Three Forage Systems and Two Concentrate Feeding Systems for Lactating Dairy Cows

Abstract

Forty-eight lactating Jersey cows were used in a 2-year study to evaluate three forage systems: (A) Corn silage and alfalfa hay; (B) corn silage, green chop, and alfalfa hay; and (C) pasture, green chop, and alfalfa hay. Half of the cows on each forage system were fed concentrates individually with the remaining cows fed the same total amount of concentrates as a group. Rate of feeding was 1kg concentrates for each 4.5kg of 4% fat-correct milk, (FCM). Treatments were compared continuously for 17 and 12 weeks, respectively, in 1968 and 1969. Twenty cows were used in a preliminary study in 1967 to compare group and individual feeding of concentrates.Daily milk and FCM production were lower on forage system A than forage system B, which in turn was lower than system C. Body weight gain was higher on forage systems A and B than on forage system C. There were no significant forage-grain system interactions in these trials.In the preliminary trial, cows fed grain individually produced less FCM than their mates fed the same amount of grain as a group. However, the method of grain feeding did not significantly affect FCM production in the two-year study.