ISSN:
1365-2494
Source:
Blackwell Publishing Journal Backfiles 1879-2005
Topics:
Agriculture, Forestry, Horticulture, Fishery, Domestic Science, Nutrition
Notes:
Three groups of cows were continuously stocked on pasture and offered supplementary concentrates according to the herbage height measured weekly with a grass disc. Concentrates were offered when the mean herbage height fell below 9 cm for treatment A, 7 cm for treatment B and 5 cm for treatment C at a rate of 1 kg d-1 for each 0·2-cm decline below these threshold levels. If the herbage height declined by more than 1·2 cm (8 kg concentrates d-1) hay was offered in addition ad libitum. The stocking rates for all three treatments were 5·2, 3·2 and 3·2 cows ha-1 for three successive 8-week periods. For treatments A, B and C the mean concentrate DM intakes were 3·2, 1·2 and 1·2 kg d-1 (treatment A also received 0·2 kg hay DM d-1), and the mean daily milk yields were 17·2, 16·2 and 15·2 kg respectively. The increasing level of supplementary feeding from treatment C to A also resulted in an increase in liveweight and body condition score change, and a reduction in milk fat.
Type of Medium:
Electronic Resource
URL:
http://dx.doi.org/10.1111/j.1365-2494.1982.tb01608.x
