Effect of monensin and live-cell yeast supplementation on lactation performance, feeding behavior, and total tract nutrient digestibility by dairy cows. 2024
The objective of this study was to evaluate the effects of supplementing monensin (MON:19.8 g/Mg DM TMR) and Saccharomyces cerevisiae CNCM I-1077 (LCY: Saccharomyces cerevisiae CNCM I-1077; 1 × 1010 cfu/hd/d) on lactation performance, feeding behavior, and total-tract nutrient digestibility of high-producing dairy cows. Sixty-four multiparous Holstein cows (3.2 ± 1.5 lactations; 97 ± 16 DIM, and 724 ± 68 kg of BW at covariate period initiation) and 32 gate feeders were enrolled in a study with a completely randomized design and a 2 × 2 factorial arrangement. Cows and gate feeders were randomly assigned to treatments (16 cows and 8 gate feeds per treatment). Cows were allowed 2 wk to acclimate to feeding gates followed by a 2 wk covariate period. During the acclimation and covariate periods, all cows were fed a diet containing MON and LCY. Following the covariate period, cows were enrolled in a 10 wk treatment period during which cows were randomly assigned to 1 of 4 treatments: 1) a combination of MON and LCY (MON-LCY), 2) MON alone, 3) LCY alone, or 4) neither MON nor LCY (CON-CON). Data were analyzed using a mixed model with week as a repeated measure and fixed effects of MON, LCY, week, and all their interactions. Cow (treatment) was included as a random effect. The average covariate period value of each variable was used as a covariate. Three-way interactions were observed for DMI and feed efficiency. Dry matter intake decreased from wk 4-5 and 8-10 in MON-LCY cows compared with CON-CON. No treatment differences were observed for actual or component-corrected milk yield or milk components, except for a tendency for LCY to decrease milk fat yield. Feed efficiency was greater for MON-LCY relative to CON-CON in 4 of 10 weeks. Interactions between MON and LCY were observed for dry matter and organic matter digestibility, where both were lower for CON-CON than other treatments. Under the conditions of the present study, feeding dairy cows in a high feed bunk density a combination of MON and LCY can decrease intake and improve feed efficiency without affecting milk production or components. Additionally, monensin and live-cell yeasts may each improve total-tract digestibility based on improvements in dry matter and organic matter digestibility.
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