Evaluation of catfish oil as a feedstuff for lactating Holstein cows

The objective of this study was to evaluate catfish oil (CFO) as a dietary ingredient for lactating Holstein cows. Twelve multiparous Holstein cows (6 fitted with a rumen cannula and 6 noncannulated cows), arranged in a 3 x 3 Latin square design replicated 4 times, were used to evaluate CFO as a dietary ingredient for lactating Holstein cows. Each period lasted 27 d with the last 13 d used for data collection. Dietary treatments were 0, 1.5, and 3% CFO (dry matter basis). Orally dosing with chromium oxide powder was used as an external inert marker for calculation of apparent dry matter and nutrient digestion coefficients. Ruminal fluid was collected hourly for 8 h after feeding to measure pH and volatile fatty acids. Intake of dry matter increased as intake of CFO increased (23.0, 24.4, and 25.4 kg/d). Production of milk was unchanged by the feeding of CFO (29.0, 29.0, and 29.4 kg/d). Concentrations of milk fat (3.57, 3.60, and 3.48%) and protein (3.21, 3.18, and 3.23%) were unchanged by feeding CFO. Concentrations of plasma glucose (57.8, 55.1, and 56.0 mg/100 mL), urea nitrogen (11.6, 11.0, and 12.0 mg/100 mL), and insulin (0.55, 0.53, and 0.57 ng/mL) were not affected by dietary treatments. Average ruminal fluid pH decreased (6.40, 6.20, and 6.15), as did the molar proportions of acetate (64.5, 64.2, and 63.4%), as dietary concentration of CFO increased. The molar proportions of propionate increased (19.4, 20.0, and 20.4%) as did that of butyrate (12.0, 12.4, and 12.5%) as intake of CFO increased. Ruminal protozoa numbers were unchanged by treatments. Apparent digestibility coefficients of dry matter, crude protein, neutral detergent fiber, and acid detergent fiber were increased by addition of CFO. In situ lag, rate, and extent of corn silage dry matter digestion were not affected by the inclusion of CFO. However, in situ digestion rate of neutral detergent fiber was increased (0.023, 0.024, and 0.029 h⁻¹) with increasing intake of CFO. In a second study involving 190 Holstein cows, those fed CFO at 1.8% of dietary dry matter produced 1.2 kg more milk/d than those not fed CFO, along with an increase in milk protein concentration. Catfish oil can be a viable lipid source for dairy cows when fed at up to 3% of the dietary dry matter.