Fish meal supplementation of high quality grass silage in dairy cows

The aim of this study was to maximize good quality grass silage utilization either by supplying a source of rumen undegradable protein or by a reduction of the concentrate in the diet. A randomized incomplete block design was used to evaluate feed intake, milk production and health incidence occurring in fifty-nine Holstein dairy cow (11 primiparous) distributed randomly to receive three different diets between wk 4 and 24 of lactation. The diets were composed of grass silage (predominance of timothy) offered ad libitum supplemented either with a mixture of cereal grains (wheat:barley 50:50) at 100% of recommendations plus soybean meal (Trt 1), or fish meal (Trt 2), or with cereal grains at 75% of recommendations plus fish meal (Trt 3). The grass silage was harvested at an approximate chop length of 8--10 cm, averaged 37.1% DM and was stored in heap silos.Finally, an economic evaluation of the treatments was done using milk income, feed cost, health cost, and net income. (Abstract shortened by UMI.