Therefore, we hypothesized that increasing the concentrate proportion in a corn straw-based diet will result in increased release of endotoxin in the rumen, which may ultimately elicit a local inflammation in the mammary gland.
Dry matter, OM and CP digestibilities increased (P < 0.05) with increasing the concentrate portion of the diets.
Increasing the concentrate levels in the diets increased proportions of milk protein and lactose, but not milk fat.
This study indicates that increasing the concentrate portion of fattening diets increases ADG, improves feed efficiency and carcass characteristics of growing Baladi kids.
Increasing the concentrate proportion in the diet reduced ruminal pH, shifted volatile fatty acid (VFA) pattern toward more propionate and less acetate, and decreased protozoal numbers.
Increasing the concentrate feeding frequency to twice daily did not affect (P>0.05) ruminal pH, ammonia N or VFA concentrations, but increased (P<0.01) the molar proportion of isovalerate (0.832 and 1.135% for S1 and S2, respectively).
Increasing the concentrate proportion of the diet resulted in changes typical of cows fed high starch diets (i.e., lower ruminal pH and acetate:propionate ratio; shift in bacterial populations; lower milk fat and higher milk protein concentrations).
The apparent ruminal and intestinal digestibilities of DM, OM, CP, NDF and NFC were not influenced (P > 0.05) by increasing the concentrate in the diet, and the mean values were 619 and 381 (g/kg); 656 and 349; 391 and 498; 902 and 79 and 600 and 399 (g/kg DM), respectively.
Start with a small dosage, to avoid side effects, and increase the concentrate of ingredients as you go along.
Diets were isocaloric and isonitrogenous and at the time of their formulation the stepped substitution of WS with MS allowed to progressively reduce the need for energy concentrates increasing the forage:concentrate ratio.
