Use of whole cotton seed as a dietary supplement for grazing dairy cows
1993
Ehrlich, W.K. | Cowan, R.T. (Queensland Dept. of Primary Industries, Ipswich (Australia). Mutdapilly Research Station) | Reid, A. (Queensland Dept. of Primary Industries, Malanda (Australia))
In a 2-part preliminary experiment, groups of 6 and 9 Holstein-Friesian cows in early to mid lactation were unsupplemented or supplemented with either 3 kg cracked sorghum grain or 3 kg whole cotton seed on a base pasture of irrigated pangola grass for 12 weeks or oats for 12 weeks. The stocking rate was 5 cows per ha. Supplementation did not affect milk yield or composition. In a second experiment a group of 20 Holstein-Friesian cows in early to mid lactation grazed on a base pasture of subterranean clover at a stocking rate of 4 or 6 cows per ha and were either unsupplemented or supplemented with 3 kg of whole cotton seed (WCS) over 12 weeks. Milk yield averaged 20.3 kg per cow per day and there were no significant effects on milk yield or composition. We suggest the lack of a significant milk yield response was due to a high substitution rate of WCS for pasture, associated with an oil content in the diet of 7.1 percent of dry matter.
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