Replacing alfalfa hay with dry corn gluten feed alters eating behavior, nutrient digestibility, and performance of lactating dairy cows

Figures & data

Table 1. Ingredients and chemical composition (% of DM) of the experimental diets on a DM basis.

Item	Treatment^a
	0DCGF	6DCGF	12DCGF	18DCGF
Ingredient composition
Alfalfa hay	18.81	12.53	6.26
Corn silage	21.23	21.23	21.23	21.23
Corn gluten feed dried		6.26	12.53	18.81
Beet pulp	2.64	2.64	2.64	2.64
Corn grain, ground	17.09	17.09	17.09	17.09
Barley grain, ground	14.57	14.57	14.57	14.57
Soybean meal	13.58	13.58	13.58	13.58
Canola meal	3.93	3.93	3.93	3.93
Cotton seed	3.91	3.91	3.91	3.91
Fat powder^b	1.57	1.57	1.57	1.57
Vitamin-mineral premix^c	1.00	1.00	1.00	1.00
Sodium bicarbonate	0.97	0.97	0.97	0.97
Calcium carbonate	0.31	0.31	0.31	0.31
Calcium diphosphate	0.19	0.19	0.19	0.19
Salt	0.20	0.22	0.22	0.20
Chemical composition^d
DM, %	60.47	60.65	60.26	60.42
CP	16.06	16.44	16.82	17.21
NDF	32.47	32.38	32.3	32.21
ADF	19.38	17.96	16.53	15.11
NDF provided by forage	19.30	16.79	14.27	11.76
Starch	24.61	25.23	25.85	26.47
NFC^e	37.91	37.71	37.5	37.29
EE	4.94	5.07	5.20	5.33
Ash	8.62	8.40	8.18	7.96
NEL,^f Mcal/kg of DM	1.68	1.70	1.72	1.74

a 0DCGF = 0% of DM dry corn gluten feed; 6DCGF = 6.26% of DM dry corn gluten feed; 12DCGF = 12.53% of DM dry corn gluten feed; 18DCGF = 18.81% of DM dry corn gluten feed.

b Rumen protected, Energizer RP-10, IFFCO, Johor, Malaysia.

c Contained (DM basis) 1,300,000 U/kg of vitamin A; 360,000 U/kg of vitamin D3; 12,000 U/kg of vitamin E; 10 g/kg of Mn; 16 g/kg of Zn; 4 g/kg of Cu; 0.15 g/kg of I; 0.12 g/kg of Co; 0.8 g/kg of Fe; and 0.08 mg/kg of Se.

d DM: dry matter; CP: crude protein; NDF: neutral detergent fiber; ADF: acid detergent fiber; NFC: nonfiber carbohydrate; EE: ether extract.

e NFC = 100 – (% CP + % NDF + % EE + % ash).

f Calculated based on Cornell–Penn–Miner Dairy System (CPM-Dairy; Boston et al. 2000).

Table 2. Chemical composition (% of DM, mean ± SD) of alfalfa hay (AH) and dry corn gluten feed (DCGF) used in the experimental diets (n = 5).

Item^a	AH	DCGF
DM, %	91.3 ± 0.57	87.77 ± 0.93
OM	90.2 ± 0.11	93.7 ± 0.30
CP	15.8 ± 0.35	21.9 ± 0.75
NDF	40.9 ± 0.80	38.7 ± 1.80
ADF	33.9 ± 1.56	11.2 ± 0.65
NFC	32.33 ± 0.92	29.82 ± 2.29
EE	1.1 ± 0.17	3.2 ± 0.21
Starch	1.79 ± 0.12	11.67 ± 0.57
Ash	9.7 ± 0.11	6.2 ± 0.30

^aDM: dry matter; OM: organic matter; CP: crude protein; NDF: neutral detergent fiber; ADF: acid detergent fiber; NFC: nonfiber carbohydrate; EE: ether extract.

