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Microbial populations, fermentation end-products, and aerobic stability of corn silage treated with ammonia or a propionic acid-based preservative.

We studied the effects of ammonia treatment on microbial populations during the fermentation of corn silage. We also compared the effects of ammonia to a preservative containing buffered propionic acid and other antifungal compounds on the fermentation and aerobic stability of corn silage. In the first experiment, whole-plant corn was ensiled without treatment or treated with ammonia-N to supply an additional 0.3% N (fresh-forage basis). The addition of ammonia immediately increased silage pH and had no effect on numbers of lactic acid bacteria, but delayed their growth compared with untreated silage. Numbers of enterobacteria declined more slowly, but numbers of yeasts and molds declined more quickly in silage treated with ammonia. During the early stages of ensiling, lactic acid increased more rapidly in untreated than in treated silage. The reverse was true for acetic acid concentrations. When exposed to air, growth of yeasts and molds was delayed in ammonia-treated silage. In a second experiment, various levels (0.1 to 0.3%, fresh weight) of ammonium-N or a preservative with buffered propionic acid were added to whole-plant corn and allowed to ensile for 106 d. Silage treated with ammonia had a greater ratio of L- to D-lactic acid than did other silages. Untreated silage was aerobically stable for 32.3 h, whereas the low (42 h) and moderate (52.7 h) concentrations of both additives numerically improved aerobic stability. High concentrations of ammonia-N (0.3%) or a buffered propionic acid preservative (0.3%), markedly improved the aerobic stability of corn silage (82 and 69 h for ammonia and propionic acid-treated silage, respectively).

Ammonia↗

Feeding value of corn silage estimated with sheep and dairy cows is not altered by genetic incorporation of Bt1376 resistance to Ostrinia nubilalis.

A genetically modified Bt176 corn hybrid (Rh208Bt)--providing control of European corn borer damage--and the conventional isogenic hybrid (Rh208)--harvested as whole plant silage--were evaluated in three separate feeding trials to verify that the in vivo feeding value was substantially equivalent among modified and conventional hybrids. In the first trial, after a week of preexperiment, two sets of six Texel sheep, housed in digestibility crates, were fed silage sources of Rh208 and Rh208Bt hybrids, and silage of three additional control varieties of low, intermediate, and high feeding value (Rh289, Adonis, and Adonis bm3) for 1 wk. Feed offered to sheep was adjusted to maintenance requirements based on metabolic body weight. Agronomic and biochemical traits were similar among the Rh208 and Rh208Bt hybrids. Organic matter digestibility (67.1 and 67.6%), crude fiber digestibility (52.9 and 54.2%), and neutral detergent fiber digestibility (50.2 and 49.0%) were not significantly different among Rh208 and Rh208Bt hybrids. In the second trial, two sets of 24 Holstein cows were fed silage from Rh208 and Rh208Bt corn hybrids for 13 wk, 9 wk after calving, and including 2 wk of preexperiment. Fat-corrected milk yield (31.3 and 31.4 kg/d), protein content (31.7 and 31.6 g/kg) and fat content (36.7 and 37.0 g/kg) in milk of dairy cows were unaffected by hybrid source. Body weight gains of cattle were not different. However, intake was significantly higher in cows fed Rh208Bt silage. In the third trial, five midlactation multiparous Holstein cows were successively fed the silage from Rh208 and Rh208Bt corn hybrids 2 or 3 wk. Data were considered only for the last week of each period. There were no significant effects on protein fractions, fatty acid composition, or coagulation properties of milk between Rh208 and Rh208Bt fed cattle. Cattle and sheep can perform equally well with a conventional or a genetically modified Bt176 corn silage.

Animal Feed↗

Ruminal fermentation and nutrient digestion by dairy cows fed varying amounts of soyhulls as a replacement for corn grain.

