Productivity, requirements and efficiency of feed and nitrogen utilization of grass‐fed early lactating cows exposed to high Alpine conditions

Christen, R. E.; Kunz, P.; Langhans, Wolfgang; Leuenberger, Hans; Sutter, F.; Kreuzer, Michael

doi:10.1111/j.1439-0396.1996.tb00673.x

Cited by 27 publications

(37 citation statements)

References 10 publications

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“…In agreement with the findings of Gruber and Steinwender [17] as well as of Leach et al [25] obtained with dairy cows, the present results suggest that the type of grass offered at low altitude was sufficient in terms of energy supply to achieve a high performance (milk yield and daily weight gain), whereas at high altitude the extra demand to cope with low oxygen pressure, unfavourable slopes and other constraints [4,8,9] was not covered by extra herbage intake of the calves or of the dams, as can seen from the even higher DMI (in % of BW) on low altitude. In this context, demands of terrain, herbage quality and the possibility to select from botanically diverse alpine pastures [18] are of high importance, and interactions among these factors may also influence feed intake of different animal categories.…”

Section: The Accuracy Of the Crc Alkane Technique In Cows Fed Exclusisupporting

confidence: 93%

“…This study supplements a previous one comparing extremes on the same alpine pasture, namely early-lactating cows and a slow-growing beef breed [40], which were either underfed (dairy) or poorly utilising the feed resources (beef). As expected from the lower level of performance, the average herbage DMI of 16 kg·d -1 (dairy cows) was slightly lower than that found previously in early-lactating dairy cows on the same high-altitude pasture [3,8]. As beef cows had a clearly lower estimated milk yield, their lower intake compared to the dairy cows is reasonable.…”

Section: Feed Intake and Nutrient And Energy Supply From Grass-only Dsupporting

confidence: 52%

“…Hand-plucked herbage obtained by imitating the feeding pattern of the cows had a low crude protein, but high dry matter and net energy contents (Tab. I) as is typical for high altitude pastures not treated with mineral fertiliser for a long period of time [8]. During the data and sample collection week, on average the following climatic conditions were measured with an automatic data recording station (Markasub, Basle Switzerland): ambient temperature, 10.5 ± 2.0 °C; relative air humidity, 74.4 ± 5.8%; solar radiation, 321 ± 34 W·m -2 ; wind speed, 4.8 ± 0.6 m·s -1 .…”

Section: Feeding Housing and Climatic Conditionsmentioning

confidence: 98%

“…In this context, demands of terrain, herbage quality and the possibility to select from botanically diverse alpine pastures [18] are of high importance, and interactions among these factors may also influence feed intake of different animal categories. Cattle are basically able to select for feed of a high digestibility and energy content [8], which might partly explain the preference for alpine grasses observed which can be assumed to have had lower contents of undigestible fibre compared to legumes and herbs [37]. However, part of this specific suggests that this extension was justifiable.…”

Section: The Accuracy Of the Crc Alkane Technique In Cows Fed Exclusimentioning

confidence: 99%

“…This might be different using more productive beef breeds, particularly when fed high quality herbage. Additionally, altitude and associated terrain properties as well as botanical composition of the herbage will affect performance and nutrient conversion by the animals [8]. However, for suckler cattle, experimentally derived data on voluntary feed intake and excretion of nutrients, which in excessive amounts may become harmful to …”

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

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Nutrient and energy conversion of grass-fed dairy and suckler beef cattle kept indoors and on high altitude pasture

Estermann¹,

Wettstein²,

Sutter³

et al. 2001

Anim. Res.

