Milk production and composition in dairy cows receiving diets with different levels of whole cottonseed

Abstract

The present study aimed to evaluate the production and milk composition of four multiparous Holstein-Zebu lactating cows average 70 days of lactation, 488 kg of body weight fed different levels of whole cottonseed will be added to sugarcane silage and concentrate consisting of corn and cottonseed meal. The treatments consisted of four diets with increasing levels of whole cottonseed (5, 10 and 15%) in the diet dry matter. The experimental design was a 4x4 Latin Square. The results demonstrate that supplementation with cottonseed did not affect the efficiency of milk production (EfMP, kg milk / DMI), concentration of net energy (NE) and protein: fat ratio (PFR) in milk, but was able to change corrected milk production (MPcorr) and the percentage of lactose content. The data from this study suggest that using supplemental whole cottonseed in the diet of dairy cows, maintaining the quality of milk produced and consequently is an alternative for sustainable food systems for milk production.