Five multiparous Holstein cows cannulated in the rumen and duodenum that averaged 63 d in milk were used in a 5 x 5 Latin square design with 14-d periods to evaluate the incremental substitution of soyhulls for corn in the diet. Diets contained 23% alfalfa silage, 23% corn silage, and 54% concentrate on a dry matter (DM) basis. Pelleted soyhulls replaced corn in the concentrate to supply 0, 10, 20, 30, or 40% of the dietary DM. The intakes of DM and organic matter were unaffected by treatments. Intakes of acid detergent fiber and neutral detergent fiber increased linearly, but the intake of nonstructural carbohydrates decreased linearly as soyhulls increased from 0 to 40% of dietary DM. The amount of acid detergent fiber and neutral detergent fiber digested was increased whereas the amount of nonstructural carbohydrate digested was decreased in the rumen, in the lower digestive tract, and in the total digestive tract as soyhulls replaced corn in the diet. Passage to the duodenum of nonammonia N, microbial N, nonammonia nonmicrobial N, total essential amino acids, total nonessential amino acids, and total amino acids were not affected by treatments. Yield of milk (29.5 kg/d) was not affected by treatments in this experiment. In a companion experiment, cows fed the 40% SH diet produced 1.2 kg/day per cow less (P < 0.07) milk than cows fed the control diet which is similar to the 1.3 kg/day per cow less milk produced by cows fed the same 40% SH diet in this experiment. Differences in the source of energy (fiber vs. nonstructural carbohydrates), in the amount of fiber and nonstructural carbohydrates digested, and in the site of digestion in the gastrointestinal tract may cause a shortage of the source and/or amount of energy that is required for maximum milk production in high producing cows when more than 30% of the dietary DM that is supplied as corn is replaced with soyhullss.

Amino Acids↗

Performance of lactating dairy cows fed varying amounts of soyhulls as a replacement for corn grain.

Fifteen multiparous Holstein cows averaging 112 d in milk were used in a replicated 5 x 5 Latin square to evaluate the incremental substitution of soyhulls for corn in the diet. Diets contained 23% alfalfa silage, 23% corn silage, and 54% concentrate on a dry matter basis. Pelleted soyhulls replaced corn in the concentrate to supply 0, 10, 20, 30, or 40% of the dietary dry matter. Dry matter intake decreased linearly as soyhulls replaced corn in the diet, but the major decrease in dry matter intake occurred when soyhulls provided 30 and 40% of the dietary dry matter. Intakes of both acid and neutral detergent fiber increased linearly as soyhulls increased from 0 to 40% of dietary dry matter. Production of milk tended to decrease when soyhulls supplied 40% of the dietary dry matter. Production of 3.5% fat-corrected milk, milk crude protein percentage and yield, milk urea N, and total solids yield were not affected by treatments. Production of true protein, but not percentage, tended to decrease by about 5% when soyhulls supplied 40% of the dietary dry matter. Increasing the percentage of soyhulls in the dietary dry matter increased linearly milk fat content and yield, and total solids content in milk. These data suggest that soyhulls can successfully supply up to about 30% of the dry matter intake of midlactation cows without depressing animal performance. Furthermore, replacing part of the corn with soyhulls in high grain diets may be viable when milk fat has a high monetary value or when soyhulls can be purchased at a more competitive price than grains on a nutrient content basis.

Animal Feed↗

Effects of corn grain conservation method on feeding behavior and productivity of lactating dairy cows at two dietary starch concentrations.

Effects of conservation method of corn grain and dietary starch concentration on dry matter intake (DMI) and productivity of lactating dairy cows were evaluated. Eight ruminally and duodenally cannulated Holstein cows (55 +/- 15.9 d in milk; mean +/- SD) were used in a duplicated 4 x 4 Latin square design with a 2 x 2 factorial arrangement of treatments. Experimental diets contained either ground high-moisture corn (HM) or dry ground corn (DG) at two dietary starch concentrations (32 vs 21%). Mean particle size and dry matter (DM) concentration of corn grain were 1863 pm and 63.2%, and 885 microm and 89.7%, for HM and DG, respectively. DMI was lower for HM compared to DG treatment in high-starch diets (20.8 vs 22.5 kg/d), but similar for the HM and DG treatments in low-starch diets (19.7 vs 19.6 kg/d). This reduction in DMI is attributed to smaller meal size for HM compared to DG in high-starch diets (1.9 vs 2.3 kg of DM for high-starch diets; 2.1 vs 2.0 kg of DM for low-starch diets). Faster starch fermentation for HM in high-starch diets might result in satiety with smaller meal size. Milk yield was greater when cows were fed high-starch diets compared to low-starch diets (38.6 vs 33.9 kg/d) regardless of corn grain treatment. High-starch diets increased solids-corrected milk yield by 3.3 kg (35.2 vs 31.9 kg/d) compared to low-starch diets for cows fed DG, but did not increase for cows fed HM. This was because of a lower milk fat concentration for cows fed HM in high-starch diets. Reducing ruminal starch fermentation by substituting DG for HM can increase the productivity of lactating cows fed high-starch diets.

