Effect of supplementing a high-protein ram press sunflower cake concentrate on smallholder milk production in Zimbabwe

Ram press sunflower cake protein concentrate was formulated locally and its effect on the performance of dairy cows was compared with that of a commercial dairy concentrate. The effects of concentrate on roughage dry matter intake, milk yield and milk composition, live weight and calving intervals were similar for all concentrates, which indicated that the home grown dairy concentrates were as effective as the dairy commercial concentrate. The lack of significant differences in the concentrations of rumen NH₃-N, pH, VFAs and total AA in all the cows between concentrate types supported this. The results indicated that in the low-resource and low-input production systems, crossbreds were as productive as Jersey and Red Dane cows. The exotic cows were more susceptible to tick-borne diseases and mastitis, and showed higher incidences of calving problems and retained placenta compared with crossbred cows. The economics of feeding ram press sunflower concentrate were compared with those of a commercial dairy concentrate on the performance of crossbred, Red Dane and Jersey cows. The gross margin was higher when feeding sunflower cake than when feeding commercial dairy concentrate (p < 0.05).     

The effects of feeding frequency on waiting time,milking frequency,cubicle and feeding fence utilization for cows in an automatic milking system

Abstract

In this trial, the effects of the forage feeding frequency on the waiting time prior to milking and the cowshed facility utilization by cows milked in an automatic milking unit (AMU) were studied. The feeding frequency was increased from two times per day to six times per day. It was found that the average waiting time per visit for cows using the AMU was reduced from 755 s to 351 s when the feeding frequency was increased. The daily number of visits (milking visit, failed milking visit and not qualified visit) to the AMU was not affected by the change in feeding frequency. It was also found that increasing the feeding frequency had a positive effect on utilization of the cowshed facilities, such as the occupation of the feeding fence, and on the cowshed facilities in the waiting area (cubicles) of the AMU.     

Concentrate composition for Automatic Milking Systems — Effect on milking frequency

The purpose of this study was to investigate the potential of affecting milking frequency in an Automatic Milking System (AMS) by changing ingredient composition of the concentrate fed in the AMS. In six experiments, six experimental concentrates were tested against a Standard concentrate all supplied in the amounts of 5 kg/cow/day. Fifteen cows were fed the experimental concentrate and another 15 cows the Standard concentrate for 14 days and then for the next 14 days the cows were fed the opposite diets to be their own control. The change from one mixture to the next was done over only one day. In each experiment the 30 cows were composed of 12–14 of Danish Holstein, 8–10 of Danish Red and 8 were Jerseys. Basal mixed ration (MR) was fed ad libitum and intake was recorded individually. The effect of the different concentrates on intake and production was evaluated within experiment against the Standard concentrate. A marked effect was found on the number of visits of the cows in the AMS and the subsequent milk production in relation to composition of the concentrate. The composition of the concentrates also influenced the composition of the milk and the MR intake. Based on the overall responses the cows preferred a mixture containing Barley and Oats. Also Wheat based concentrate appeared to be preferred to concentrate based on Maize or Barley and the cows did not like the Fat rich or the pure Artificially dried grass concentrate used in the experiment.     

Detailed genetic analysis of feeding behaviour in Romane lambs and links with residual feed intake

Breeding strategies based on feed efficiency are now implemented in most animal species using residual feed intake (RFI) criteria. Although relevant, the correlated responses of feeding behaviour traits resulting from such selection on RFI are poorly documented. We report the estimated feeding behaviour at three time levels (visit, meal and day) and genetic parameters between the feeding behaviour traits and their links with RFI and its components. Feed intake, feeding duration at three time levels (per visit, meal and day), feeding rate, number of visits and time‐between‐visits were estimated for 951 Romane lambs fed via automatic concentrate feeders. Heritability estimates of feeding behaviour traits ranged from 0.19 to 0.54 with higher estimates for the day level than the visit level. Daily feed intake was not genetically linked to feed intake at the visit level, whereas feeding duration between visit and day levels was moderately correlated (R_g = +0.41 ± 0.12). RFI was not significantly correlated with feeding rate, but was positively linked to feed intake and feeding duration at the day level (+0.73 ± 0.09 and +0.41 ± 0.13, respectively) and negatively at the visit level (?0.33 ± 0.14 and ?0.22 ± 0.17, respectively). Selecting animals with lower RFI values might modify their feeding behaviour by increasing feed intake and feeding duration at the visit level but decrease the number of visits per day (+0.51 ± 0.14).     

