Forage Evaluation. II. Productive Response of First-Calf Holstein Heifers Fed Early-Cut or Late-Cut Alfalfa Hay as the Only Source of Energy Throughout a Total Lactation

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...

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

Performance of lactating dairy cows fed macerated forage conserved as silage and hay

Suwarno, Wittenberg, K. M., Ingalls, J. R. and McCaughey, W. P. 2000. Performance of lactating dairy cows fed macerated forage conserved as silage and hay. Can. J. Anim. Sci. 80: 123–129. The effect of forage maceration at harvest on silage characteristics and its effect on lactation performance of Holstein cows were determined. Either a roller conditioner or a prototype forage macerator manufa...

Bacterial communities in the rumen of Holstein heifers differ when fed orchardgrass as pasture vs. hay

The rich and diverse microbiota of the rumen provides ruminant animals the capacity to utilize highly fibrous feedstuffs as their energy source, but there is surprisingly little information on the composition of the microbiome of ruminants fed all-forage diets, despite the importance of such agricultural production systems worldwide. In three 28-day periods, three ruminally-cannulated Holstein ...

Methods for early prediction of lactation flow in Holstein heifers

The efficient dairy production depends greatly on proper decisions made at different production stages. Numerous genetic and environmental factors that influence animals performance could complicate decisions making, therefore, some toolkit for facilitation of breeding and management decisions on dairy farm is required. Lactation curves, that are mathematical formulas that describe flow of milk...