Supplementing dairy cow diets with milled rapeseed resulted in a significant decrease in milk fat saturated fatty acid concentration, which was persistent for 70 days.
Adopting a delayed concentrate build-up strategy in early lactation improved forage intake and had no detrimental effect on production performance.
Trails in Northern Ireland have shown that concentrate allocation strategy had no effect on cow performance and that a simple ‘flat-rate’ concentrate feeding strategy is as effective as a more complex ‘feed-to-yield’ strategy.
Feeding milled rapeseed as a lipid and protein supplement for lactating dairy cows reduced methane production per day, per unit of dry matter intake and per unit of milk yield.
Feeding fresh grass compared with straw:concentrate increased the 18:3 n-3 concentration of rumen protozoa as a consequence of chloroplast engulfment.
A calcium salt (CS) preparation of cis-monounsaturated fatty acids (MUFA) was effective at reducing milk saturated fatty acid (SFA) concentration and increasing beneficial cis-MUFA concentrations, without incurring any negative effects on milk and milk component yields.
Out-wintering yearling dairy heifers on a woodchip pad saw improvements to animal health and behaviour, largely owing to higher space allowances and better underfoot conditions than the outdoor environment.
There’s no evidence of a direct link between stockperson personality and milk yield, but it does appear that attitudes are important.
Introducing heifers to the resident group after the afternoon milking appeared to improve welfare in the immediate post mixing period by reducing levels of aggression to which they were exposed.
Cows like to be housed, at least some of the time.
