Influence of the type of concentrate on dairy production

Abstract

Fourty five experiments were conducted to study the influence of the type of concentrate (starchy (S) or containing highly digestible fiber (F)) on dairy cow production. Rumen fill was slightly lower with F than with S concentrate. On average, milk production and milk fat content were higher with F than with S concentrate wereas milk protein levels were lower (+ 0.5 kg/d, + 0.6 g/kg and - 0.4 g/kg, respectively). These effects were very variable between experiments and were more pronounced with diets containing at least 50 % concentrate (+ 1.3 kg/d of fat-corrected milk, + 3.3 g/kg in milk fat content and - 0.8 g/kg in milk protein content when comparing F and S type concentrates). In usual concentrate usage in France, the health status of dairy cows is unaffected by the type of concentrate. Thus, the type of concentrate to be used should be chosen on the basis of economical and practical considerations rather than observed differences in animal production.