Animal Feed↗

Influence of corn silage particle length on the performance of lactating dairy cows fed supplemental tallow.

The objective of this study was to determine if the length of chop of processed corn silage influences the impact of supplemental fat on rumen fermentation and performance of dairy cows. We hypothesized that increasing forage particle length may alleviate the interference of fat on rumen fermentation. Sixteen Holstein cows averaging 120 d in milk were used in a replicated 4 x 4 Latin square design with 21-d periods. Treatments were arranged as a 2 x 2 factorial with 0 or 2% tallow (dry matter basis), and corn silage harvested at either 19 or 32 mm theoretical length of cut. The forage:concentrate ratio was 50:50, and diets were formulated to contain 18% crude protein and 32% neutral detergent fiber (dry matter basis). Cows were allowed ad libitum consumption of diets that were fed twice daily as a total mixed ration. Fat supplemented cows had lower dry matter intake and produced less milk fat relative to nonsupplemented cows. No effect of corn silage particle length was observed for dry matter intake and milk fat production. Proportion of trans-10 C18:1 and of trans-10, cis-12 conjugated linoleic acid was highest in milk fat of cows fed 2% supplemental tallow. Rumen pH was not affected by feeding tallow, and tended to be highest for cows eating the 32-mm theoretical length of chop corn silage diets. No effect of treatments was observed for rumen acetate-to-propionate ratio or rumen ammonia concentration. In this study, tallow supplementation had a negative impact on performance of dairy cows regardless of the corn silage particle length. Feeding tallow increased formation of trans-fatty acids in the rumen in the absence of significant changes in the rumen environment.

Acetic Acid↗

The effect of corn silage particle size on eating behavior, chewing activities, and rumen fermentation in lactating dairy cows.

The objective of this experiment was to evaluate effects of reducing corn silage particle size on eating behavior, chewing activity, and rumen fermentation in lactating dairy cows. Four cannulated, multiparous cows averaging 110 +/- 4 d in milk and weighing 675 +/- 70 kg were randomly assigned to a 4 x 4 Latin square. During each of four 14-d periods, animals were offered one of four diets that were chemically similar but varied in corn silage particle size: short (SH), mostly short (MSH), mostly long (MLG), and long (LG), with a geometric mean particle length of 7.4, 7.8, 8.3, and 8.8 mm, respectively. Reducing particle size increased dry matter intake (DMI) linearly (28.0, 26.8, 26.8, and 25.7 kg/d for SH, MSH, MLG, and LG respectively). At 8, 16, and 24 h postfeeding, the neutral detergent fiber (NDF) concentration of feed remaining in the bunk decreased linearly with reduced particle size. Time spent eating or ruminating was not different across treatments; however, total chewing activity (TC; sum of time spent eating and ruminating) exhibited a quadratic response with highest chewing activities observed for diets with shortest and longest particle size. Eating or ruminating time per kilogram of DMI was not affected by corn silage particle size, but TC per kilogram of DMI decreased linearly with decreasing particle size. In comparison, when expressed as minutes per unit of NDF intake (NDFI), ruminating, and TC were linearly reduced as particle size decreased. Rumen pH was not affected by corn silage particle size even though total concentration of volatile fatty acids increased linearly from 89.1 mM/L to 93.6 mM/L as diet particle size decreased. A quadratic effect was observed in molar proportion of acetate and propionate with the highest concentration observed in animals consuming diets of intermediate particle size. Results of this experiment suggest that reducing corn silage particle size may increase DMI, positively affect rumen fermentation, and reduce sorting behavior. Because both chewing activity and sorting tendencies increased when proportion of TMR particles > 19.0 mm increased, results suggest that particle size measurement as estimated by the PSPS is useful in understanding some factors that affect feeding behavior.

