were initiated. Cows remained on their respective diets for 17 weeks. Corn silage increased and corn grain decreased with increasing NDFF. Dry matter intake was affected (P<0.05) by diet in M cows but not in P cows. With the exception of M cows fed NDFF26, there was a trend for decreasing DMI with increasing NDF concentration in the diet. Dietary treatment did not affect milk production, 3.5% FCM, BW, BCS, or DM digestibility for either parity. Time spent chewing tended to increase linearly with increased NDFF in both M (P<0.10) and P (P<0.11) cows. Results suggest that corn silage could successfully be incorporated in lactating dairy cow diets at up to 26% of NDFF level.