Effect of genotype and level of supplementary concentrate on foraging activity and vegetation cover in an organic free-range pig system

Abstract

The objectives were to investigate the effects of genotype and level of concentrate on foraging activity and vegetation cover in an organic pasture-based system for growing-finishing pigs. A 44% reduction in the allowance of concentrate more than doubled the rooting activity. The effect of feeding strategy on grazing was less pronounced; this behaviour only tended to be more frequent in the pigs fed restrictedly compared to the pigs fed according to recommendations. There were no significant differences in rooting activity between genotypes; however, the ‘traditional’ genotype grazed significantly more than the ‘modern’ genotype. The vegetation cover declined significantly faster in the paddocks with restrictedly fed pigs than in the paddocks with pigs fed according to recommendations. A restriction in the allowance of concentrate is a valuable tool for stimulating rooting behaviour in integrated systems where the pigs’ rooting behaviour is considered a resource in relation to, for example, soil tillage.     

Electronic feed stations for feeding concentrates to pregnant ewes on commercial sheep farms

ABSTRACT

The aim of this study was to investigate the use and capacity of electronic feed stations (EFS) on commercial sheep farms. The study was conducted on four commercial farms and the numbers of pregnant ewes per EFS were 36, 70, 72 and 80, respectively. Each farm was visited once and behavioural observations were carried out. In addition the date and time for both entering and leaving the EFS and the amount of concentrates dispensed at each visit for extracted. The vast majority of the ewes used the EFS regularly. The number of rewarded visits per ewe per day varied from 3.2 to 5.9, whereas the number of unrewarded visits ranged from 6.0 to 21.5 per ewe per day. We conclude that feeding concentrates to groups of pregnant ewes in EFS function satisfactory, but the design of the entrance and exit gate still have to be improved considerably.     

Influence of Routing Treatments on Cows' Visits to an Automatic Milking System,their Time Budget and Other Behaviour

Four cow routing treatments related to fully automatic milking were compared consecutively in one group of 24 Holstein Friesian cows. The objective of the experiment was to investigate how cow traffic towards the automatic milking system (AMS) should be routed and whether a preselection or a waiting area in front of the AMS should be used. The treatments were (1) free routing with selection of cows in the AMS (FREE); (2) free routing with a preselection system in front of the AMS (FREE_SS); (3) free routing with a preselection system and a waiting area in front of the AMS (FREE_WA); and (4) one-way gates resulting in forced routing with preselection and a waiting area in front of the AMS (FORCED_WA). Evaluation of the treatments revealed that FREE may be questionable with regard to the cows' visiting frequency to the AMS and that the use of a waiting area in combination with free routing (FREE_WA) may slow down the passing through the AMS. FORCED_WA may be the best option in relation to the cows' use of the AMS, but this traffic system seems to postpone or even thwart the feeding. The treatment that appears to give the best results is FREE_SS. The type of AMS visit appeared to have a marked influence on the cows' subsequent behaviour. Cows returned to the AMS sooner after non-milking visits and failed attachments (P<0.01). This increases the occupation rate of the AMS and may induce some extra unrest in the herd.     

Estimation of Milk Production from Smallholder Dairy Cattle in the Coastal Lowlands of Kenya

A study was carried out on 92 smallholder farms in Kwale district in Coast Province of Kenya to estimate the milk yield. The effect of concentrate feed supplementation on milk yield was also evaluated. Data were collected during a one-year observational longitudinal study. Analysis was done for 371 observations following 63 calving events. The mean annual milk offtake was estimated at 2021 kg/cow. Forty-nine (77.8%) of the lactating cows were supplemented with concentrate feeds at varying rates of 0.5-3.0 kg/cow per day. Supplementary feeding of lactating cows led to a significantly higher mean daily milk yield compared to non-supplemented cows throughout the year (p < 0.05). The mean annual milk offtake from supplemented cows (2195 kg/cow) was 18.6% more than offtake from non-supplemented cows, a difference that was statistically significant (p < 0.05). Therefore, supplementary feeding of commercial feed concentrates was a rational management practice. It was also concluded that milk production from smallholder dairy cows in the coastal lowlands of Kenya was comparable to that from similar production systems but lower than national targets.     

