Dynamic lactation responses to dietary crude protein oscillation in diets adequate and deficient in metabolizable protein in Holstein cows

Abstract

Limited research has examined the interaction between dietary crude protein (CP) level and CP feeding pattern. We tested CP level (low protein [LP], 13.8%; high protein [HP], 15.5% CP, dry matter [DM] basis) and CP feeding pattern (OF = oscillating, SF = static) using a 2 × 2 factorial in 16 mid- to late-lactation Holsteins (initially 128 ± 12 d in milk; mean ± SD). Cows ate total mixed rations formulated by exchanging soy hulls and ground corn with solvent soybean meal to keep constant ratios of neutral detergent fiber to starch (1.18:1), rumen-degradable protein to CP (0.61:1), and forage-to-concentrate (1.5:1) in DM. The OF treatments alternated diets every 48 h to vary CP above and below the mean CP level (OF-LP = 13.8% ± 1.8%; OF-HP = 15.5% ± 1.8% CP [DM basis]) whereas diets were constant in SF (SF-LP = 13.8%; SF-HP = 15.5% CP [DM basis]). In four 28-d periods, 8 rumen-cannulated and 8 noncannulated cows formed 2 Latin rectangles. On d 25 to 28 of each period, each cow's feed intake and milk production were recorded, and samples were taken of orts (1×/d) and milk (2×/d). We fit linear mixed models with fixed CP level, CP feeding pattern, and period effects, and a random intercept for cow, computing least squares means and standard errors. Neither CP level, CP feeding pattern, nor the interaction affected DM intake, feed efficiency, or production of milk, fat- and protein-corrected milk (FPCM), fat, true protein, or lactose. Milk urea-N (MUN) yield was lesser for LP. The LP and OF conditions decreased MUN concentration. The CP level tended to interact with CP feeding pattern so that milk protein concentration was greatest for OF-HP. The OF and LP conditions increased the ratio of true protein to MUN yield. Within OF, cosinor mixed models of selected variables showed that cows maintained production of FPCM across dietary changes, but MUN followed a wave-pattern at a 2-d delay relative to dietary changes. A tendency for lesser MUN with OF contradicted prior research and suggested potential differences in urea-N metabolism between OF and SF. Results showed that cows maintained production of economically-relevant components regardless of CP feeding pattern and CP level. Contrary to our hypothesis, the effects of 48-h oscillating CP were mostly consistent across CP levels, suggesting that productivity is resilient to patterned variation in dietary CP over time even when average CP supply is low (13.8% of DM) and despite 48 h restrictions at 12.2% CP.

Keywords: dairy cow; nutrient variability; performance; protein oscillation.