Short communication: Responses to supplemental Saccharomyces cerevisiae fermentation product and triticale grain in dairy cows grazing high-quality pasture in early lactation

Abstract

Supplementing cows grazing highly digestible pasture with a Saccharomyces cerevisiae fermentation product (SCFP) was hypothesized to increase dry matter (DM) intake and milk production. Sixty multiparous dairy cows were fed 3kg of crushed triticale DM/cow per day for 23±4.4 d before calving. Half of the cows received SCFP (60g/d; Diamond V Original XP; Diamond V Mills, Inc., Cedar Rapids, IA). Cows in both treatment groups were randomly allocated at calving to 1 of 2 amounts (3 or 6kg of DM/d) of triticale feeding with or without 60g of SCFP/day (n=15/treatment) until 84 days in milk. The amount of pasture harvested (kg of DM/cow per day) and milk yield (kg/cow per day) were not affected by SCFP. Milk protein content and yield were greater in cows receiving 6kg of crushed triticale DM/d. Plasma nonesterified fatty acids and β-hydroxybutyrate concentrations were not affected by SCFP supplementation, but were lower in cows fed 6kg of crushed triticale DM/d than those fed 3kg of DM/d. Supplementation with SCFP increased milk lactose content without affecting milk production under the conditions investigated.