Jd. Sutton et al., EFFECT OF ALTERING THE STARCH - FIBER RATIO IN THE CONCENTRATES ON HAY INTAKE AND MILK-PRODUCTION BY FRIESIAN COWS, Journal of Agricultural Science, 120, 1993, pp. 379-390
Sixty-four multiparous Friesian cows were given one of eight diets fro
m weeks 4-20 of lactation at the former National Institute for Researc
h in Dairying, Shinfield, Reading in 1983-84. The diets consisted of 1
3.5 kg/day of experimental concentrates plus hay at 4.5 kg/day (fixed)
or ad libitum. Concentrates were high-starch (S) based on cereal grai
ns and cassava, high-fibre (F) based on high-quality by-products, and
two intermediate types containing 2:1 (SF) and 1:2 (FS) starch: fibre,
all with a crude protein concentration of c. 180 g/kg DM. The diets w
ere designed to provide similar intakes of digestible energy and crude
protein at fixed hay intakes. With ad libitum feeding, hay intake was
lowest on S concentrates. With increasing fibre in the concentrates,
the yields of milk, protein and lactose fell but fat concentration and
yield were increased. These changes were linear and were unaffected b
y hay intake. Increasing hay intake to ad libitum had no effect on mil
k yield but increased the concentrations and yields of fat and protein
. It also changed a net liveweight loss on fixed intakes to a gain on
ad libitum intakes. Diet digestibility was measured using sheep at abo
ut maintenance and cows at production intakes. Digestibility was highe
r in the sheep, probably because of the difference in level of intake.
In the cows, increasing fibre in the concentrates reduced the digesti
bility of dry matter, organic matter, energy and nitrogen but increase
d the digestibility of fibre fractions and ether extract. Level of hay
intake had variable effects on mean digestibility and on the relation
ship with concentrate type. Increasing the fibre in the concentrates i
ncreased the molar proportions of acetate and n-butyrate in the rumen
and reduced the proportions of propionate, n-valerate and n-caproate.
It is concluded that, with mixed diets of hay and relatively high prop
ortions of concentrates, changes in the starch: fibre ratio of the con
centrates by substitution of high quality by-products for starchy ingr
edients can induce linear changes in the yields of milk and the princi
pal solids constituents and in milk fat concentration. Since changes i
n yields of fat and protein went in opposite directions, the optimal c
oncentrate composition depends on the milk composition required by the
market. These conclusions may not apply if poorer quality by-products
are used.