Addition of Sodium Bicarbonate to Rations of Pre- and Postpartum Dairy Cows

Abstract

Sodium bicarbonate was added to complete mixed rations to evaluate the effect of buffer addition on adaptation to high-energy rations by dairy cows in elderly lactation. Forty-five Holstein cows were assigned to one of three treatment groups: control pre- and postpartum; control prepartum, buffer postpartum; and buffer pre- and postpartum. Rations consisted of 85% chopped grass hay: 15% concentrate prepartum and 60% corn silage:40% concentrate postpartum. On day 4 postpartum, cows were switched abruptly to the postpartum ration for 9 wk. Buffered rations contained .6% sodium bicarbonate prepartum and .7% postpartum. Daily dry matter intake as a percent of body weight for cows fed buffer postpartum (3.51%) was greater than for cows fed no buffer (3.04%) of buffer pre- and postpartum (3.14%). Average production of 4% fat-corrected milk was greater for cows fed buffer postpartum and buffer pre- and postpartum (31.9 kg/day and 31.7 kg/day) than for cows fed no buffer (28.9 kg/day). Milk fat tests were not different. Cows fed the buffered rations lost body weight between wk 1 and 9 as compared to a net gain for cows fed no buffer. Cows fed buffers consumed more dry matter during wk 1 than did cows fed no buffer. Samples of rumen fluid, feces, and serum showed few differences that could be attributed to treatments. Compared to controls, cows fed sodium bicarbonate adapted to rations more rapidly postpartum as indicated by increased feed intake during the first 2 wk and by increased milk production during the first 4 wk of the trial.

The Addition of Whole Sunflower Seeds and Sodium Bicarbonate to Fat Depressing Diets for Lactating Cows

“…Although differences between the control diet and NaHCO3 were not significant, the diet containing NaHCO, alone exhibited the same trends of increasing DMI and milk production that were reported by Erdman et al (1980Erdman et al ( , 1982 and Kilmer et al (1980Kilmer et al ( ' 1981. Similar trends in body weight gains and percentage of milk protein were reported by Emery et al (1965) and Donker and Marx (1980).…”

“…Although several workers (Miller et al 1965;Emery et al 1965;Erdman etal. 1982;Rogers et al 1982) In contrast to other studies (Rogers et al 1982;Erdman et al 1982), where researchers observed a significant increase in the ratio of acetate to propionate with the inclusion of NaHCO, to fat depressing diets' no difference occurred in the present study (Table 3) which is in agreement with other research (Erdman et al 1980;Kilmer et al' 1980Kilmer et al' . 1981.…”

“…Les (Miller et al i965). More recent research on the feeding of NaHCO, at parturition when cows were switched from high forage ration prepartum to a high grain diet postpartum has i"rutt"O in conflicting findings on fat percentage (Erdman et al 1980;Kilmer et al' 1980Kilmer et al' , 1981Erdman et al 1982).…”

The Effect of Sodium Bicarbonate, Sodium Bicarbonate Plus Magnesium Oxide or Bentonite on the Intake of Corn Silage by Lactating Cows

“…Les traitements compards 6taient: essai I, t6moin et NaHCO, (180 g/vache/jour); essai II, tdmoin er benronire (300 g/vache/ jour); essai III, t6moin et NaHCO. (180 g/vache/jour) plus oxyde de magn6sium le NaHCO, respectivement dans I'essai I; de 10,03 et 10,39, eI de 29,5 (Erdman et al 1980), increasing dry matter effective in increasing silage dry matter inintake (Kilmer et al 1980) and increasing take, milk yield or milk fat content. The milk fat content (Emery et al, 1965).…”

“…;l'#il:J::: (1961). Levels of phosphorus in the plasma were estimated using the colorimetric procedure of Fiske and Subbarow (1925 Kilmer et al (1980) Bringe and Schultz (1969) and by Rindsig et al (1969 ; ; had markedly lower levels. of ptasi,a cal-[#%t1"1'hft^,.5Tl*3.…”