View related articles View Crossmark data Citing articles: 1 View citing articles Effects of different levels of lespedeza and supplementation with monensin, coconut oil, or soybean oil on ruminal methane emission by mature Boer goat wethers after different lengths of feeding

Fifty-four Alpine doelings (initial BW and age of 31.7 ± 0.38 kg and 306 ± 1.9 d, respectively) were allocated to nine treatments individually fed for ad libitum intake of 25% concentrate and 75% forage diets (DM basis). Alfalfa was the forage in the control diet. Other diets contained Sericea lespedeza as the forage, with 1.25% DM of quebracho extract included in the concentrate fraction for a dietary condensed tannin level of 8.4%. Lespedeza treatments were no additive (L) and inclusion of monensin (I) at 22 mg/kg DM (L-I), soybean oil at 3% (L-S), coconut oil at 3% (L-N), I and 3% soybean oil (L-IS), I and 3% coconut oil (L-IN), 1.5% soybean oil and 1.5% coconut oil (L-S-N), and I, 1.5% soybean oil, and 1.5% coconut oil (L-IS -N). The experiment was 12 wk with two 6-wk periods. Gas exchange was determined in weeks 6 and 12, and other measures occurred in weeks 5 and 11. The control diet offered averaged 2.67% nitrogen, 43.8% neutral detergent fiber, and 8.8% acid detergent lignin, and the L diet offered averaged 2.03% nitrogen, 42.8% neutral detergent fiber, and 13.2% acid detergent lignin. There were no treatment × period interactions for digestibilities (P ≥ 0.770) or methane emission (P ≥ 0.324). There were differences (P < 0.001) between the control treatment and diets with lespedeza in intake of

Transition cows have a high risk for metabolic disease within the first 30 days in milk (DIM). Administration of direct-fed microbials (DFM) may reduce the adverse impacts that fresh cows experience during this transition period. Megasphaera elsdenii is a lactic acid-utilizing bacterium that has shown promise as a potential DFM during the transition period. Primi-and multiparous Holstein cows (n=162) at a commercial dairy herd were assigned to 1 of 4 treatments: 1) control (no dose) (n=44), 2) 200 mL Lactipro (M. elsdenii, 1 x 10 8 cfu/mL; MSBiotec, Littleton, CO) when cows entered (~ -14 DIM) the close-up pen (n=45), 3) 200 mL Lactipro at 1-3 d postpartum (n=39), and 4) 200 mLLactipro prepartum and 200 mL at 1-3 d postpartum (n=34). Close-up cows were fed 72% forage (63:37 corn silage and wheat straw), and upon calving, cows entered the high group and were fed 40% forage (90:10 corn silage:wheat straw). The BCS was similar among treatments and no treatment by time interaction occurred. There was no difference in milk yield among treatments (39.7, 39.7, 39.5, and 39.8 + 0.97 kg/d) or peak milk yield. Treatment by parity interactions were detected (P < 0.05) for milk yield and peak milk yield in which mature cows (≥ 3 lactations) dosed prepartum had higher daily milk yield and peak milk than the control and pre-and postpartum dosed cows but did not differ from the postpartum dosed cows. The test-day milk fat and protein percentages were similar among treatments. Test-day milk fat was higher (P < 0.01) for the first (3.88%) versus second (3.38%) test-day but it was within expected levels, which is iii reflective of the low incidence of ketosis in the study. There was a treatment by parity interaction (P < 0.01) for milk protein. Milk protein percentage was higher for 2 nd lactation cows dosed prepartum than control or cows dosed pre-and postpartum but did not differ from cows dosed postpartum. Control and pre-and postpartum dosed cows with ≥ 3 lactations had higher milk protein percentages than those dosed only prepartum but were not different from cows dosed only postpartum. The SCC did not differ (P > 0.10) by treatment or DHI test-day and averaged 333 (x10 3 ) cells/ml across all treatments. Based on urine ketones, only 2.5% of the cows in the study experienced clinical ketosis, but cows with > 15 mg/dL urine ketones were 8. 33, 14.3, 14.3, and 0% for treatments, respectively. Health incidences were low in this study and did not differ among the treatments. Reproductive performance also did not differ among the treatments. Based on this study, dosing with M. elsdenii prepartum may improve ruminal conditions of high-producing (higher parity) transition cows whereby milk yield is increased. Concentrations of dietary starch and NDF fed both prepartum and postpartum may affect animal response to dosing with M. elsdenii. iv Dedication Dedicated to my parents, Tony and Marilyn Stevens, and my brother, Christopher Stevens, for always supporting me in all endeavors I undertake and for constantly showing an interest i...

Behavior is a key indicator of animal welfare and wellbeing. The objective of this study was to examine the effect of management system [confinement (C) or grazing (G)] on the behaviors of rumination time (RT) and lying/standing (L/S) in dairy goats. Forty Alpine goats (57.7±5.7 kg) in late lactation were randomly assigned to one of four groups. A replicated switchback design was used with Groups A and C the Confinement-Grazing-Confinement (CGC) sequence and Groups B and D the Grazing-Confinement-Grazing (GCG) sequence. Each group spent 1 wk in each management system. A 40% forage diet was offered free-choice in both systems, with some growing forage available for goats in G as well. Goats were fitted with two tri-axial accelerometers, one in an elastic, nose-band halter and the other attached to the hind leg. Data from tri-axial accelerometers were processed using SAS with prediction equations for RT and L/S. A mixed model analysis was conducted with RT or L/S as the dependent variable, and replicate (1, 2), sequence (CGC, GCG), management system (confinement, grazing), and interactions as independent variables, and animal as random. Rumination time and L/S were not affected (P &gt; 0.10) by sequence or replicate. Goats in G had greater (P &lt; 0.01) RT than those in C (12.7 vs 10.2 min/h; SEM=0.509). Regardless of management system, goats had lower RT in the second week than in the first or third week of the experiment (12.2, 10.2, and 11.9 min/h in wk 1, 2, and 3, respectively; SEM=0.574). Daily L/S behavior was not affected (P &gt; 0.10) by management. Lying time was 726 min/d in C and 699 min/d in G (SEM=16.7). Standing time was 714 min/d in C and 741 min/d in G (SEM=16.7). These results indicate that management system affects rumination time but not lying/standing behavior in dairy goats.

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