Effects of different sucrose levels on digestibility and mastication of hay and on yield and composition of milk in dairy cow

Authors

• Liisa Syrjälä University of Helsinki, Department of Animal Husbandry

DOI: https://doi.org/10.23986/afsci.71788

Abstract

In the trials two dairy cows were fed on 6 kg of timothy hay and 0, 1, 2 and 4 kg of pure beet sugar. Cr2O3 was used as tracer. If the sugar addition to the diet was 1 kg/cow/day, there was practically no effect on the digestibility of hay. When the sugar was increased to 2 kg/cow/day, the digestibility of hay decreased 11.7 %-units. In the case of the cell wall complex the corresponding decrease was 17 %-units. After having 4 kg sugar/day both cows stopped eating completely. A 2 kg sugar addition depressed also the mastication in the alimentary tract, whereas 1 kg of sugar had only a slight effect on it. The dry matter of milk decreased by about 1 %-units when 1 kg sugar was given to the cows the decrease being in the milk fat content. 2 kg of sugar produced no further effect. The sugar additions to the diet did not affect the contents of milk protein, ash and lactose.