The relationship between meal composition and long-term diet choice

When animals are offered a choice of feeds that are nutritionally complementary, they are able to select a consistent combination of these feeds over long periods of time. Analysis of how such consistent diet choice is achieved, in terms of short-term feeding behavior, may further our knowledge of how animals regulate nutrient intake. Previous work, on meal pattern analysis and on nutrient synchronization, led us to hypothesize that animals may select a consistent diet within a meal. In three experiments cows were offered a choice between high- (H) and low- (L) protein feeds and short-term feeding behavior data were collected using computerized feeders. Feeding behavior was first analyzed in terms of visit characteristics. A greater average daily intake of H, relative to L, was more closely related to the ratio of H visits to L visits than to differences in the intake per visit to feeders supplying H or L. Individual meal criteria were estimated using a mixed-distribution model, and visits were clustered into meals. Cows typically had approximately six meals per day. The observed frequency distribution of meal composition, in terms of the proportion of visits to H feeders, was determined. Subsequently, the observed visits were randomly reclustered into bouts consisting of the same number of visits as were observed in meals, and the frequency distribution of random bout composition was calculated. If frequency distributions of meals and random bouts coincide, then this is evidence that cows do not regulate diet choice within a meal. Comparison of the frequency distributions of meals and random bouts provided no evidence that cows attempted to achieve their long-term average diet composition within a meal. We also investigated whether cows tried to achieve a consistent diet choice within a meal by adjusting their intake per visit, depending on the feed type visited and the proportion of visits to H feeders in a meal. There was no evidence that this occurred. In conclusion, our analyses have shown that cows did not attempt to select within a meal a consistent diet in terms of protein to energy ratio. Indeed, our data and the literature suggest that the timeframe over which the intake of energy and protein is regulated must be greater than a meal in a number of animal species.     

Effect of the roughage sequence and concentrates in animal feed on carbohydrate digestion and bacterial protein synthesis in the rumen of dairy cows

In experiments with dairy cows provided with rumen fistulas and duodenal re-entrant canulas, the order of feeding roughage (chopped forage and pellets) and concentrates (maize and barley) was found to influence carbohydrate digestion and bacterial protein synthesis in the rumen. Feeding the roughage 90 min. before the concentrate caused a wider C2:C3 ratio and a sustained course of the pH-value (greater than 6.5) than the ratio other way round. This favoured cellulose digestion in the rumen when feeding chopped roughage. When feeding roughage before concentrates, the nonbacterial N-proportion in the duodenal contents proved greater than in the reverse order and revealed the highest values for roughage fed in pelleted form. Feeding structured roughage as first component of the diet with concentrates given afterwards is, therefore, recommended for dairy cows.     

Digestion in steers and lactational performance of Jersey cows fed diets varying in natural protein level continuously or on alternate days

Five crossbred beef steers (515 kg) were used in a Latin square experiment and 36 lactating Jersey cows (12 primiparous, 310 kg; 24 multiparous, 365 kg) were used in a completely randomized design study to determine effects on characteristics of digestion and lactational performance of daily alternation of the dietary level of natural protein (NP). In Experiment 1, steers were fed diets of 50% bermudagrass hay and 50% concentrate. Concentrate was approximately 18% crude protein (CP), formulated to be 60, 80 or 100% NP (varying proportions of soybean meal, urea and ground corn), and was fed at 1.5% body weight (dry matter basis). These concentrates were fed daily or ones with 60 and 100% NP were fed on alternate days. Alternate day feeding did not markedly affect characteristics of digestion, including ruminal escape of feed protein, and NP level of concentrate fed continuously had no effects either. In Experiment 2, cows were subjected to treatments similar to those in Experiment 1, and performance on d 20-40 of lactation was measured. Concentrate was given at 1 kg (as fed)/2.15 kg milk produced, yielding a dietary concentrate level of approximately 40% (dry matter basis). Alternate feeding depressed (P less than 0.05) overall milk fat percentage. Alternate feeding increased production of milk and protein and body weight of primiparous cows but caused little change with multiparous cows. Besides increasing the dietary level of concentrate, perhaps alternate feeding regimes have utility to lower milk fat level without impairing milk production. Level of NP in concentrate fed continuously did not affect performance by multiparous cows though primiparous cow performance was generally enhanced, possibly because CP intake was adequate for multiparous cows but marginal for primiparous cows. However, overall, efficiency of production of solids-corrected milk rose slightly with increasing NP.     

