Form of rumen-degradable carbohydrate and nitrogen on microbial protein synthesis and protein efficiency of dairy cows.

Sixteen multiparous lactating Holstein cows (four with rumen cannulae) were fed diets varying in the content and form of ruminally degradable carbohydrates and N to examine dietary effects on microbial protein synthesis (MPS) and whole animal N efficiency, and to evaluate the use of a model based on milk urea N (MUN) for predicting urinary N excretion and N utilization efficiency (NUE). A replicated Latin square design (consisting of diet and experimental period) was employed. The four diets consisted of two low protein diets with either 20% ground corn (diet LP) or 13.5% ground corn plus 3% sucrose (diet LP sucrose) and two high protein diets with 13.5% corn and 3% sucrose with either urea (diet HP urea) or soybean meal (diet HP SBM) as supplemental rumen-degradable protein sources. The intakes of dry matter and N were increased by increasing dietary crude protein (CP) level. However, the yields of milk and milk protein were not affected by CP level. Yield of microbial protein was reduced by sucrose and increased by CP level. There were no differences between urea and SBM supplementation on DM intake, milk yield, or MPS. Mean urinary N excretion for all cows (252 g/d) was underestimated by 55 g/d or overestimated by 25 or 33 g/d using alternative equations based on MUN. Subsequently, NUE (mean = 22.4%) was underestimated by 7.5, 3.2, or 2.9%, using a previously published set of equations. Urinary N excretion and NUE could be predicted within 10 and 14% of observed values, respectively, using a set of equations incorporating MUN. Therefore, MUN appears to be a useful tool to help assess N losses from lactating cows.

Effects of dietary cation-anion difference on the acid-base status of dry cows.

Responses in dry matter intake (DMI) and acidbase balance to three sources of anionic salts (dietary cation-anion difference = -63 to -40 meq/kg of dry matter), an acidified fermentation by-product, MgSO4.7H2O + NH4Cl, and MgSO4.7H2O + CaCl2.2H2O + CaSO4, were evaluated relative to the responses of cows fed a control diet (dietary cationanion difference = 203 meq/kg of dry matter) that did not contain anionic salts. Diets were fed for 1-wk periods to eight nonlactating Holsteins assigned to two replicated 4 x 4 Latin squares. Daily DMI increased as time of access to the diet increased up to d 5; mean DMI over d 5 to 7 was reduced by dietary anionic salts. Diets containing anionic salts induced a mild metabolic acidosis that was completely compensated by nonrespiratory mechanisms (decreased blood bicarbonate and base excess; pCO2 and pH values were unaffected). Urinary pH values and bicarbonate excretion were reduced, and urinary NH4+ and titratable acidity excretion were increased, for cows fed diets containing anionic salts. Strong ion difference in urine was decreased by dietary anionic salts because of the relatively greater excretions of Cl- and S2- versus Na+ and K+ by cows fed these diets. Dietary anionic salts decreased mean ruminal pH by 0.12 units, possibly because of the reduced strong ion difference of ruminal fluid. Dietary anionic salts increased mean ruminal NH3 concentration by 2.2 mM, probably because of the higher nonprotein N content of these diets. The strong negative relationship (r2 = 0.95) between urinary pH and net acid excretion by cows fed the diets containing anionic salts suggested that urinary pH measurement might be a useful tool to assess the degree of metabolic acidosis that was imposed by dietary anionic salts.

Excretion of purine derivatives by Holstein cows abomasally infused with incremental amounts of purines.

Five multiparous, ruminally cannulated Holstein cows (two lactating and three dry) weighing (X +/- SD) 667 +/- 35 kg were used to study the effect of abomasal purine infusion on the excretion of purine derivatives. Cows were fed corn silage four times daily at 90% of ad libitum intake (X = 9.16 kg of dry matter/d). Purines were infused into the abomasum as brewer's yeast suspensions in five incremental amounts (0 to 380 mmol/d) during five experimental periods according to a 5 x 5 Latin square design. Periods were 7 d; purine infusions were conducted during the last 4 d, and urine was collected during the last 3 d of each period. Ruminal purine outflow in all cows was measured during an experimental period immediately preceding and immediately following the five infusion periods and in each cow during the 0-mmol/d infusion period of the experiment. The relationship between total (milk plus urine) daily excretion of purine derivatives (allantoin plus uric acid) and total (abomasal infusion plus ruminal outflow) daily purine flow was quantified by linear regression analysis and was described by the relationship: Y = 0.856X + 103 (r2 = 0.93). The slope (0.856) indicated that 86% of purines that reached the omasum were excreted as purine derivatives. In the two lactating cows, urinary purine derivatives accounted for 98.4% of the total purine derivatives that were excreted. Ruminal flow of microbial CP can be estimated from the CP:purine ratio of ruminal microorganisms and the excretion of purine derivatives.

