Energy metabolism of pregnant zebu and crossbred zebu dairy cattle.

The purpose of this study was to determine the energy partition of pregnant F1 Holstein x Gyr with average initial body weight (BW) of 515.6 kg and Gyr cows with average initial BW of 435.1 kg at 180, 210 and 240 days of gestation, obtained using respirometry. Twelve animals in two groups (six per genetic group) received a restricted diet equivalent to 1.3 times the net energy for maintenance (NEm). The proportion of gross energy intake (GEI) lost as feces did not differ between the evaluated breeds and corresponded to 28.65% on average. The daily methane production (L/d) was greater for (P<0.05) F1 HxG compared to Gyr animals. However, when expressed as L/kg dry matter (DM) or as percentage of GEI there were no differences between the groups (P>0.05). The daily loss of energy as urine (mean of 1.42 Mcal/d) did not differ (P>0.05) between groups and ranged from 3.87 to 5.35% of the GEI. The metabolizable energy intake (MEI) of F1 HxG animals was greater (P < 0.05) at all gestational stages compared to Gyr cows when expressed in Mcal/d. However, when expressed in kcal/kg of metabolic BW (BW0,75), the F1 HxG cows had MEI 11% greater (P<0.05) at 240 days of gestation and averaged 194.39 kcal/kg of BW0,75. Gyr cows showed no change in MEI over time (P>0.05), with a mean of 146.66 kcal/kg BW0. 75. The ME used by the conceptus was calculated by deducting the metabolizable energy for maintenance (MEm) from the MEI, which was obtained in a previous study using the same cows prior to becoming pregnant. The values of NEm obtained in the previous study with similar non-pregnant cows were 92.02 kcal/kg BW0.75 for F1 HxG, and 76.83 kcal/kg BW0.75 for Gyr (P = 0.06). The average ME for pregnancy (MEp) was 5.33 Mcal/d for F1 HxG and 4.46 Mcal/d for Gyr. The metabolizability ratio, averaging 0.60, was similar among the evaluated groups (P>0.05). The ME / Digestible Energy (DE) ratio differed between groups and periods evaluated (P<0.05) with a mean of 0.84. The heat increment (HI) accounted for 22.74% and 24.38% of the GEI for F1 HxG and Gyr cows, respectively. The proportion of GEI used in the basal metabolism by pregnant cows in this study represented 29.69%. However, there were no differences between the breeds and the evaluation periods and corresponded to 29.69%. The mean NE for pregnancy (NEp) was 2.76 Mcal/d and did not differ between groups and gestational stages (P>0.05).

Energy metabolism and partition of lactating Zebu and crossbred Zebu cows in different planes of nutrition.

The aim of this study was to determine the energy metabolism and partition of lactating Gyr and F1 Holstein x Gyr (F1 HxG) cows in different planes of nutrition. Six F1 HxG and six Gyr cows with 130 days in milking (DIM) fed corn silage and concentrate were evaluated. The experiment consisted of four periods with different levels of feeding: 1st ad libitum dry matter intake (DMI) and the others with 5, 10 and 20% restricted DMI, related to the first one. An apparent digestibility assay was performed before measurements in the respiration chamber. Total feces were collected for three days. The cows were confined for 24h in the chamber in each period to determine methane and heat production (HP). F1 HxG had higher gross energy intake (GEI), metabolisable energy intake (MEI) and digestible energy intake (DEI). GE lost in feces was higher in F1 HxG (23.7% GEI) than in Gyr (20.5%) cows. Energy lost as methane and urine was similar between the groups. The metabolisability (q) was 0.67, and the efficiency of converting ME to NE (k) was 0.56. There was no difference in the energy requirements for maintenance between breeds (426.6 MJ/kg BW0,75 average value). The energy requirements for lactation were higher in F1 HxG animals due to the higher volume of milk produced, since there was no difference in energy requirements for production of one kg of milk.

Glicerina em substituição ao milho no concentrado de vacas em lactação / Glycerin replacing corn in the concentrate of lactating cows

Foram avaliados o consumo e a digestibilidade dos nutrientes, a produção e a composição do leite de vacas Holandês x Gir alimentadas com dietas baseadas em silagem de milho suplementada com concentrado contendo ou não glicerina obtida da produção de biodiesel. Os tratamentos basearam-se na substituição parcial do amido do milho moído pelo glicerol da glicerina. O experimento foi realizado durante 96 dias utilizando delineamento em blocos casualizados, nove vacas por tratamento e três medidas repetidas no tempo. Não houve diferença (P>0,05) entre tratamentos para consumos de matéria seca, matéria orgânica, proteína bruta, fibra em detergente neutro e nutrientes digestíveis totais. Foram observados menores consumos de amido e extrato etéreo para as vacas que receberam concentrado com glicerina que, por sua vez, consumiram maior (P<0,05) quantidade de glicerol. Não houve efeito (P>0,05) da inclusão de glicerina sobre a digestibilidade dos nutrientes, produção e composição do leite, mas foi observada maior (P<0,05) produção de leite corrigida para 4% de gordura e menor teor de nitrogênio ureico no leite das vacas que receberam concentrado sem glicerina. Em dietas de vacas Holandês x Gir a suplementação da silagem de milho com concentrado contendo níveis médios de 8,12% de glicerina em substituição ao milho moído, apresenta potencial para produção de 20 kg/dia de leite com elevado teor de sólidos.

Intake, digestibility of nutrients, production and milk composition of Holstein x Gyr fed diets based on corn silage supplemented with concentrates containing glycerin or no coproduct of biodiesel production were evaluated. The treatments were based on the partial replacement of ground corn starch by the glycerol of glycerine. The experiment was conducted during 96 days using a randomized block design, nine cows per treatment and three repeated measurements over time. There was no difference (P>0.05) between treatments regarding the dry matter, organic matter, crude protein, neutral detergent fiber and total digestible nutrients. Smaller consumption of starch and lipids were observed by cows receiving concentrated with glycerin,that, in turn, consumed higher (P<0.05) amount of glycerol. There was no difference (P>0.05) among treatments for nutrient digestibility, milk production and composition, but there was a higher yield of milk corrected to 4% fat and lower levels of urea nitrogen in the milk of cows fed concentrate without glycerol (P<0.05). For Holstein x Gyr cows receiving diets based on corn silage, the supplementation with concentrate containing the average level of 8,12% of glycerine as ground corn replacer shows potential milk production of 20 kg/day with a high solid content.