Ammonia↗

Pelleted beet pulp substituted for high-moisture corn: 1. Effects on feed intake, chewing behavior, and milk production of lactating dairy cows.

The effects of increasing concentrations of dried, pelleted beet pulp substituted for high-moisture corn on intake, milk production, and chewing behavior were evaluated using eight ruminally and duodenally cannulated multiparous Holstein cows in a duplicated 4 x 4 Latin square design with 21-d periods. Cows were 79 +/- 17 (mean +/- SD) d in milk at the beginning of the experiment. Experimental diets with 40% forage (corn silage and alfalfa silage) and 60% concentrate contained 0, 6.1, 12.1, or 24.3% beet pulp substituted for high-moisture corn on a dry matter basis. Diet concentrations of neutral detergent fiber (NDF) and starch were 24.3 and 34.6% (0% beet pulp), 26.2 and 30.5% (6% beet pulp), 28.0 and 26.5% (12% beet pulp), and 31.6 and 18.4% (24% beet pulp), respectively. Increasing beet pulp in the diet caused a linear decrease in dry matter intake (DMI). Time spent eating per day and per kilogram of DMI increased, and sorting against NDF tended to increase, with added beet pulp. Substituting beet pulp for corn caused a quadratic response in milk fat yield, with the highest yield for the 6% beet pulp treatment. A tendency was detected for a similar quadratic response in 3.5% fat-corrected milk yield. Lower plasma insulin concentration may have resulted in lower body condition gain for cows fed diets with higher beet pulp concentration. Partial substitution of pelleted beet pulp for high-moisture corn decreased intake but also may have permitted greater fat-corrected milk yield.

Animal Feed↗

Pelleted beet pulp substituted for high-moisture corn: 3. Effects on ruminal fermentation, pH, and microbial protein efficiency in lactating dairy cows.

The effects of increasing concentrations of dried, pelleted beet pulp substituted for high-moisture corn on ruminal fermentation, pH, and microbial efficiency were evaluated using eight ruminally and duodenally cannulated multiparous Holstein cows in a duplicated 4 x 4 Latin square design with 21-d periods. Cows were 79 +/- 17 (mean +/- SD) DIM at the beginning of the experiment. Experimental diets with 40% forage (corn silage and alfalfa silage) and 60% concentrate contained 0, 6.1, 12.1, or 24.3% beet pulp substituted for high-moisture corn on a DM basis. Diet concentrations of NDF and starch were 24.3 and 34.6% (0% beet pulp), 26.2 and 30.5% (6% beet pulp), 28.0, and 26.5% (12% beet pulp), and 31.6 and 18.4% (24% beet pulp), respectively. Substituting beet pulp for corn did not affect daily mean or minimum ruminal pH but tended to reduce pH range. Ruminal acetate:propionate responded in a positive exponential relationship to added beet pulp. Rate of valerate absorption from the rumen was not affected by treatment. Substituting beet pulp for corn up to 24% of diet DM did not affect efficiency of ruminal microbial protein production, expressed as microbial N flow to the duodenum as a percentage of OM truly digested in the rumen. Microbial efficiency was not correlated to mean pH or daily minimum pH. While microbial efficiency was not directly related to concentration of beet pulp fed, it was positively correlated with passage rate of particulate matter, as represented by starch and indigestible NDF, probably due to reduced turnover of microbial protein in the rumen.

Animal Feed↗

Comparison of brown midrib-6 and -18 forage sorghum with conventional sorghum and corn silage in diets of lactating dairy cows.

