Feed Delivery Frequency: A Bewildering Dairy Management Strategy

Due to numerous animal, feed and farm related factors affecting cow performance, feed delivery frequency remains an esoteric strategy in modern dairy management. The objective of this study was to determine Feed Delivery Frequency (FF) effects on feed intake and production performance of dairy cows offered chopped alfalfa hay based Total Mixed Rations (TMR) in a noncompetitive environment. Eight multiparous, early-lactation Holstein cows housed in individual box stalls (4 x 3 m) received either once daily (1x) at 0700 h or 4 times daily (4x) at 0100, 0700, 1300 and 1900 h a chopped alfalfa hay (36.7% of dietary dry matter) based TMR. Two treatments were compared in a crossover design with two 20-day periods. Once instead of four times feed delivery increased dry matter intake (21.1 vs. 20.0 kg/d). Milk yield (31.1 kg/d), milk output of Net Energy for Lactation (NEL) (21.5 M cal/d), fat content (3.55%), protein content (3.20%) and milk NEL to intake NEL ratio (0.61) were similar between treatments. Therefore, under noncompetitive individual feeding and housing, greater feed delivery frequency of a mixed ration based on chopped alfalfa hay had no productive advantages. Increased energy and effective fiber intake by 1x instead of 4x feed delivery has benefits for high-producing cows facing metabolic pressures of early lactation.