Hostname: page-component-7c8c6479df-5xszh Total loading time: 0 Render date: 2024-03-29T15:41:00.128Z Has data issue: false hasContentIssue false

The effects of frequency of feeding on milk production of dairy cattle: an analysis of published results

Published online by Cambridge University Press:  02 September 2010

J. P. Gibson
Affiliation:
AFRC Animal Breeding Research Organisation, West Mains Road, Edinburgh EH9 3JQ
Get access

Abstract

Automated feeding systems for dairy cows offer the benefits of ‘little and often’ feeding. Published data were collected and analysed to establish the extent of such benefits. Twenty-three publications reporting the results of 35 experiments were examined. Several statistically significant positive responses indicated that milk fat concentration, and to a lesser extent yield of milk, could sometimes be increased by increasing the feeding frequency. However, for ail experiments the average proportional increases (± s.e.) in milk fat concentration and milk yield were fairly small at 7·3 (± 3·3) % and 2·7 (± 1·3) %, respectively. The responses of milk fat concentration and milk yield were apparently correlated (r = 0·43, s.e. = 0·20), and the mean proportional response of milk fat yield was 8·3 (± 3·1) %. There was no evidence that milk protein concentration, lactose concentration or changes in body weight were affected by changes in feeding frequency. Increases in food intake were sufficient to explain some, but not all, instances of increased milk fat production. All statistically significant responses to increased feeding frequency occurred when the milk fat concentration was originally depressed, milk fat depression generally being due to feeding pelleted or highly concentrated diets. Increases in milk fat concentration through increased feeding frequency were generally insufficient to bring the milk fat concentration up to a commercially acceptable level. All statistically significant responses were observed on moving from one or two to three or more meals per day, but the possibility of further responses beyond four meals per day could not be ruled out. It was concluded that cows producing milk of commercially acceptable milk fat concentrations were unlikely to benefit from increased feeding frequency.

Type
Research Article
Copyright
Copyright © British Society of Animal Science 1984

Access options

Get access to the full version of this content by using one of the access options below. (Log in options will check for institutional or personal access. Content may require purchase if you do not have access.)