Table 3. Effect of replacing alfalfa hay (AH) with dry corn gluten feed (DCGF) on particle distribution, physical effectiveness factor (pef), and physically effective NDF (peNDF) of experimental diets (n = 8)^a.

			Treatments^b					p Value
Item	AH	DCGF	0DCGF	6DCGF	12DCGF	18DCGF	SEM	Linear	Quadratic
	% of DM
>19.0 mm	7.27	0.0	7.35	6.08	4.93	3.93	0.27	<.001	.623
19.0–8.0 mm	30.12	0.0	32.50	30.42	26.48	22.58	0.71	<.001	.235
8.0–1.18 mm	42.55	71.17	39.93	41.50	44.18	45.90	0.59	<.001	.595
<1.18 mm	20.06	28.83	20.22	22.00	24.41	27.59	0.75	<.001	.378
Pef >8^c	0.37	0.00	0.39	0.36	0.31	0.26	0.008	<.001	.394
Pef >1.18^c	0.79	0.71	0.79	0.78	0.75	0.72	0.007	.004	.755
peNDF > 8^c	15.13	0.00	12.66	11.66	10.01	8.37	0.27	<.001	.449
peNDF > 1.18^c	32.31	27.48	25.65	25.26	24.23	23.19	0.23	<.001	.419

^aParticle length variables were measured using the Penn State Particle Separator (The Pennsylvania State University, University Park; Kononoff et al. 2003).

^b0DCGF = 0% of DM dry corn gluten feed; 6DCGF = 6.26% of DM dry corn gluten feed; 12DCGF = 12.53% of DM dry corn gluten feed; 18DCGF = 18.81% of DM dry corn gluten feed.

^cpef >8 and pef >1.18 = physical effectiveness factor determined as the proportion of particles retained on 2 sieves (Lammers et al. 1996) and on 3 sieves (Kononoff et al. 2003), respectively; peNDF >8 and peNDF >1.18 = physically effective NDF determined as NDF content of forage or TMR multiplied by pef >8 and pef >1.18, respectively.

Table 4. Effect of replacing alfalfa hay with dry corn gluten feed on intake, rumination and chewing activity.

Item^b	Treatments^a				SEM	p value
	0DCGF	6DCGF	12DCGF	18DCGF		Linear	Quadratic
Eating
Min/d	340.63	323.75	309.38	291.25	4.96	<0.001	0.901
Min/ kg DMI	14.42	13.50	12.56	11.30	0.28	<0.001	0.542
Min/kg NDFI	44.41	41.71	38.90	35.09	0.87	<0.001	0.533
Min/ kg peNDF >8	113.92	115.84	125.53	135.04	2.61	<0.001	0.164
Min/ kg peNDF > 1.18	56.23	53.47	51.86	48.74	1.13	<0.001	0.875
Rumination
Min/d	470	450.63	431.24	409.38	5.99	<0.001	0.837
Min/kg DMI	19.92	18.79	17.53	15.87	0.44	<0.001	0.566
Min/kg NDFI	61.36	58.03	54.27	49.29	1.38	<0.001	0.556
Min/kg peNDF > 8	157.38	161.17	175.13	189.70	4.11	<0.001	0.207
Min/ kg peNDF > 1.18	77.67	74.39	72.35	68.47	1.80	0.002	0.870
Total chewing
Min/d	810.63	774.38	740.63	700.63	9.97	<0.001	0.853
Min/ kg DMI	34.34	32.29	30.09	27.18	0.70	<0.001	0.549
Min/kg NDFI	105.78	99.75	93.18	84.38	2.18	<0.001	0.536
Min/kg peNDF > 8	271.30	277.01	300.67	324.75	6.51	<0.001	0.175
Min/kg peNDF > 1.18	133.90	127.86	124.21	117.21	2.84	0.001	0.868

a 0DCGF = 0% of DM dry corn gluten feed; 6DCGF = 6.26% of DM dry corn gluten feed; 12DCGF = 12.53% of DM dry corn gluten feed; 18DCGF = 18.81% of DM dry corn gluten feed.

b DMI: dry matter intake; NDFI: neutral detergent fiber intake; peNDF: physically effective NDF.

