Investigation of treated barley grain with lactic and citric acid on performance and feeding behavior of Holstein cows

The aim of this study was to investigate the effect of feeding of steeped barley grain with lactic acid (LA) and citric acid (CA) on dry matter intake, feeding behavior, apparent nutrients digestibility, rumen pH and milk production. Eight early lactating Holstein cows in the second parities were used in 4×4 Latin square change- over design. Treatments consisted of basis diet containing 1) dry rolled barley grain (DR), 2) dry rolled barley grain steeped in an equal quantity of tape water alone (W), 3) or in 0.75% LA, or 4) 1% CA for 24 h. The result of this study showed that dry matter intake, feeding behavior and apparent nutrients digestibility did not significantly different among treatments. Rumen pH was greater at 6 h after feeding in LA and CA diets (P