Yield Response of Dairy Cows Fed Different Proportions of Alfalfa Silage and Corn Silage

Synthesis of microbial protein in ruminally cannulated cows fed alfalfa silage, alfalfa hay, or corn silage.

Six ruminally cannulated cows were used in an experiment with a 3 x 3 Latin square design. Three all forage diets-alfalfa silage, alfalfa hay, or corn silage plus 2.2% urea (DM basis)-were fed for ad libitum intake four times daily. The microbial protein marker 15NH3 and the liquid marker Cr-EDTA were infused continuously into the rumen for 72 and 48 h, respectively; the solid marker, Yb-labele...

Effect of yeast culture supplementation of alfalfa silage or alfalfa hay fed to lactating dairy cows

Performance of lactating dairy cows fed alfalfa silage or perennial ryegrass silage.

The nutrient contents of perennial ryegrass (Lolium perenne L.) and alfalfa (Medicago sativa L.) are reasonably similar. Despite similarities, the lactation performance of dairy cows fed perennial ryegrass has not been compared with the lactation performance of dairy cows fed alfalfa. The present study was implemented to compare the performance of lactating cows fed alfalfa or perennial ryegras...

Effect of Different Amounts of Protein and Varying Proportions of Corn Silage and Alfalfa Hay on Milk Production and Nitrogen Excretion of Dairy Holstein Cows

Four treatments were assigned to determine the effects of dietary potential digestible fiber (pdF) and crude protein (CP) levels in mid lactating Holstein cows on milk production and nitrogen efficiency. Sixteen primiparous (n=8) and multiparous (n=8) Holstein cows (body weight (BW)=546±72 kg; days in milk (DIM)=118±50 day) were allocated to one of four diets in balanced randomized complete des...

Performance of lactating dairy cows fed either alfalfa silage or alfalfa hay as the sole forage.

Alfalfa was harvested from alternate windrows as 40% DM silage or hay in small rectangular bales and fed in two 12-wk 4 x 4 Latin square trials, each with 20 multiparous lactating cows (4 with ruminal cannulas). Diets contained (DM basis) 69 (trial 1) or 66% (trial 2) alfalfa, 26 to 33% high moisture corn, 1.3% minerals and vitamins, and about 1.6 Mcal of NEL/kg of DM. In trial 1, second-cuttin...