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Abstract A study was conducted to determine chemical composition and in situ ruminal degradability of almond hulls in comparison with alfalfa hay (AF). Almond hulls represented two varieties for which the common names are stone shell (SS) and paper shell (PS) and a commercial mixture (CM). The crude protein (CP) of AF was higher (P<0.05) than any of the almond hulls. For almond hulls CP was lowest (P<0.05) for PS at 21.8 g kg -1 dry matter (DM). PS was lowest and highest (P<0.05) in neutral detergent fiber (NDF) and non-fibrous carbohydrates (NFC) (347.0 and 544.6 g kg -1 DM, respectively). These contents were in contrast to AF, which was highest and lowest (P<0.05) in NDF and NFC (585.9 and 144.6 g kg -1 DM, respectively). The rapidly degradable DM fraction was highest (P<0.05) for PS, but this value was lowest (P<0.05) for AF. PS had a lower (P<0.05) slowly degradable DM fraction compared with the CM, SS and AF, but this value was highest (P<0.05) for AF. There was no difference (P>0.05) in the slowly degradable NDF fraction among AF, CM and PS but it was greatest (P<0.05) for SS. Almond hulls have high potential degradability of DM and degradability index value of DM compared to AF. SS and PS had a higher effective degradability (ED) of DM compared with AF. AF and SS had a higher ED of NDF compared with AF and PS. Results showed that almond hulls as a horticultural by-product have a medium nutritive value and can be used as a feedstuff for ruminants

Nutrient Digestibility, Rumen Fermentation Parameters, and Production Performance in Response to Dietary Grain Source and Oil Supplement of Holstein Dairy Cows

Introduction High-producing dairy cows require large amounts of concentrates that are rich in energy and crude protein to meet their nutrient requirements. Cereal grains and oil supplements are commonly used for increasing energy density of diets fed to high-producing dairy cows. Dietary grain source (barley vs. corn) and oil supplement (soybean- vs. fish oil) resulted in varied dry matter intake and milk production responses in different research studies based on effects on nutrient digestibility and rumen fermentation characteristics. Therefore, the main purpose of this study was to determine the effects of, and interactions between, grain source and oil supplement on the feed intake, rumen fermentation characteristics, nutrient digestibility and lactational performance of Holstein cows. Materials and Methods Eight lactating multiparous Holstein cows (parity = 3.3 ± 1.3 and days in milk = 77 ± 22.1; mean ± SD), were used in a replicated 4 × 4 Latin square design with 25-d periods. Each experimental period consisted of an 18-d diet adaptation period and a 7-d collection period. Cows within a square were assigned randomly to dietary treatments. Cows were blocked into 2 squares of 4 cows each based upon milk production, and days in milk, and within blocks were assigned to 1 of the 4 experimental diets with a 2 × 2 factorial arrangement: 1) BF = barley-based diet supplemented with fish oil at 2% of dietary DM, 2) BS = barley-based diet supplemented with soybean oil at 2% of dietary DM, 3) CF = corn-based diet supplemented with fish oil at 2% of dietary DM, and 4) CS = corn-based diet supplemented with soybean oil at 2% of dietary DM. The TMR amounts offered and refused were measured daily for each cow and DMI determined daily for each cow. Cows were milked three times daily at 0200, 1000, and 1800 h in a herringbone milking parlor. Milk yield for all cows was recorded and sampled at each milking during the last 7 d of each period. Milk samples were composited in proportion to milk yield, preserved with potassium dichromate, stored at 4°C, and analyzed for fat, protein, lactose, and total solids using an infrared analyzer (MilkoScan 134 BN; Foss Electric, Hillerød, Denmark). At the end of each experimental period, rumen samples were obtained at 4 h after the morning feeding using the stomach tube technique. Rumen pH was determined immediately after the samples were collected using a mobile pH meter (HI 8314 membrane pH meter, Hanna Instruments, Villafranca, Italy). Rumen fluid samples were acidified by sulfuric acid and analyzed for volatile fatty acid by gas chromatography (model no. CP-9002 Vulcanusweg 259 a.m., Chrompack, Delft, the Netherlands). Two fecal grab samples per cow were taken from the rectum twice daily across day 19 to 23 of each period and frozen at −20°C until analyzed. Acid detergent insoluble ash was used as an internal marker to determine apparent total-tract nutrient digestibility. Data were composited within period and analyzed with the MIXED MODEL procedure of SAS (SAS Institute, 2003) to account for effects of square, period within square, cow within square, treatments (grain source and oil supplement), and the interaction between grain source (barley vs. corn) and oil supplement (fish oil vs. soybean oil). Results and Discussion Apparent total-tract digestibility of dry matter (P = 0.05) and ether extract (P < 0.01) were greater in the corn- vs. barley-based diets. Fish oil tended (P = 0.07) to decrease and decreased (P = 0.03) apparent total-tract digestibility of non-fibrous carbohydrate and ether extract as compared to soybean oil, respectively. An interaction of main treatment effects tended to occur for molar concentration of propionate (P = 0.09). Barley-based diets increased molar concentration of propionate compared to corn-based diets for cows fed soybean oil, but not for cows fed fish oil. Dry matter intake tended (P = 0.09) to be greater for barley- vs. corn-based diets, but was reduced for the fish oil compared to soybean oil supplemented diets (P < 0.01). Grain source did not affect milk yield or milk composition. Compared to soybean oil, fish oil negatively affected milk yield and milk composition. Feed efficiency remained unchanged among treatments. Conclusion Results indicated that grain source and oil supplement do not interact to affect productive performance of lactating cows. Due to lowering DM intake, feeding fish- vs. soybean-oil, but not changing diets fermentability, did not influence production performance of lactating cows