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-In two experiments, system differences were determined between dairy cows (18-20 kg milk·d -1 ) and suckler beef (cows with calves; 1.1-1.2 kg weight gain·d -1 ) exclusively fed on grass. This included measurements of dry matter intake (DMI) and nitrogen (N) turnover on an alpine pasture (n by group = 5; 2000 m a.s.l.; experiment I), and of DMI, N and energy turnover in a lowland cowshed equipped with respiration chambers (n by group = 6; 400 m a.s.l.; experiment II). Within experiment II a high accuracy of slow-release alkane capsules for intake estimation was confirmed for grass-only diets because the difference between known intake and the prediction made using the C 31 :C 32 alkane ratio was only 0.19 kg·d -1 (1%). Estimates were best with early-morning faeces samples. In experiment I grass DMI and N intake were equal in dairy cows and suckler beef with 16 and 0.30 kg·d -1 , respectively. System N retention was higher in dairy cows with 25.7% of N intake vs. 9.2% in suckler beef. In experiment II, DMI of individual cows was equal in both systems (16 kg·d -1 ), whereas total system DMI (cows and calves) was higher in suckler beef (20 kg·d -1 ). Nitrogen intake was higher in the suckler beef system (0.54 vs. 0.44 kg·d -1 in dairy cows). Nitrogen retention relative to intake in dairy cows and suckler beef was 21.6% and 6.1%, respectively. Also system energy retention was higher in dairy cows (23.1% of intake) than in suckler beef (9.2%). This resulted particularly from a proportionately higher energy expenditure at a similar diet digestibility. The environmentally important excretion of total N, urine N (both experiments) and methane (experiment II) was higher in suckler beef than in dairy cows. The latter resulted from the difference in fermentable fibre intake. Overall this study suggests a greater efficiency of the dairy system on high-quality grass, although the potential difference in the effort necessary to maintain the respective system was not considered.

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Section: The Accuracy Of the Crc Alkane Technique In Cows Fed Exclusisupporting

confidence: 93%

Section: Feed Intake and Nutrient And Energy Supply From Grass-only Dsupporting

confidence: 52%

Section: Feeding Housing and Climatic Conditionsmentioning

confidence: 98%

Section: The Accuracy Of the Crc Alkane Technique In Cows Fed Exclusimentioning

confidence: 99%

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

See 3 more Smart Citations

Nutrient and energy conversion of grass-fed dairy and suckler beef cattle kept indoors and on high altitude pasture

Estermann¹,

Wettstein²,

Sutter³

et al. 2001

Anim. Res.

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Species-Rich Swards of the Alps

Dorland¹,

Wettstein²,

Kreuzer³

2006

Fresh Herbage for Dairy Cattle

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A study on the causes for the elevated n−3 fatty acids in cows' milk of alpine origin

Leiber¹,

Kreuzer²,

Nigg³

et al. 2005

Lipids

202

190

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The influence of grass-only diets either from rye-grass-dominated lowland pastures (400 m above sea level) or botanically diverse alpine pastures (2000 m) on the FA profile of milk was investigated using three groups of six Brown Swiss cows each. Two groups were fed grass-only on pasture (P) or freshly harvested in barn (B), both for two experimental periods in the lowlands and, consecutively, two periods on the alp. Group C served as the control, receiving a silage-concentrate diet and permanently staying in the lowlands. Effects of vegetation stage or pasture vs. barn feeding on milk fat composition were negligible. Compared with the control, alpha-linolenic acid (18:3n-3) consumption was elevated in groups P and B (79%; P< 0.001) during the lowland periods but decreased on the alp to the level of C owing to feed intake depression and lower 18:3n-3 concentration in the alpine forage. Average 18:3n-3 contents of milk fat were higher in groups P and B than in C by 33% (P< 0.01) at low and by 96% (P < 0.001) at high altitude, indicating that 18:3n-3 levels in milk were to some extent independent of 18:3n-3 consumption. The cis-9, trans-11 CLA content in milk of grass-fed cows was higher compared with C but lower for the alpine vs. lowland periods whereas the trans-11, cis-13 isomer further increased with altitude. Long-chain n-3 FA and phytanic acid increased while arachidonic acid decreased with grass-only feeding, but none of them responded to altitude. Grass-only feeding increased milk alpha-tocopherol concentration by 86 and 134% at low and high altitude (P < 0.001), respectively. Changes in the ruminal ecosystem due to energy shortage or specific secondary plant metabolites are discussed as possible causes for the high 18:3n-3 concentrations in alpine milk.

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Productivity, requirements and efficiency of feed and nitrogen utilization of grass‐fed early lactating cows exposed to high Alpine conditions

Cited by 27 publications

References 10 publications

Nutrient and energy conversion of grass-fed dairy and suckler beef cattle kept indoors and on high altitude pasture

Nutrient and energy conversion of grass-fed dairy and suckler beef cattle kept indoors and on high altitude pasture

Species-Rich Swards of the Alps

A study on the causes for the elevated n−3 fatty acids in cows' milk of alpine origin

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