Total mixed rations containing conventional forage sorghum, brown midrib (bmr)-6 forage sorghum, bmr-18 forage sorghum, or corn silage were fed to Holstein dairy cows to determine the effect on lactation, ruminal fermentation, and total tract nutrient digestion. Sixteen multiparous cows (4 ruminally fistulated; 124 d in milk) were assigned to 1 of 4 diets in a replicated Latin square design with 4-wk periods (21-d adaptation and 7 d of collection). Diets consisted of 40% test silage, 10% alfalfa silage, and 50% concentrate mix (dry basis). Acid detergent lignin concentration was reduced by 21 and 13%, respectively, for the bmr-6 and bmr-18 sorghum silages when compared with the conventional sorghum. Dry matter intake was not affected by diet. Production of 4% fat-corrected milk was greatest for cows fed bmr-6 (33.7 kg/d) and corn silage (33.3 kg/d), was least for cows fed the conventional sorghum (29.1 kg/d), and was intermediate for cows fed the bmr-18 sorghum (31.2 kg/d), which did not differ from any other diet. Total tract neutral detergent fiber (NDF) digestibility was greatest for the bmr-6 sorghum (54.4%) and corn silage (54.1%) diets and was lower for the conventional (40.8%) and bmr-18 sorghum (47.9%) diets. In situ extent of NDF digestion was greatest for the bmr-6 sorghum (76.4%) and corn silage (79.0%) diets, least for the conventional sorghum diet (70.4%), and intermediate for the bmr-18 sorghum silage diet (73.1%), which was not different from the other diets. Results of this study indicate that the bmr-6 sorghum hybrid outperformed the conventional sorghum hybrid; the bmr-18 sorghum was intermediate between conventional and bmr-6 in most cases. Additionally, the bmr-6 hybrid resulted in lactational performance equivalent to the corn hybrid used in this study. There are important compositional differences among bmr forage sorghum hybrids that need to be characterized to predict animal response accurately.

Animal Nutritional Physiological Phenomena↗

Lactational response of cows fed condensed corn distillers solubles.

Fifteen Holstein cows (6 multiparous and 9 primiparous) in early lactation were used in a replicated 3 x 3 Latin square design with 5-wk periods to evaluate the use of condensed corn distillers solubles (CCDS) in the total mixed ration. Diets were control (0%), low (5%), or high (10% of dry matter) CCDS. All diets contained alfalfa hay, corn silage, rolled corn, and a concentrate supplement formulated to yield isonitrogenous diets. Condensed corn distillers solubles replaced a portion of the rolled corn and soybean meal in the control diet. Data were collected from wk 3 to 5 of each 5-wk period. Dry matter intakes (23.4, 24.4, and 22.5 kg/d for control, low, and high CCDS, respectively) were similar for CCDS and control and tended to be greater for low than for high CCDS. Milk yields (34.1, 35.5, and 35.8 kg/d) were greater for added CCDS vs. control, with no additional benefit found by feeding a high over a low amount of CCDS. Milk fat percentage decreased slightly, whereas protein and lactose production increased when cows were fed CCDS. Medium-chain fatty acids in milk fat were decreased and long-chain fatty acids increased by feeding CCDS, and similar changes were found comparing high with low level of CCDS. Unsaturated fatty acids in milk fat tended to be higher for diets containing CCDS compared with control and were higher for high compared with low inclusion. Ruminal ammonia and serum urea nitrogen concentrations were lower when cows were fed CCDS. This study indicated that it is advantageous to feed CCDS at 5% of dry matter; however, some beneficial changes in milk fatty acid composition were achieved by doubling that amount.

Ammonia↗

A meta-analysis of the effects of Lactobacillus buchneri on the fermentation and aerobic stability of corn and grass and small-grain silages.

The results of adding Lactobacillus buchneri to silages from 43 experiments in 23 sources reporting standard errors were summarized using meta-analysis. The effects of inoculation were summarized by type of crop (corn or grass and small grains) and the treatments were classified into the following categories: 1) untreated silage with nothing applied (LB0), 2) silage treated with L. buchneri at < or = 100,000 cfu/g of fresh forage (LB1), and 3) silage treated with L. buchneri at > 100,000 cfu/g (LB2). In both types of crops, inoculation with L. buchneri decreased concentrations of lactic acid, and this response was dose-dependent in corn but not in grass and small-grain silages. Treatment with L. buchneri markedly increased the concentrations of acetic acid in both crops in a dose-dependent manner. The numbers of yeasts were lower in silages treated with LB1 and further decreased in silages treated with LB2 compared with untreated silages. Untreated corn silage spoiled after 25 h of exposure to air but corn silage treated with LB1 did not spoil until 35 h, and this stability was further enhanced to 503 h with LB2. In grass and small-grain silages, yeasts were nearly undetectable; however, inoculation improved aerobic stability in a dose-dependent manner (206, 226, and 245 h for LB0, LB1, and LB2, respectively). The recovery of DM after ensiling was lower for LB2 (94.5%) when compared with LB0 (95.5%) in corn silage and was lower for both LB1 (94.8%) and LB2 (95.3%) when compared with LB0 (96.6%) in grass and small-grain silages.