Roughage intake of simmental,brown Swiss and Holstein Friesian cows fed rations with 0, 25 and 50% concentrates

Two short-term feeding trials (3 weeks on each treatment) using a total of 54 lactating cows in a 3 × 3 Latin square design were carried out to determine the ad libitum roughage intake of Simmental (SI), Brown Swiss (BS) and Holstein Friesian (HF) cows, respectively. The cows were fed rations with 0. 25 and 50% of dry matter (DM) as concentrates, the rest as roughage. The roughage consisted of 31.5% hay, 38.1% grass silage and 30.4% maize silage.SI, BS and HF cows consumed 10.7, 11.0 and 12.2 kg DM day⁻¹ roughage, equivalent to 87, 93 and 105 g kg^−0.75 bodyweight. For concentrate groups 0, 25 and 50%, roughage intake decreased from 12.8 to 11.7 and 9.4 kg DM day⁻¹. The substitution rate derived from linear regression was 0.36 kg DM kg⁻¹ DM. The milk yield was increased from 14.1 to 16.7 and 19.7 kg by feeding concentrates, while milk protein concentration increased from 3.0 to 3.2 and 3.4% and milk fat concentration decreased from 4.3 to 4.2 and 4.1%.The regressions of forage intake (kg DM) on milk yield (kg energy-standardized milk (ESM)) showed big differences between breeds, but also between concentrate levels. The regression slopes were 0.04, 0.23 and 0.28 for SI, BS and HF cows.     

Effects of Genotype,Feed Type and Lactational Stage on the Time Budget of Dairy Cows

The effects of genetic merit, feeding system and stage of lactation on the time budget of dairy cows were studied. Sixteen loose-housed Holstein Friesian cows (parity=1) of either high or UK average genetic merit were fed one of two complete mixed silage-based diets (high and low concentrate inclusion). Five-minute time samples were carried out on 11 days across lactation between morning feeding and afternoon milking. Cows fed the low concentrate diet spent more time eating, more time ruminating whilst standing, and less time lying, especially inactive. Genetic line did not affect the time budget of the cows. Standing and rumination decreased with time from calving, whereas the duration of lying bouts increased during the first 3 months of lactation. In this study the time budget of dairy cows was influenced by food roughage inclusion, and not by the production level of the animal.     

The effect of energy supplementation on nitrogen utilization in lactating dairy cows fed grass silage diets

An experiment was conducted to examine the effect that various isoenergetic diets, containing different quantities of soluble carbohydrate and fiber and different types of starch, have on nitrogen (N) balances. Six lactating dairy cows in early to midlactation consuming grass silage diets with not less than 600 g/kg total DMI as forage were used in the experiment. Four concentrates were prepared that had higher amounts of either fiber, soluble sugars, corn (low degradable starch source), or barley (high degradable starch source). Overall N utilization by the cows was poor, rarely exceeding 0.30 g milk N/g of dietary N intake. Fecal N outputs accounted for more than half of total N excreted in all treatments except for diets supplemented with high degradable starch, in which urinary N excretion was significantly higher compared with the other treatments. Milk yield was unaffected by concentrate type, averaging 19.9 kg/d, but milk protein content decreased from 32.9 for starch-based diets to 30.9 and 30.0 g/kg for the soluble sugar- and fiber-based diets, respectively. The efficiency of N utilization improved in the low degradable starch treatment, which had lower N excretion (65%) and higher protein concentration in milk. Furthermore, feeding cows corn-based concentrates reduced urinary N excretion by almost 30% compared with barley-based concentrates; therefore, feeding corn-based diets is recommended for the reduction of nitrogen pollution in lactating dairy cows.     

Effect of cereal-based concentrates on productivity of Holstein–Friesian cows grazing short-rotation ryegrass (Lolium multiflorum) or kikuyu (Pennesitum clandestinum) pastures

