Effect of a Modified Sulfite Waste Liquor and of Calcium Gluconate on Milk Production1,2

Abstract

Summary Milk production was increased by 0.6 to 1.9 lb. per head per day when dairy cows were supplementally fed 0.25 lb. per day of a modified dried sulfite waste liquor from paper pulp manufacture. This 4-mo. field trial included 171 control and 143 treated cows in 12 herds, each of which was divided between the two groups. Gluconic acid, a constituent of the modified sulfite waste liquor, was attacked very slowly by rumen microorganisms and is not a common constituent of dairy cattle feeds. When two groups of five cows each were fed 0.125 lb. per day of calcium gluconate in a reversal design with two 28-day periods, the treatment increased fat-corrected milk by 1.5 lb. per cow per day (P