Acetic Acid↗

Feeding value and nutrient preservation of high moisture corn ensiled in conventional silos forlactating dairy cows.

Sixty-one Holstein cows were used at varying stages of lactation to evaluate the feeding value of high moisture shelled corn ensiled in conventional silos. Control rations consisted of comparable amounts of conventional shelled corn dried in commercial drying facilities. Cows fed high moisture corn produced milk of higher fat content (3.09 versus 2.64%) and greater quantities of fat (.73 versus .64 kg) while they consumed less concentrate (9.28 versus 9.84 kg), resulting in the crude fiber content of the dry matter being 14.60% compared to 13.82% for control cows. Covariate adjustment of treatment means to equal intake of crude fiber eliminated differences above. Milk, 4% fat corrected milk, silage, total dry matter intake, and rumen volatile fatty acids were not significantly different between groups. Dry matter recovery following the ensiling process was 96.0 plus or minus 1.9% with 3.0 plus or minus 1.1% classified as spoiled corn, resulting in a total of 7% loss. Recoveries of all proximate constituents were similar to dry matter with the exception of ash (82.4%). Costs of the two systems were evaluated for varying corn prices and moisture.

Animal Feed↗

Nutritional value of wet corn gluten feed for sheep and lactating dairy cows.

Experiments were conducted to determine digestibility of wet corn gluten feed in sheep and effect of wet corn gluten feed on DM intake, milk production, and milk composition by dairy cows. In Trial 1, six wethers were fed wet corn gluten feed at maintenance and ad libitum for determination of nutrient digestibility by the conventional 7-d total collection technique. The sheep ate 1.32 times maintenance at ad libitum intake and no significant differences were found in digestibility due to intake. Digestibilities of DM, organic matter, energy, CP, ether extract, ADF, NDF, and hemicellulose averaged 70.3, 73.0, 73.7, 78.3, 72.8, 51.4, 58.1, and 60.4%, respectively. Mean total digestible nutrients for both treatments was 70.3. In Trial 2, 12 Holstein cows in mid to late lactation were allotted to a 4 x 4 Latin square design. Cows were fed a total mixed ration twice daily. Wet corn gluten feed was fed at 0 (control), 10, 20, and 30% of the total ration DM. There were no significant treatment effects on DM intake, milk yield, or milk composition. Dry matter intake (kg/d), milk production (kg/d), and percent milk fat were 21.4, 22.9, and 3.71, respectively, for control; 21.4, 23.0, and 3.80 for the 10%; 21.0, 23.1, and 3.71 for the 20%; and 21.0, 23.2, and 3.89 for the 30% wet corn gluten feed.

Animal Feed↗

Effect of copper and cobalt addition on digestion and growth in heifers fed diets containing alfalfa silage or corn crop residues.

Copper and cobalt were added to the diet of heifers in excess of NRC recommendations for these minerals. In Experiment 1, the rate of DM disappearance from dacron bags placed in the rumen was increased by the additional dietary Cu and Co for alfalfa hay (14.6 vs. 8.4%/h) and corn cobs (5.8 vs. 3.1%/h) but did not affect the DM disappearance rate for corn crop residue silage (3.6 vs. 3.4%/h). In Experiment 2, additional Cu and Co increased DM disappearance rate of corn crop residue silage (6.2 vs. 3.4%/h) but did not influence the rate of alfalfa hay (8.6 vs. 7.6%/h). In Experiment 3, a random design with a 2 x 2 factorial arrangement was used. The diet consisted of 45% corn crop residue silage, 35% alfalfa silage containing 60 or 40% DM, 18% high moisture corn, and 2% vitamin and mineral mix with or without added Cu and Co, respectively. Each of the four diets was group-fed to 9 light and 11 heavy Holstein heifers. Growth rate was lower with Cu and Co supplementation, but DM digestibility was improved by the additional Cu and Co. These results indicate that addition of Cu and Co above the NRC requirements may aid in digestion of low quality forages.

