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Effects of supplementation of a forage-only diet with wheat bran and sugar beet pulp in organic dairy cows

Published online by Cambridge University Press:  08 November 2016

Paul Ertl ,
Qendrim Zebeli ,
Werner Zollitsch  and
Wilhelm Knaus
Paul Ertl*
Affiliation:
Department of Sustainable Agricultural Systems, Division of Livestock Sciences, BOKU–University of Natural Resources and Life Sciences Vienna, 1180 Vienna, Austria
Qendrim Zebeli
Affiliation:
Department for Farm Animals and Veterinary Public Health, Institute of Animal Nutrition and Functional Plant Compounds, University of Veterinary Medicine Vienna, 1210 Vienna, Austria
Werner Zollitsch
Affiliation:
Department of Sustainable Agricultural Systems, Division of Livestock Sciences, BOKU–University of Natural Resources and Life Sciences Vienna, 1180 Vienna, Austria
Wilhelm Knaus
Affiliation:
Department of Sustainable Agricultural Systems, Division of Livestock Sciences, BOKU–University of Natural Resources and Life Sciences Vienna, 1180 Vienna, Austria
*
*Corresponding author: paul.ertl@boku.ac.at
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Abstract

Although levels of concentrate supplementation are generally lower in organic as compared with conventional dairy cows, forage-only (FO) diets are not very common in organic dairy cows because of the resulting limited dry matter intake (DMI) and lower milk production. However, from the perspective of net food production, FO diets or forage diets supplemented only with by-products from the food processing industry, offer considerable potential because they do not compete with humans for food. The aim of the present study was therefore to investigate the effects of adding a mixture of wheat bran and dried sugar beet pulp [0.56:0.44 on a dry matter (DM) basis] to a FO diet on DMI, milk production, chewing activity and production efficiency. Seventeen multiparous and three primiparous mid-lactation Holstein cows were randomly assigned to one of two treatments, receiving either a FO mixture with hay and grass silage in equal proportions (FO) or the same forage mixture supplemented with a mixture of wheat bran and dried sugar beet pulp at a rate of 25% of dietary DM (25%BP). The experiment was conducted in a change-over design with two experimental periods of 7 and 6 weeks, respectively. Overall, feeding the 25%BP diet increased DMI and energy-corrected milk (ECM) yield by 1.8 kg d−1 as compared with cows fed FO. Feed conversion efficiency (kg ECM per kg DMI) and energy efficiency (kg ECM per 10 MJ net energy for lactation intake) were higher in FO, but cows fed FO were in a slightly negative energy balance and also tended to have a higher mobilization of body tissues as compared with cows fed 25%BP. In comparison with FO, cows receiving 25%BP showed less chewing activity per kg DMI or per kg neutral detergent fiber ingested. In conclusion, results from this feeding trial showed that adding wheat bran and dried sugar beet pulp to a FO diet increased DMI and milk yield and improved the energy balance when compared with a FO diet, although the magnitude of the milk yield response was lower than expected.

Keywords

concentrategrass-basedlow inputby-productmilkefficiency
Type
Research Papers
Information
Renewable Agriculture and Food Systems , Volume 32 , Issue 5 , October 2017 , pp. 446 - 453
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Copyright
Copyright © Cambridge University Press 2016 

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