Farmer milking his cow (© Oulailux - stock.adobe.com).

As milk production increases, it becomes increasingly difficult to provide dairy cows with the feed they need. The reason: Especially at the beginning of lactation, the milk production potential of the animals is higher than their feed intake capacity. This is especially true for cows in the upper range of the performance spectrum. Only if the animals consume enough protein and meet the demand for essential amino acids such as methionine can the milk production potential be fully exploited. Feeding compound feed with a high proportion of undegradable dietary protein (UDP) offers opportunities here. If the corresponding feed components are also pressure-hydrothermally treated, it is even easier to close supply gaps.

The aim of dairy cattle feeding is to provide the animals with an even supply of nutrients. To achieve this, the optimal growth of the microbes in the rumen and a sufficient protein supply for the animal itself must be ensured. At the same time, it is important to ensure a sufficient supply of essential amino acids in the intestine. This is the only way to achieve a high milk yield. If there is a deficit in the supply of individual essential amino acids, this cannot be compensated for by the animal.

The protein requirement is particularly high at the beginning of lactation - especially then the protein intake usually cannot keep up (© Deutsche Tiernahrung Cremer).
The protein requirement is particularly high at the beginning of lactation - especially then the protein intake usually cannot keep up (© Deutsche Tiernahrung Cremer).

At high milk yields, there is an increased protein requirement. However, simply increasing the protein content of the ration leads to increased stress on the animals. The reason for this is that the rumen microbes break down the feed protein into ammonia (NH3). If the released nitrogen is not re-bound in microbial protein, the excess NH3 must be disposed of via the liver. Likewise, all amino acids that are available to the animal beyond the first-limiting one are detoxified via this pathway, which is energy-intensive - recognisable from the increased urea content of the tank milk. This process puts unnecessary strain on the cows' organism and is detrimental to milk yield.

The central question is:
How can the protein requirements of high-yielding cows be met efficiently without putting unnecessary strain on the animals' metabolism?

Protected protein secures the protein requirement - even during performance peaks

In order to meet the high demand of lactating dairy cattle, it is important to ensure a sufficient supply of protein or amino acids at the small intestine. The protein (nXP) usable by dairy cows in the small intestine (duodenum) consists on the one hand of microbial protein and to a certain extent of undegradable feed protein (UDP). The increase in the amount of microbial protein is limited by various factors. These include:

  • a suboptimal rumen function,
  • the amount of feed intake,
  • the degradability of the feed in the rumen,
  • the non-simultaneous availability of energy and protein in the rumen, and
  • the passage rate of the feed particles.

Well-digested UDP is an important factor in meeting the protein and amino acid requirements in the small intestine. Since the UDP content in grass and maize silage is not very high, the feeding of mixed feeds with a high proportion of appropriately protected protein - also known as bypass protein - is suitable.

Protein supplements with a high proportion of bypass protein

Special protein supp lements (e.g. deukalac NG UDP 33) have a particularly high UDP content (approx. ≥ 60 %). They are ideal for increasing the proportion of bypass protein in the ration. Pressure hydrothermal treatment using opticon® technology increases the proportion of bypass protein in the feed, thus improving the protein supply in the small intestine and closing the supply gap - even at peak demand.

opticon®: Protection of vegetable protein for utilisation in the intestine

In order to increase the UDP content of a feed, the raw protein is pre-treated and broken down. In addition to chemical treatment (e.g. with formaldehyde or xylose), physical processes such as toasting or extrusion have proved particularly effective in the past. A special physical process is the patented pressure-hydrothermal opticon® process.

The opticon® technology is a further development of the proven extrusion technologies for refining individual and compound feeds. The process does not require any additives and is not only highly efficient, but also helps to save feeding costs. You can find out more about opticon® technology here.

Feeding with appropriately treated feeds offers many other advantages:

  • Protein supplements such as deukalac NG UDP 33 have a very high biological value. The process also leads to a breakdown of the fibre components in the feed. Both optimise the digestibility of the product.
  • The high biological values and good digestibility reduce the necessary amount of such feeds and thus minimise excess nutrient discharges into the environment.
  • Opticon®'s own roasted aromas give the products an unmistakable taste that is attractive to dairy cattle. This makes these feeds ideal as attractants in the Automatic Milking System (AMS).

Performance-limiting: supply of essential amino acids

However, securing the amount of protein in the small intestine alone is not enough if the milk yield is to be right. At the same time, a supply of important amino acids - above all methionine - must be ensured with the feed. If methionine, for example, is not present in sufficient quantities in the ration, the animals cannot optimally utilise the other amino acids. However, the methionine content of the basic feed and the methionine content of untreated concentrated feed is usually not sufficient to supply high-yielding cows in line with their needs.

The amino acid balance of the ration can be improved by using feed components containing methionine. One such methionine source is rape expeller meal. As feeding trials show, the positive effects of additional feeding with rapeseed extraction meal can be further improved by treating the feed using the opticon® process (see figure).

The milk yield of high-yielding cows could be significantly increased by feeding 1.8 kg/day/animal deukalac NG UDP 33 compared to 2.2 kg/day/animal rapeseed extraction meal (© Deutsche Tiernahrung Cremer).
The milk yield of high-yielding cows could be significantly increased by feeding 1.8 kg/day/animal deukalac NG UDP 33 compared to 2.2 kg/day/animal rapeseed extraction meal (© Deutsche Tiernahrung Cremer).

Conclusion

  • As milk yield increases, it becomes increasingly difficult to supply dairy cows with the protein they need.
  • Milk yield can only be optimised if the animals consume sufficient protein and at the same time meet the demand for essential amino acids such as methionine.
  • Feeding compound feed with a high proportion of undegradable dietary protein (UDP) offers opportunities here.
  • A needs-based supply of UDP and first-limiting amino acids such as methionine relieves the metabolism of high-yielding cows, which is under great strain especially at the beginning of lactation. Animals thus relieved and fully supplied have more energy to maximise milk yield.
  • Feeding trials with UDP and methionine-rich feeds such as deukalac NG UDP 33 show an improvement in milk yield.
  • By using rumen-protected protein and amino acids, the protein content in the total ration can be reduced while maintaining the same supply to the dairy cow.

Image source (top slider): © Oulailux - stock.adobe.com

Contact person

Gaby Harr

Gaby Harr

Product Manager Beef

Contact person

Gaby Harr

Gaby Harr

Product Manager Beef