The effect of fiber source on dry matter and energy intake, nutrient digestibility, and performance in transition dairy cows

This study was conducted to compare the effect of a cellulosic (wheat straw; WS) and non-cellulosic (beet pulp; BP) forage source on high producingdairy cows during the transition period (three weeks before to six weeks after calving). Multiparous Holstein cows (n=36) with mean body weight of697±59.6 kg and body condition score of 3.3±0.22 were used in the experiment. Before calving, the cows received diets containing 7.17% WS (n=18)or BP (n=18). After calving, the cows in each group were divided into two subgroups (n=9), and received the diets containing 5% BP or WS.Prepartum dry matter intake (DMI) was similar between dietary treatments but prepartum digestibility of DM (P=0.05) and neutral detergent fiber (P=0.06) was lower in cows feeding on the WS diet. The yield of energy-corrected milk, 4% fat-corrected milk and milk fat percentage tended to behigher in the cows fed with the BP diet during the prepartum period (P = 0.09). In conclusion, the results showed that feeding non-cellulosic foragesduring the transition period may improve the performance in dairy cows.