Effects of Transition Diets Varying in Dietary Energy Density on Lactation Performance and Ruminal Parameters of Dairy Cows

Abstract

Forty cows and twenty heifers were used to study the effects of dietary energy density during late gestation and early lactation on lactation performance and ruminal parameters. A 2×2 factorial arrangement of treatments was used. During prepartum (−28 d to calving), animals were fed a low energy density diet [DL; 1.58 Mcal of net energy for lactation (NEL)/kg, 40% neutral detergent fiber (NDF) and 38% nonfiber carbohydrate (NFC)] or a high energy diet (DH; 1.70 Mcal NEL /kg, 32% NDF and 44% NFC). After calving, half of the cows from each prepartum treatment group were assigned to a low energy density diet (L; 1.57 Mcal NEL /kg, 30% NDF and 41% NFC) or a high energy density diet (H; 1.63 Mcal NEL /kg, 25% NDF and 47% NFC) until d 20 postpartum. After d 20, all cows were fed H until d 70. Animals fed DH had 19.8% greater dry matter intake (DMI; % of body weight) and 21.5% greater energy intake than animals fed DL prepartum and the response was greater for cows compared to heifers. Animals fed DH had lower ruminal pH compared to animals fed DL, but no major changes in volatile fatty acid concentrations were observed. Effects of dietary energy density during prepartum on postpartum production responses were dependent on parity. Primiparous cows fed DL had higher 3.5% fat-corrected milk yield and milk fat production and percentage during the first 10 wk of lactation than those fed DH. Prepartum diet did not affect lactation performance of multiparous cows. Cows fed H had higher DMI and energy intake for the first 20 d of lactation compared to cows fed L. Diets did not affect DMI after the third wk of lactation. Milk production increased faster for cows fed H compared to cows fed L. Animals fed DL-L sequence of treatments tended to have the lowest energy intake during the first 10 wk of lactation. Prepartum treatments did not affect ruminal fermentation characteristics postpartum. Cows fed H had lower ruminal pH and higher propionate concentrations than cows fed L. No prepartum×postpartum interactions were observed for ruminal fermentation parameters. The effects of DH on prepartum DMI did not carry over to the postpartum period or influence early postpartum production. Increasing concentrate content of the diet immediately postpartum instead of delaying the increase until d 21 postpartum is associated with a higher rate of increase in milk production and higher DMI.