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Effects of grazing adaptation on intake, ruminal fermentation, blood metabolites, and body weight change in dairy cows after turning out to pasture in early spring
Author(s) -
Mitani Tomohiro,
Kubota Tomoyo,
Mizuguchi Hitoshi,
Kushibiki Shiro,
Ueda Koichiro
Publication year - 2020
Publication title -
animal science journal
Language(s) - English
Resource type - Journals
SCImago Journal Rank - 0.606
H-Index - 38
eISSN - 1740-0929
pISSN - 1344-3941
DOI - 10.1111/asj.13481
Subject(s) - zoology , grazing , nefa , rumen , pasture , biology , barn , urea , metabolite , body weight , monensin , fermentation , agronomy , food science , endocrinology , biochemistry , fatty acid , civil engineering , engineering
This study investigated the effect of adaptation to grazing in early spring on herbage intake, ruminal fermentation parameters, blood metabolite concentrations, and body weight change in dairy cows. The experiment was conducted on eight rumen‐cannulated non‐lactating cows in the early spring period. Four cows were adapted to grazing by stocking for 4 hr for 1 week (ADP group). The other cows were kept in a barn during the period (CON group). Then, both groups of cows were stocked together throughout a day on a 1 ha pasture for 3 weeks (experimental period). In the first week of the experimental period, compared to the CON group, the ADP group had a higher herbage intake, ruminal NH 3 ‐N and total VFA concentration, and blood urea concentration, but the NEFA concentration was lower in the ADP group ( p < .01). During the subsequent weeks, there were little differences in ruminal fermentation parameters and blood metabolites. Cows in the ADP group maintained their body weight, but cows in the CON group lost 60 kg of body weight in the first week of the experimental period.