Four early lactation multiparous Holstein cows were used in a 4 x 4 Latin square to investigate the effects of source of protein (fish meal or soybean meal) and carbohydrate (corn or barley) on ruminal fermentation, flow of nutrients to the small intestine, and animal performance. The treatments, arranged in a 2 x 2 (protein x carbohydrate) factorial were: 1) corn plus soybean meal; 2) corn plus fish meal; 3) barley plus soybean meal; and 4) barley plus fish meal. Dry matter and starch intakes were greater when corn was fed than when barley was fed. Barley-based diets were more extensively degraded in the rumen than corn-based diets and therefore provided more energy for microbial growth. However, passage of amino acids and starch to the duodenum was greater for corn-based diets than barley-based diets, because of the greater intake and lower ruminal degradability of the corn-based diets. Microbial protein constituted a larger portion of the total N and had a greater influence on the pattern and quantity of amino acids that passed to the duodenum than did protein from fish meal or soybean meal, which escaped ruminal degradation. Feeding corn-based diets increased production of milk and milk protein compared with feeding barley-based diets.

The effect of energy status upon ovarian activity during early lactation was assessed in 54 multiparous Holstein cows. Dry matter intake and milk yield were measured daily from parturition through 9 wk of lactation. Milk composition and body weight were measured weekly during this time. Energy balance corrected for body weight loss was calculated weekly. Blood was collected via tail vein three times weekly and plasma analyzed for progesterone and nonesterified fatty acids. Fifteen cows were anestrus for the 9 wk based on their plasma progesterone (less than 1 ng/ml). These cows were compared with two cycling groups, one group of 25 cows showing corpus luteum activity within 40 d after parturition and a second group of 14 cows showing corpus luteum activity between 40 and 60 d postpartum. Anestrus cows ate less feed, produced less milk, and lost more body weight, resulting in a more negative energy status than cycling cows. Differences in energy balance among cow groups were greatest the first 3 wk postpartum. Anestrus cows and cows showing corpus luteum activity between d 40 and 60 obtained more energy from body reserves for milk production the first 2 wk of lactation, than cows cycling prior to d 40.

Five Holstein cows were used in a 5 x 5 Latin square design and fed diets containing five different ratios of starch from ground shelled corn and steam-rolled barley. The DMI decreased and both the proportions of OM and starch digested in the rumen increased as barley starch increased in the diet. Corn and barley starches fed in a ratio of 75:25 maximized the proportions of ADF and NDF digested in the rumen. Replacement of 25% of the corn starch with barley starch resulted in the largest increase in the molar percentage of propionate and the largest decrease in the molar percentage of acetate in ruminal fluid. Passage of NAN to the duodenum was not affected by treatment; however, the percentage of nonammonia nonmicrobial N in NAN decreased as barley starch increased. Passage of AA to the duodenum was largest when corn and barley starches were fed in ratios of 100: 0 and 0:100 because of the influence of DMI and microbial protein synthesis. Production of Milk, CP, and SNF was similar when cows were fed diets containing corn and barley starches in ratios of 100:0, 75:25, and 50:50 but was decreased when the ratios were 25:75 and 0:100. Increased production responses of cows when diets contained larger amounts of starch from ground shelled corn were probably due to increased DMI.

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