Table 5. Effect of replacing alfalfa hay with dry corn gluten feed on ruminal pH, (volatile fatty acid) VFA, and ammonia-N.

Item	Treatments^a				SEM	p value
	0DCGF	6DCGF	12DCGF	18DCGF		Linear	Quadratic
pH	6.32	6.30	6.21	5.94	0.08	0.003	0.145
Ammonia N, mg/dL	12.20	12.10	10.70	11.96	0.56	0.207	0.077
Total VFA mM	111.99	116.63	119.86	117.55	1.74	0.020	0.062
	---------- % of total VFA ----------
Acetate	64.63	62.26	60.93	58.30	0.60	0.001	0.835
Propionate	19.47	22.22	24.69	28.93	0.72	0.001	0.313
Butyrate	12.27	11.78	10.66	9.21	0.41	0.001	0.262
Iso Butyrate	0.94	0.92	0.87	0.83	0.36	0.027	0.872
Valerate	1.37	1.51	1.58	1.59	0.06	0.022	0.307
Iso valerate	1.28	1.29	1.24	1.12	0.08	0.165	0.430
Acetate: propionate	3.34	2.83	2.49	2.05	0.10	0.001	0.741

a 0DCGF = 0% of DM dry corn gluten feed; 6DCGF = 6.26% of DM dry corn gluten feed; 12DCGF = 12.53% of DM dry corn gluten feed; 18DCGF = 18.81% of DM dry corn gluten feed.

Table 6. Effect of replacing alfalfa hay with dry corn gluten feed on blood metabolites.

Item	Treatments^a				SEM	p Value
	0DCGF	6DCGF	12DCGF	18DCGF		Linear	Quadratic
Glucose, mg/dL	53.22	54.67	54.23	55.51	1.39	.316	.951
Cholesterol, mg/dL	240.25	236.0	236.52	237.25	6.54	.778	.714
Triglycerides, mg/dL	13.76	12.48	13.05	13.32	0.56	.769	.185
β-hydroxybutyrate, mg/dL	7.97	7.48	7.17	6.55	0.13	.001	.610
Plasma urea N, mg/dL	11.87	12.08	11.95	11.77	0.28	.754	.513
Total protein, g/dL	7.75	7.96	8.12	8.05	0.38	.544	.712
Albumin, g/dL	3.72	3.73	3.68	3.93	0.38	.734	.759
Globulin, g/dL	4.26	4.22	4.43	4.80	0.35	.256	.580

^a0DCGF = 0% of DM dry corn gluten feed; 6DCGF = 6.26% of DM dry corn gluten feed; 12DCGF = 12.53% of DM dry corn gluten feed; 18DCGF = 18.81% of DM dry corn gluten feed.

Table 7. Effect of replacing alfalfa hay with dry corn gluten feed on nutrient intake and apparent digestibility of nutrients.

Item^b	Treatment^a				SEM	p value
	0DCGF	6DCGF	12DCGF	18DCGF		Linear	Quadratic
Intake, kg/d
DM	23.76	24.03	24.96	25.82	0.41	0.001	0.489
OM	21.71	22.01	22.92	23.76	1.58	0.001	0.485
CP	3.81	3.95	4.19	4.44	0.07	0.001	0.438
NDF	7.71	7.78	8.06	8.31	0.13	0.003	0.494
ADF	4.60	4.31	4.21	3.90	0.07	0.001	0.660
Digestibility, %
DM	67.37	68.73	71.95	69.92	1.04	0.031	0.121
OM	69.52	70.88	74.12	72.27	1.01	0.021	0.130
CP	64.27	65.86	67.21	66.12	0.73	0.051	0.086
NDF	51.70	53.51	55.47	54.14	0.89	0.032	0.097
ADF	46.91	48.83	51.51	49.13	1.10	0.075	0.068

a 0DCGF = 0% of DM dry corn gluten feed; 6DCGF = 6.26% of DM dry corn gluten feed; 12DCGF = 12.53% of DM dry corn gluten feed; 18DCGF = 18.81% of DM dry corn gluten feed.

b DM: dry matter; OM: organic matter; CP: crude protein; NDF: neutral detergent fiber ADF: acid detergent fiber.

