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Dairy Nutrition

Additives in Dairy Rations - 2006 Minimize

James D. Ferguson, VMD, MS
Section Animal Production Systems
ferguson@vet.upenn.edu

 

Feed ingredients that may benefit a desired animal response in a non-nutritive role: increased production, increased milk components, improved metabolic performance, improved digestibility.

               
Criteria for use (after M. Hutjens, Univ. Ill.):
  1) anticipated response
  2) economic return
  3) available research
  4) field responses
               
Additional considerations:
  1) Reliability – research data published; how consistent the response
  2) Repeatability – mean +/- sd, probability of response
  3) Relativity – response relative to other possible choices and management changes that could replace the additive
               
Biotin: hoof growth and quality
  Biotin synthesis may be reduced in the rumen if pH is low due to high grain diets
  Uses: improve claw health in herds with chronic hoof problems
    High producing cows
    High grain rations
  Recommended feeding: 10 to 20 mg/day; 20 mg/day $0.08 to $.12/head/day
    10 mg/day dry period and heifers from breeding to calving
    20 mg/day entire lactation
    Feed for 6 months in herds with foot problems and evaluate
               
Protected Choline: controlling fatty liver
  Function: a methyl donor
    Choline’s effect on triglyceride transfer from liver in early lactation
    Methionine sparing: 10 g of choline provides equivalent methyl groups found in 44 g of methionine
  Rumen degradation of supplemental choline: protected source
    Encapsulation and fat coating: 60 g product delivers 15 g choline
  Recommended 15 to 30 g of rumen-protected choline from 21 days prepartum to 50 days postpartum
    15 g costs $.30/cow/day
               
Beta-carotene: improve reproductive performance, immune function, mastitis control
  200 to 300 mg/day; $0.30/head/day
  Early lactation; Benefits questionable
               
Anionic Salts and Products: acidify dry cow diets to prevent milk fever
  Ammonium chloride, ammonium sulfate, aluminum sulfate, magnesium sulfate, calcium chloride, commercial acid treated feeds (Soy-chlor (44, 16), Bio-chlor, Animate, Nutro-chlor), hydrochloric acid sprayed on feed 
  Reduce diet DCAD to -50 meq/kg
  Unpalatable, expensive ($.40 to $.75/cow/day), need to feed a TMR
  Feed 2 to 3 weeks prior to calving
  Monitor urine pH <=7.0 to 6.0
               
Ionophores: alter rumen fermentation patterns, increasing propionate production, reducing methane production, and decreasing protein degradation by reducing gram positive bacteria in rumen. 
  Monensin (Rumensin®);  Lasalocid (Bovatec®)
  Coccidiostats in calves
  Increased growth in heifers
  Increased milk efficiency in lactating cows
  Reduced ketosis incidence in transition cows
  Reduced bloat in cows on lush pastures
  Dry cows and lactating cows: 300 to 350 mg/head/day (monensin)
    11 to 22 g/ton of total ration dry matter in TMR
    300 mg costs $.023/cow/day
               
Yeast Culture: Live culture of yeast (a fungi) and media it grew on; other products from fermentation processes.
  Improvement of fiber digestion (NDF) and improved stability of rumen environment.
  Increases in milk production
               
  Alltech Yea-Sacc 10 g/day $0.051
  Diamond V Yeast XP 56 g/day $0.051
  Diamond V Yeast XPC 10 g/day $0.051
  Levucell SC-10 1 g/day $0.033
  Amaferm 3 g/day $0.034
  Ranges 10 to 120 g/day depending on product $0.04 to $0.06/day
   
Aspergillus oryzae: stimulate fiber-digesting bacteria, stabilize rumen pH, reduce heat stress
  Feed 3 g/day; $0.03/head
  High grain diets, low pH conditions in rumen, during heat stress
               
Fibrolytic enzymes: increase fiber digestibility (cellulose and xylanase enzymes)
  Level is variable: $0.15 to $0.25/head/day
  Spray on feed 12 hours prior to feeding; more benefit possible on “dry” diets
  More data needed
               
Organic Trace Minerals: trace minerals complexed with an amino acid; complexed with proteinates; Goal increase small intestinal absorption
  Zinc Methionine (Zinpro 40; 9 g/day, $0.02 to $0.03/day; Zinpro 100; 3.6g/day,
  $0.015/day), Zinpro Availa-4 (7 g/day; $0.025); Zinpro 4-Plex (14 g/day;
  $0.042/day); Alltech Sel-Plex (5 g/day $0.015/day)
  Improvements in milk production, milk protein, reproduction, and hoof quality
               
Calcium propionate: increase blood glucose and calcium
  120 to 255 g/day; $0.80/head/day
  Feed 7 days prepartum to 7 days postpartum
  Questionable benefit
               
Rumen Buffers: Stabalize rumen environment
  Sodium bicarbonate; 25 to 50 g/day
    0.75% of ration DM    $0.06/cow/day
    Sodium sesquicarbonate
    Trona
  Magnesium oxide; 8 to 14 g/day $0.004/day
               
Amino acids: improve amino acid supply, especially methionine
  Methionine hydroxyl analog; 30g/day; $0.10/cow/day
  Alimet
  Megalac-R
  Smartamine
  Supplement to meet MP methionine needs: >2.1 g/day absorbed
               
Niacin: coenzyme in biological reactions improving energy balance, reducing ketosis
  Vitamin B3, nicotinic acid
  Benefit may be more in fat dry cows
  6 g/cow/day $.06 to $.12/cow/day
  Feed two weeks prior to calving to 10 to 12 weeks postcalving
               
Probiotics: (Bacterial direct-fed microbes)
  Produce metabolic compounds that destroy undesirable organisms, provide
  enzymes to improve nutrient availability, or detoxify harmful metabolites
  Level variable; costs $0.05 to $0.15/head
  Transition cows and cows during heat stress
               
Propylene glycol:
  8 to 16 ounces per cow/day; $1.25/pint or pound
 

Not very effective fed; need to drench product

 

               
Yucca extract: Decrease urea nitrogen by binding ammonia in rumen
  800 mg to 9 g/day; $0.02 to $0.04/day
  Micro Aid 1X
               
Activated charcoal – bind toxins
  Aluminum silicate (clay) bind mycotoxins
               
Bentonite – clay, liquid turnover, bind toxins
               
Urea/optigen/biuret – NPN sources
               

  

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