Effect of whole cottonseed supplementation on energy and nitrogen partitioning and rumen function in dairy cattle on a forage and cereal grain diet

Abstract

The experimental objective was to determine the effect of adding whole cottonseed (WCS) to a forage and cereal grain diet on the energy and nitrogen balance and rumen function of lactating dairy cattle. Two experiments were carried out, a field experiment and an indoor metabolism experiment. In the field experiment, 50 lactating cows ∼200 days in milk were randomly allocated to one of two groups (control or WCS). Cows were offered lucerne hay (morning) and ryegrass-based pasture silage (afternoon) in one group for 5 weeks. The hay and silage were placed on the ground in a bare paddock. Cows in each group were also individually offered cracked grain in a feed trough at 3 kg dry matter (DM)/co..