Table 8. Effect of replacing alfalfa hay with dry corn gluten feed on milk yield, milk composition, and feed efficiency.

Item^b	Treatment^a				SEM	p value
	0DCGF	6DCGF	12DCGF	18DCGF		Linear	Quadratic
Yield, kg/d
Milk	39.31	40.91	42.24	41.50	0.66	0.016	0.094
ECM	40.44	40.84	41.32	39.42	0.73	0.441	0.134
3.5% FCM	40.17	40.24	40.28	37.92	0.81	0.077	0.812
Fat	1.42	1.39	1.35	1.22	0.04	0.003	0.041
Protein	1.18	1.23	1.30	1.29	0.02	0.001	0.248
Lactose	1.80	1.84	1.95	1.89	0.02	0.011	0.030
Composition, %
Fat	3.63	3.43	3.21	2.96	0.10	<0.001	0.809
Protein	3.03	3.02	3.09	3.12	0.01	0.001	0.312
Lactose	4.58	4.52	4.62	4.56	0.04	0.825	0.877
Fat:Protein	1.20	1.13	1.04	0.95	0.03	<0.001	0.778
MUN, mg/dL	13.50	12.90	11.65	12.88	0.42	0.112	0.042
Feed efficiency
ECM/DMI	1.70	1.69	1.65	1.52	0.03	0.005	0.115
FCM/DMI	1.66	1.65	1.61	1.48	0.03	0.004	0.112

a 0DCGF = 0% of DM dry corn gluten feed; 6DCGF = 6.26% of DM dry corn gluten feed; 12DCGF = 12.53% of DM dry corn gluten feed; 18DCGF = 18.81% of DM dry corn gluten feed.

b ECM, energy corrected milk; FCM, fat corrected milk; MUN, milk urea nitrogen.

Table 9. Effect of replacing alfalfa hay with dry corn gluten feed on dry matter and crude protein degradation^a.

Item	Treatment^b					p value
	0DCGF	6DCGF	12DCGF	18DCGF	SEM	Linear	Quadratic
Dry matter degradation
a, %	31.86	32.21	34.40	35.44	0.43	<0.001	0.729
b, %	53.34	52.90	52.16	50.72	0.54	0.008	0.376
c, %	0.051	0.056	0.062	0.068	0.002	<0.001	0.790
dg 0.04	61.95	64.27	66.12	67.40	0.25	<0.001	0.073
dg 0.05	58.99	61.36	63.29	64.69	0.24	<0.001	0.082
Crude protein degradation
a, %	16.08	17.43	18.42	19.57	0.35	<0.001	0.778
b, %	65.16	63.03	62.08	61.78	0.51	0.018	0.047
c, %	0.040	0.041	0.047	0.046	0.001	0.001	0.451
dg 0.04	47.56	50.62	52.01	52.83	0.40	<0.001	0.025
dg 0.05	44.06	46.99	48.55	49.39	0.41	<0.001	0.036

a a = the rapidly degradable fraction (the soluble fraction), b = the slowly degradable fraction, and degraded at rate c. dg = degradability; assuming a passage rate of 0.04 and 0.05.

b 0DCGF = 0% of DM dry corn gluten feed; 6DCGF = 6.26% of DM dry corn gluten feed; 12DCGF = 12.53% of DM dry corn gluten feed; 18DCGF = 18.81% of DM dry corn gluten feed.

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