Effects of supplementation of energy or ruminally undegraded protein to lactating cows fed alfalfa hay or silage.

Alfalfa was harvested as silage or hay and fed in two 12-wk trials with a 4 x 4 Latin square design that used 12 (trial 1) or 24 (trial 2) multiparous lactating cows (4 ruminally cannulated cows per trial). Diets contained (dry matter basis) 75 or 50% alfalfa plus 24 of 40% high moisture corn (trial 1) or 50% alfalfa, 44 or 41% high moisture corn, with (3%) or without fish meal (trial 2). Experiments were conducted to evaluate the responses of cows fed alfalfa hay or alfalfa silage diets to an increase in protein supply from microbial protein synthesis (trial 1) or from the supplementation of ruminally undegraded protein (RUP) (trial 2). In trial 1, the increase in high moisture corn in the diet increased both milk protein and microbial crude protein yields (estimated from the excretion of purine derivatives) to a greater extent for the cows fed the alfalfa silage diets (170 and 337 g/d, respectively) than for the cows fed the alfalfa hay diets (100 and 100 g/d, respectively). In trial 2, RUP supplementation (as fish meal) increased milk protein yield 100 g/d for cows fed alfalfa silage diets and 20 g/d for cows fed alfalfa hay diets. These results indicated that protein status was poorer and, thus, more responsive to absorbable protein from microbial protein (trial 1) or RUP (trial 2) for cows that consumed alfalfa conserved as silage versus those that consumed alfalfa conserved as hay.

Monensin and ammoniation or urea supplementation of bermudagrass hay diets for steers.

One growth trial using crossbred beef steers (297 +/- 2 kg, Exp. 1) and one metabolism trial using Holstein steers (405 +/- 14 kg, Exp. 2) were conducted to evaluate effects of ammoniation (3% of hay DM, added as anhydrous NH3) vs urea supplementation with or without monensin supplementation of mature 'Alicia' bermudagrass hay-based diets for steers. Ammoniation (P < .05), but not urea (P = .26) or monensin (P = .70) supplementation, increased ADG in Exp. 1. In Exp. 2 ammoniation increased hay DMI (P < .05), but urea (P = .88) or monensin (P = .16) had no effect. Supplementation with either monensin (P < .05) or urea (P < .05) decreased ruminal total VFA concentrations. Monensin also decreased the ruminal acetate:propionate ratio (P < .001) and increased ruminal pH (P < .05). Addition of urea to the concentrate supplement decreased the rate of concentrate intake. Both the rate (P < .05) and the potential extent (P < .001) of ruminal forage in situ DM and NDF disappearance were increased by ammonia treatment. Dietary interactions (P < .10) were detected between monensin and ammoniation for rate and potential extent of in situ NDF disappearance and between monensin and urea supplementation (P < .05) for ruminal total free amino acid concentrations. Decreased concentrations of VFA and lower forage digestibilities observed with monensin supplementation in Exp. 2 may explain the failure of monensin to affect ADG in Exp. 1.

Effect of dietary sodium zeolite A and excess calcium on growth and tibia calcium and phosphorus concentration in uninfected and Eimeria acervulina-infected chicks.

Two identical trials were conducted with 5 to 14-day-old broiler chicks. Sodium zeolite A (NZA, 0 and .75%) and Ca (1.0 and 1.5%) were fed to both uninfected and Eimeria acervulina-infected chicks resulting in a 2 x 2 x 2 factorial arrangement of treatments. Coccidial infection reduced weight gain and gain:feed (P less than .01), and tibia ash, Ca, and Ca:P ratio (P less than .05). Excess dietary Ca reduced (P less than .05) weight gain and tibia ash in uninfected chicks but had no effect (P greater than .10) in coccidiosis-infected chicks (Ca x coccidiosis interaction, P less than .05). Addition of NZA to diets with excess Ca further decreased (P less than .05) weight gain and tibia ash in both uninfected and E. acervulina-infected chicks. Tibia Ca, as a percentage of dry fat-free tibia, was reduced (P less than .05) by the addition of NZA. This effect was not observed when tibia Ca was expressed as a percentage of ash. These results suggest that NZA may exacerbate the adverse effects of excess dietary Ca.