Feeding processed soybean to mid-lactation Holstein cows: ingestive behaviour and rumen fermentation characteristics

The objective of this study was to evaluate the effects of roasted soybean (RSB), extruded soybean (ESB) and their equal blend (RSB + ESB) compared with soybean meal (SBM) on nutrient intake, feed preference, meal and rumination patterns, feeding and chewing behaviour and rumen fermentation characteristics of mid-lactation dairy cows. Eight Holstein dairy cows were used in a replicated 4 × 4 Latin square design with four 28-d periods. Cows received one of the four following experimental diets: (1) 13.88% of diet dry matter (DM) as SBM; (2) 15.22% of diet DM as RSB, (3) 15.55% of diet DM as ESB and (4) 7.69% RSB plus 7.69% ESB (RSB + ESB). Each experimental period consisted of a 21-d diet adaptation period and a 7-d data collection period. Meal patterns, including meal size and inter-meal interval, were not affected by the experimental diets and thereby DM intake was not different among diets. Sorting index was not different across dietary treatments but intake of particles retained on 1.18-mm sieve and on pan increased and decreased in both SBM and ESB as compared with RSB and RSB + ESM, respectively. Total time spent eating and ruminating and rumen volatile fatty acid concentrations were unaffected by dietary treatments. Feeding processed soybean instead of SBM had minimal effects on sorting behaviour and meal patterns and thereby no changes in feed intake occurred. Finally, RSB and ESB and their equal blend had a similar effect on feed intake and chewing behaviour of mid-lactation Holstein cows.Highlights Feeding processed soybean products had the minor effect on feed intake and can be considered as alternative feedstuffs when the price is competitive

Transition milk or milk replacer powder as waste milk supplements to cold-stressed neonatal Holstein dairy calves: Effects on performance, feeding behavior, and health.

Young calves are more susceptible to cold than older animals due to their limited ability to regulate body temperature and lack of fat reserves and may have difficulty consuming the energy needed to cope with the cold by maintaining body temperature and meeting their metabolic needs, especially when fed constant levels of waste milk (WM) with less solids, which can be detrimental to health and future performance. An alternative to overcome this problem is increasing the milk's solids content to the existing volume by using different sources [milk replacer powder (MR) or transition milk (TM)]. Thus, we aimed to evaluate the effects of increasing the total solids of WM via MR (WM+MR) or TM (WM+TM) on the performance, feeding behavior, and health-related variables of cold-stressed dairy calves during pre- and post-weaning. We hypothesized that feeding WM supplemented with MR or TM as potential liquid feed enhancers would improve milk dry matter and energy intake of the calves with a positive impact on body development and have no negative impact on feeding behavior and health. Additionally, we hypothesized that MR would not differ from TM. As a sample size calculation at 80% power using power analysis (PROC POWER) in SAS 9.4, a total of 51 Holstein-Friesian vigorous male calves [vigor score 21-27; 17 per treatment; 4-d old; body weight (BW) = 40.0 ± 0.63 kg (mean ± SD)] were selected, assigned randomly to treatments, and housed in individual pens in an outdoor barn. Irrespective of the type of treatment, all calves were fed 6 kg/d liquid feed from d 1 to d 53 of the experiment. In a step-down weaning program, calves received 0.5 kg liquid feed from d 54 to d 60. All calves were weaned on d 61 and remained in the study until d 101 as post-weaning evaluation. The calves had ad libitum access to starter feed and fresh drinking water across the experiment. Intake, growth, and behavior data were analyzed using a general linear mixed model and health data were analyzed using mixed logistic regression, mixed linear regression, and survival analysis models in SAS. We found that supplementation was responsible for a greater dry matter intake (DMI; P = 0.004), superior average BW (P = 0.037), and increased crude protein (CP; P = 0.001) and crude fat (CF; P = 0.001) intakes, with the most favorable outcomes observed for the WM+TM group when compared with WM+MR. Animals fed WM (control group; CON) showed a smaller average daily gain during the first 40-d of life (P = 0.026), showing slight changes during the whole period of evaluation when compared with the supplemented groups (SUP; WM+MR and WM+TM). No difference between MR- and TM-SUP groups, probability of having abnormal appearance (P = 0.032) and pneumonia occurrence (P = 0.022) was reduced in the SUP than in CON animals, with no effect on diarrhea among treatment groups (P = 0.461). Using milk supplements added to WM is an alternative to improve the intake, performance, and health of young calves under cold stress. Our findings showed that SUP animals outperformed the CON group in terms of DMI, average BW, and intake of CP and CF, with the TM-SUP group displaying the most favorable outcomes. Moreover, the SUP groups demonstrated reduced odds of experiencing abnormal appearance and pneumonia, highlighting the positive impact of supplementation on calf health