In this study, the effect of increasing the proportion of concentrate in the diet, on efficiency of feed utilisation, was determined when Holstein–Friesian cows grazed short-rotation ryegrass (Lolium multiflorum) or kikuyu (Pennisetum clandestinum) pastures. The concentrates were energy-dense dairy pellets fed twice-a-day at milking and the roughage component was lucerne hay and the pasture.When cows grazed ryegrass, there was no effect on animal performance as the proportion of concentrate in the diet increased from 0.23 to 0.35 (4.75 to 7.50 kg concentrate/cow/day). The substitution rate of concentrates for pasture for the first 1.57 kg concentrate/cow/day fed was 0.58 but rose to 1.18 for the next 1.28 kg concentrate/cow/day.When cows grazed kikuyu, there was also no effect of increasing the proportion of concentrate in the diet on total dry matter intake (DMI) or milk production. However, there was a substantial increase in the in vivo digestibility of whole diet, pasture and acid detergent fibre (ADF) was observed when the proportion of concentrate in the diet increased from 0.08 to 0.25. However, there was a marked decline in pasture digestibility (72% to 64%), and more so in ADF digestibility (61.3% to 48.4%), as the proportion of concentrate in the diet increased further to 0.29 (5.52 kg/cow/day). The intake of kikuyu, when determined by difference between pre- and post-grazing pasture mass, was substantially underestimated compared to the use of the n-alkane technique, and this discrepancy increased as the pasture on offer increased.On both pasture types, the neutral detergent fibre intake, as a % of bodyweight varying from 1.6% to 2.2% for kikuyu and 1.5% to 1.6% for ryegrass was far above the values claimed of 1.2% to restrict intake.The results of this study highlight the limits to the amount of concentrate that can be fed on a typical Australian dairy farm where concentrates can only be fed twice-a-day at milking. The results also provide a more appropriate benchmark for fibre limitation in the ration when cows graze pasture, particularly poorer quality tropical grasses, and this value is well above that found in more intense feeding situations.     

Studies with ammonized straw pellets used as a sole basal diet in the feeding of ruminants. 1. Feeding trials with dairy cows fed ammonized straw pellets as a sole basal diet]

Feeding trials were performed with two groups of dairy cows receiving ammonized straw pellets supplemented with varying levels of concentrates as sole basal diet. The trials were carried out over periods of 546 days and 120 days. An annual milk production of 4217.9 kgs (calculated on the basis of 3.5% of milk fat) per cow was achieved in group I by feeding 3060.6 kgs of straw pellets and 2014.7 kgs of concentrates per animal. After subtracting all additives an amount of 2641.1 kgs of pure straw (= 52%) and of 2434.2 kgs of concentrated food (= 48%) remained so that the resulting amount of dry feed consumed per 100 kg of milk was 120.3 kg. A total of 6309.6 kgs of milk was produced per cow over a period of 546 days of trial. During this period the average weight gain per cow was 98.4 kgs. 1517.3 kgs of milk (calculated on the basis of 3.5% milk fat) per cow were produced in group II (56 cows) over a period of 105 days by feeding 892.5 kgs of straw pellets and 682.5 kgs of concentrate pellets. The concentrate pellets contained 50% of ammonized dried sugar beet chips but not extracted meals.     

Effect of selection for residual feed intake on feeding behavior and daily feed intake patterns in Yorkshire swine

Residual feed intake (RFI) is a measure of feed efficiency defined as the difference between observed and predicted feed intake based on average requirements for growth and maintenance. The objective of this study was to evaluate the effect of selection for decreased RFI on feeding behavior traits and to estimate their relationships with RFI. Three data sets from the 4th and 5th generations of a selection experiment with a line selected for reduced RFI (LRFI) and a randomly selected control line (CTRL) were analyzed. Lines were mixed in pens of 16 and evaluated for feeding behavior traits obtained from a single-space electronic feeder over a growing period of ~3 mo before ~115 kg. The following traits were evaluated as averages over the entire test period and over the first and second half of the test period: number of visits per day and hour; occupation time per day, visit, and hour; feed intake (FI) per day, visit, and hour; and FI rate per visit. Models used included fixed effects of line and feeder, covariates of on-test age and FI per day, and random effects of pen, on-test group, sire, and litter. Repeated measures models were used to analyze feeding patterns during the day. The LRFI pigs had significantly less FI per day than CTRL pigs for all 3 data sets. With adjustment for FI per day, line differences of all traits were in the same direction for all 3 data sets but differed in significance and size. Feed intake per visit and hour and visits per day and hour did not differ between lines, but the trend was for LRFI pigs to have fewer visits, in particular during peak eating times. The LRFI pigs had a greater feeding rate and less occupation time per day, visit, and hour than CTRL pigs, but this was not significant for all data sets. Correlations of RFI with FI per day and visit and visits per day were positive. Average daily gain was positively correlated with FI per day and visit and occupation time per visit but negatively correlated with visits per day. Feed intake per day was positively correlated with backfat. In conclusion, feed efficiency may be affected by FI behavior because selection for decreased RFI has resulted in pigs that spend less time eating and eat faster.     

