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Effects of a B rown‐midrib corn hybrid on nutrient digestibility in wethers and on dry matter intake, performance, rumen and blood variables in dairy cows
Author(s) -
Gorniak T.,
Meyer U.,
Hackelsperger F.,
Dänicke S.
Publication year - 2014
Publication title -
journal of animal physiology and animal nutrition
Language(s) - English
Resource type - Journals
SCImago Journal Rank - 0.651
H-Index - 56
eISSN - 1439-0396
pISSN - 0931-2439
DOI - 10.1111/jpn.12080
Subject(s) - dry matter , silage , rumen , lactation , chemistry , zoology , nutrient , composition (language) , neutral detergent fiber , food science , biology , fermentation , pregnancy , linguistics , genetics , philosophy , organic chemistry
Summary The aim of the present trials was to determine the effect of an experimental Brown‐midrib ( B m) corn hybrid in relation to a commercial corn hybrid ( C on) on digestibility in wethers and on dry matter intake ( DMI ), milk yield and milk composition in dairy cows. Digestibility of crude fibre ( CF ), neutral detergent fibre ( NDF om) and acid detergent fibre ( ADF om) were higher for B m ( CF C on: 57.8%; B m: 67.2%; NDF om C on: 56.8%; B m: 64.8%; ADF om C on: 52.0%; B m: 63.9%), but concentration of net energy for lactation did not differ ( C on: 6.4 MJ/kg DM ; B m: 6.3 MJ/kg DM ). A total of 64 lactating G erman H olstein cows were assigned to one of the two dietary treatments C on or B m according to milk yield, lactation number, days in milk and live weight. In T rial 1, cows were fed a total mixed ration consisting of 50% corn silage ( C on or B m) and 50% concentrate on dry matter ( DM ) basis. In T rial 2, the same animals were fed the respective silage for ad libitum intake and 5.3 kg of concentrate DM per animal per day. In T rial 1, DMI and milk‐fat content were decreased significantly for the B m‐treatment ( DMI C on: 22.5 kg/day; B m: 21.5 kg/day; milk fat C on: 3.8%; B m: 3.3%). In T rial 2, milk yield and fat‐corrected milk ( FCM ) were increased significantly, whereas milk‐fat% was decreased significantly (milk yield C on: 25.8 kg/day; B m: 29.4 kg/day; FCM C on: 27.2 kg/day; B m: 29.6 kg/day; fat C on: 4.4%; B m: 4.0%). Diets did not influence ruminal p H or temperature. Diets, furthermore, did not influence rumination in either trial. Additional research on digestibility and rumen fermentation should, however, be carried out using dairy cows at respective intake levels as trials with wethers cannot be transferred to high‐yielding ad libitum fed cows.