Production response to feeding wheat grain to milking cows

Abstract

Friesian cows in their 6th to 8th month of lactation, on a basal diet of 8 kg silage and 6.4 kg pasture (dry matter), were supplemented with 2.14 kg (2.4 kg as fed) of whole or hammermilled wheat (dry matter)/day. Cows fed hammermilled wheat produced 3.43 kg more milk fat and gained 10 kg more body weight than unsupplemented cows over the 8-week feeding period (February and March). Cows fed whole wheat produced no more milk fat but gained 6 kg more body weight than unsupplemented cows. The marginal response to feeding hammermilled wheat was 0.029 kg milk fat/kg wheat (dry matter). The difference in production response between whole and hammermilled wheat is in line with their apparent digestibilities of 14.4 and 93%, respectively.