References

REFERENCES

Burt, A. W. A. and Dunton, C. R. 1967. Effect of frequency of feeding upon food utilization by ruminants. Proc. Nutr. Soc. 26: 181190.CrossRefGoogle ScholarPubMed
Campbell, J. R. and Merilan, C. P. 1961. Effects of frequency of feeding on production characteristics and feed utilization in lactating dairy cows. J. Dairy Sci. 44: 664671.CrossRefGoogle Scholar
Dawson, J. R. and Kopland, D V. 1949. Once a day versus twice a day feeding for dairy cows. Circ. U.S. Dep. Agric, No. 830.Google Scholar
Donaldson, E. and Edwards, R. A. 1979. The effect of frequency of feeding of silage on certain rumen characteristics. In Forage Conservation in the 80's, (ed. Thomas, C.), Occ. Symp. Br. Grassld Soc, No. 11. pp. 339344.Google Scholar
Doyle, C. J. 1983. Evaluating feeding strategies for dairy cows: a modelling approach. Anim. Prod. 36: 4757.Google Scholar
Gibson, J. P. 1981. The effects of feeding frequency on the growth and efficiency of food utilization of ruminants: an analysis of published results. Anim. Prod. 32: 275283.Google Scholar
Gill, M. S. and Castle, M. E. 1983. The effects of the frequency of feeding concentrates on milk production and eating behaviour in Ayrshire dairy cows. Anim. Prod. 36: 7985.Google Scholar
Guglya, V. G., Gerb, E. I. and Sokolov, V. M. 1975. [Effect of different feeding frequency on the processes of rumen digestion in cows.] Sibirskii Vestnik Sel'skokhozyaistvennoi Nauki 5: 9295, 131, 132.Google Scholar
Jensen, K. and Wolstrup, J. 1977. Effect of feeding frequency on fermentation pattern and microbial activity in the bovine rumen. Ada vet. scand. 18: 108121.CrossRefGoogle ScholarPubMed
Johnson, C. L. 1979. The effect of level and frequency of concentrate feeding on the performance of dairy cows of different yield potential. J. agric. Sci., Camb. 92: 743751.CrossRefGoogle Scholar
Johnson, W. L., Trimberoer, G. W., Wright, M. J., Van vleck, L. D. and Henderson, C. R. 1966. Voluntary intake of forage by Holstein cows as influenced by lactation, gestation, body weight and frequency of feeding. J. Dairy Sci. 49: 856864.CrossRefGoogle Scholar
Jorgensen, N. A., Schultz, L. H. and Barr, G. R. 1965. Factors influencing milk fat depression on rations high in concentrates. J. Dairy Sci. 48: 10311039.CrossRefGoogle ScholarPubMed
Kaufmann, W. 1973. [Effect of higher frequencies of feeding on rumen fermentation and milk production of dairy cows.] Kieler milchw. ForschBer. 25: 245250.Google Scholar
Kaufmann, W. 1975. Versuche zur Entwicklung biologisch-technischer Fütterungssysteme zur Steuerung der Fermentationsvorgange in den Vormagen. Sdhr. Ber. Ldw. 191: 296300.Google Scholar
Lindner, H. P., Kirchgessner, M. and Schwarz, F. J. 1979. Zur Fütteraufnahme und Leistung von milchkühen bei unterschiedlicher Fütterungsfrequenz von Grund-und Kraftfütter. Zuchtungskunde 51: 215226.Google Scholar
Martz, F. A., Williams, L. R., Campbell, J. R., Sikes, J. D. and Hilderbrand, E. S. 1971. Frequent feeding of a corn silage-urea-concentrate blended ration to lactating dairy cows. J. Dairy Sci. 54: 493496.CrossRefGoogle ScholarPubMed
Mochrie, R. D., Thomas, W. E. and Lucas, H. L. 1956. Influence of frequency of feeding equalized intakes on animal response. J. Anim. Sci. 15: 1256 (Abstr.).Google Scholar
Nakashima, Y. and Kikuchi, S. 1975. [Effects of frequency of feeding on ruminal pH value, concentration and molar proportion of volatile fatty acids, and dry matter digestibility.] Jap. J. zootech. Sci. 46: 477486.Google Scholar
O'Dell, G. D., King, W. A., Cook, W. C. and Balk, W. A. 1964. Effects of forage supplementation and frequency of feeding of pelleted Coastal Bermuda grass hay on milk and milk fat production. J. Dairy Sci. 47: 648650.CrossRefGoogle Scholar
Ørskov, E. R. 1975. The manipulation of rumen fermentation for maximum food utilisation. Wld Rev. Nutr. Diet. 22: 152182.CrossRefGoogle Scholar
Palmquist, D. L., Smith, L. M. and Ronning, M. 1964. Effect of time of feeding concentrates and ground, pelleted alfalfa hay on milk fat percentage and fatty acid composition. J. Dairy Sci. 47: 516520.CrossRefGoogle Scholar
Rai, G. S. and Pant, H. C. 1971. A note on the effect of frequency of feeding on milk production in Murrah buffaloes. Agra Univ. J. Res. 30: 1920.Google Scholar
Rohr, K. and Daenicke, R. 1973 [Effect of feeding frequency on rumen fermentation, milk fat content and feed intake in dairy cows.] LandbForsch-Völkenrode 23: 133139.Google Scholar
Ronning, M. and Dobie, J. B. 1967. Feeding wafered hay seven times per day compared to complete ad libitum feeding. J. Dairy Sci. 50: 391393.CrossRefGoogle Scholar
Smith, N. E., Ufford, G. R., Coppock, C. E. and Merrill, W. G. 1978. Complete ration-group feeding systems for dry and lactating dairy cows. J. Dairy Sci. 61: 584591.CrossRefGoogle Scholar
Stanley, R. W. and Morita, K. 1967. Effect of frequency and method of feeding on performance of lactating dairy cattle. J. Dairy Sci. 50: 585586.CrossRefGoogle Scholar
Sutton, J. D., Broster, W. H., Siviter, J. W. and Smith, T. 1979. Feeding frequency for milking cows. Rep. natn. Inst. Res. Dairy., 1977–78, pp. 7677.Google Scholar
Sutton, J. D., Hart, I. C. and Broster, W. H. 1982. The effect of feeding frequency on energy metabolism in milking cows given low-roughage diets. In Energy Metabolism of Farm Animals, Proc. 9th Symp., Lillehammer (ed. Ekern, A. and Sundstøl, F.), pp. 2629. Agricultural University of Norway, Aas-NLH.Google Scholar
Thomas, P. C. and Kelly, Morag E. 1976. The effect of frequency of feeding on milk secretion in the Ayrshire cow. J Dairy Res. 43: 17.CrossRefGoogle ScholarPubMed
Wiktorsson, H. 1976. The effect of different methods for supplying energy to high producing cows fed hay or silage and concentrates. Eur. Assoc. Anim. Prod. 27th A. Meet., Zurich, Pap. N29/C29.Google Scholar