Animals↗

Corn gluten meal or dried brewers grains as partial replacement for soybean meal in the diet of Holstein cows.

Holstein cows (n = 24, 9 primiparous) were assigned equally to diets based on corn silage and high moisture corn supplemented with soybean meal alone or with either corn gluten meal or dried brewers grains. In diets with two protein sources, the protein quantity from each source was similar. Dietary CP and ADF averaged 16.3 and 18.8%, and undegraded protein as a percentage of CP was 33.6, 41.1, and 41.8% for the respective diets. After parturition, cows were fed the soybean meal diet for a 3-wk covariant period, an experimental diet for 10 wk, the soybean meal diet for 3 wk, and the experimental diet for another 10 wk. Milk production by cows fed those diets averaged 30.9, 31.7, and 34.9 kg/d; protein averaged .90, .94, and 1.02 kg/d; and DMI averaged 16.8, 18.8, and 18.2 kg/d, respectively, for the two 10-wk periods. No dietary differences occurred for 3.5% FCM, estimated DM digestibility, BW, BW gain, or percentages of milk fat, protein, or SNF. Ruminal isobutyrate and isovalerate differed by diet; isovalerate was highest in the diet containing soybean meal plus corn gluten meal, probably because of the high Leu content of corn gluten meal. Ruminal NH3 N did not differ. The favorable production response by cows fed dried brewers grains can be explained by a more favorably balanced AA profile in the ruminally undegraded protein than in other diets.

Animal Feed↗

The effect of replacing dietary beet pulp with wheat treated with sodium hydroxide, ground wheat, or ground corn in lactating cows.

This experiment examined the effect of complete diets composed of 60% grass silage and 40% concentrate based mainly on beet pulp, ground wheat, wheat treated with NaOH, or ground corn on milk production and ruminal fermentation of dairy cows. Milk production and fat yield were 19.8, 20.7, 20.1, and 21.2 kg/d and 0.71, 0.76, 0.72, and 0.78 kg/d, respectively (18 cows per treatment). Cows fed the diet based on ground corn had higher milk production and fat yield, but lower milk protein concentration, than did cows fed the diet based on beet pulp. Cows fed the diet based on ground corn also had higher fat yields than did cows fed the diet based on wheat treated with NaOH. Cows fed the diet based on ground wheat had lower ruminal pH than did cows fed the diet based on beet pulp (6.34 vs. 6.59) and higher ruminal NH3 concentrations (6.2 vs. 5.2 mmol/L) than did cows fed the diet based on ground corn. These results showed little difference in milk production based on wheat processing method and little advantage to replacing beet pulp with either wheat type in a high forage diet. However, milk production and fat yield were increased by replacing beet pulp with ground corn.

3-Hydroxybutyric Acid↗

Effects of corn processing on the site and extent of digestion in lactating cows.

Three multiparous Holstein cows in midlactation were fitted with ruminal and duodenal cannulas. Cows were used in an experiment with a 3 x 3 Latin square design to study the effect of corn processing on nutrient flow from the rumen to the duodenum and on ruminal fermentation in lactating cows. Cows were fed diets consisting of 40% forage and 60% concentrate. The only difference in dietary ingredients was the type of processed corn included at 24% of the total diet (as-fed basis). Treatments were dry-rolled corn with a bulk density of 0.54 kg/L and steam-flaked corn with a bulk density of either 0.39 kg/L or 0.31 kg/L. Ruminal fluid pH was not affected by corn processing, but steam-flaking decreased the molar percentage of acetate and increased the molar percentage of propionate. Digestibility of starch in the rumen was not affected by processing. Digestibility of starch entering the duodenum as well as apparent digestibility of starch in the total tract were increased by steam-flaking. Flow of feed and microbial N from the rumen and microbial N efficiency were not affected by grain processing. Yields of milk and milk components as well as composition of milk were not affected by grain processing.

Animal Feed↗