A Nutritional Investigation of Major Feed Types and Feed Rations Used in Medium-Scale Dairy Production Systems in Sri Lanka

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dc.citation.issue18
dc.citation.volume12
dc.contributor.authorKumara SN
dc.contributor.authorParkinson TJ
dc.contributor.authorLaven RA
dc.contributor.authorWaghorn GC
dc.contributor.authorPushpakumara A
dc.contributor.authorDonaghy DJ
dc.coverage.spatialSwitzerland
dc.date.accessioned2024-01-17T21:35:38Z
dc.date.accessioned2024-07-25T06:33:49Z
dc.date.available2022-09-13
dc.date.available2024-01-17T21:35:38Z
dc.date.available2024-07-25T06:33:49Z
dc.date.issued2022-09-13
dc.description.abstractIn this paper, the nutritional quality, digestibility, and chemical composition of major feed types as well as the use of those feeds in rations by medium-scale dairy farmers in the Kurunegala district of Sri Lanka were studied. Nine dairy farms were visited fortnightly over a five-month period to identify the feeds that were commonly used. All farms operated under a stall-feeding system in which a manually mixed ration (MMR) was fed 2–3 times daily. Four forages were identified: Guinea grass ecotype A (Panicum maximum), called Guinea grass; Hybrid Napier CO-3 (Pennisetum purpureum × Pennisetum americanum), called CO-3 grass; Gliricidia (Gliricidia sepium); and maize stover (Zea mays L.), along with three other supplementary feeds (maize silage, barley distillers’ by-products, and commercially formulated cattle feed). These feeds were subjected to proximate analysis and in vitro digestibility analysis. The metabolisable energy (ME) of the forages ranged from 7.5–10.0 MJ/kg dry matter (DM), with the ME of Guinea grass and CO-3 grass (7.5 and 8.0 MJ/kg DM, respectively) being lower than that of Gliricidia (10.0 MJ/kg DM). The neutral detergent fibre (NDF) concentration of both Guinea grass and CO-3 grass (both 72% DM) was much higher than that of Gliricidia (47% DM). Crude protein (CP) was higher in Gliricidia (17.5% DM) than in either Guinea grass or CO-3 grass (8.0 and 8.8% DM, respectively). The ME of the supplementary feeds varied between 11.0 and 12.8 MJ/kg DM, while CP varied between 15.0 and 24.0% DM. The daily ME intake of cows was consistently 10% lower than their calculated daily energy requirement; for dry cows, the mean intake was 90 MJ/cow/day supplied vs. 101 MJ required, while for cows in early lactation the mean intake was 126 MJ/cow/day supplied vs. 140 MJ required. The average CP intake of lactating cows (13.5% DM) was inadequate (requirements: 16 to 17.5% DM), while the average CP intake of dry cows (11.8% DM) was satisfactory (requirements: 11 to 12% DM). The current study shows that the majority of the feed types used in these medium-scale dairy farms provide insufficient ME or CP to meet the nutritional requirements of either lactating or dry cows irrespective of the quantity of feed provided.
dc.format.pagination2391-
dc.identifier.author-urlhttps://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/36139253
dc.identifier.citationKumara SN, Parkinson TJ, Laven RA, Waghorn GC, Pushpakumara A, Donaghy DJ. (2022). A Nutritional Investigation of Major Feed Types and Feed Rations Used in Medium-Scale Dairy Production Systems in Sri Lanka.. Animals (Basel). 12. 18. (pp. 2391-).
dc.identifier.doi10.3390/ani12182391
dc.identifier.eissn2076-2615
dc.identifier.elements-typejournal-article
dc.identifier.issn2076-2615
dc.identifier.piiani12182391
dc.identifier.urihttps://mro.massey.ac.nz/handle/10179/70428
dc.languageeng
dc.publisherMDPI (Basel, Switzerland)
dc.relation.isPartOfAnimals (Basel)
dc.rights(c) 2022 The Author/s
dc.rightsCC BY 4.0
dc.rights.urihttps://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/4.0/
dc.subjectcows
dc.subjectenergy
dc.subjectforages
dc.subjectprotein
dc.subjecttropical dairy farming
dc.titleA Nutritional Investigation of Major Feed Types and Feed Rations Used in Medium-Scale Dairy Production Systems in Sri Lanka
dc.typeJournal article
pubs.elements-id457119
pubs.organisational-groupOther
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