Competition for Total Mixed Diets Fed Restrictively Using One or Four Cows per Feeding Station

A study was made of feed intake, behaviour and production in 16 dairy cows with one and four cows per feeding station (treatment 1c and 4c, respectively) with a restricted amount of a total mixed diet. The computerized feeding stations comprised continuously weighed feed-troughs placed at feeding gates. The cows were divided in two groups and were studied in a change-over experiment in which each group was submitted to each treatment twice. Video recordings and the computerized feeding system were used to collect data on the order of social dominance, aggression levels, time budgets and the consumption of feed and water. The effects of individual dominance value (DV), age, eating rate and energy requirements were recorded on ingestive behaviour. The cows on treatment 4c visited the feeding stations more often (106% more visits and 76% more meals) and shortened their feeding times by 50%, resulting in higher consumption rates compared with treatment 1c. In addition, aggression increased, resulting in a greater number of displacements at feeding. It is concluded that the investigated combination of competition for feeding space and restricted amounts of feed cannot be recommended.     

'Looking up' behavior in the holding area of the milking parlor: its relationship with step-kick, flight responses and productivity of commercial dairy cows

Commercial dairy cows milked in a parlor system are packed close together in the holding area before milking. The present study examined the relationships of ‘looking up’ behavior with some other behaviors and the productivity of 1116–1153 cows from five farms. The individual identities of the cows looking up in the holding area were recorded at 5 min intervals during six intermittent afternoon milking sessions. Entrance into the milking parlor and the numbers of steps and kicks by cows while the milking person was attaching the milking cups, were recorded in six milking sessions. Flight responses in the pasture after milking were recorded over four days intermittently. The frequency of ‘looking up’ behavior weakly, but significantly correlated with flight starting distance (r = 0.10, P < 0.05), while the correlation with the number of step‐kicks during milking was not significant. As for productivity, lactation number (r = ?0.18, P < 0.001), milk yield (r = ?0.15, P < 0.001) and fat content (r = ?0.15, P < 0.001) were negatively correlated with the frequency of ‘looking up’ behavior. Age of cows was correlated with the frequency of ‘looking up’ behavior as well as lactation number (r = ?0.21, P < 0.001). Entrance order was positively correlated with the frequency of ‘looking up’ behavior (r = 0.15, P < 0.001). The ‘looking up’ behavior was observed more frequently in cows in their third or less lactation compared with cows which were in their fourth or greater lactation (P < 0.05). The lactation number of cows was correlated with their milk yield (r = 0.36, P < 0.001) and flight starting distance (r = ?0.21, P < 0.001). In conclusion, ‘looking up’ behavior shown by cows in the holding area before milking might be an indicator of low motivation for milking, mainly because of fear of humans, and an aversion to milking caused by insufficient experience in being milked.     

Estimate of digestibility in dairy cows using an indicator method in comparison to the Hohenheimer feed value test

In order to measure the digestibility of feed with an indicator method two trials were realized on the dairy research farm "Karkendamm". The first trial was to test the suitability of TiO2 as an indicator to determine the digestibility in cows. The rate of recovery of the indicator was 98.8% (95.5%-101.9%). The concentration of TiO2 of the rectal samples in the morning (daily or every second day) corresponded very well with the values from total faeces collection. The samples taken in the evening showed lower concentrations. The estimation of digestibility of organic matter led to the same values with the total collection or the indicator method with morning samples. The digestibility derived from evening samples were 1.7-2.3%-units digestibility derived from evening samples were 1.7-2.3%-units lower in comparison to total collection. In the second trial the digestibility derived from the in vitro method "Hohenheimer-Futterwert-Test" and from a digestion trial with 30 cows using the indicator method were compared. The digestibility calculated from the date of the in vivo trial was 9.9%-units lower than the one from the "Hohenheimer-Futterwert-Test". The depression of digestibility was due to the variation in concentrate feeding between cows. If the cows got less than 8 kg concentrates the depression in digestibility was 1.9% when increasing the level of feeding one unit of maintenance requirement. If the cows got more than 8 kg concentrates the depression was 3.1%-units. It could be concluded that the "Hohenheimer-Futterwert-Test" underestimates the digestibility if the level of feeding is increased to a certain extent.