A field study on the effects of dietary monensin on milk production and milk composition in dairy cows |
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| Authors: | Jocelyn Dubuc Denis DuTremblay Jean Baril Randy Bagg Marcel Brodeur Todd Duffield Luc DesC?teaux |
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| Institution: | Département de sciences cliniques, Faculté de médecine vétérinaire, Université de Montréal, C.P. 5000, Saint-Hyacinthe, Québec J2S 7C6 (Dubuc, DuTremblay, Brodeur, DesCôteaux); Elanco Animal Health, 150 Research Lane, Suite 120, Guelph, Ontario N1G 4T2 (Baril, Bagg); Department of Population Medicine, Ontario Veterinary College, University of Guelph, Guelph, Ontario N1G 2W1 (Duffield) |
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| Abstract: | The objectives of this study were to quantify the effect of 16 ppm of dietary monensin on milk production and composition of dairy cows, and to investigate factors having a potential impact on this effect. Data were generated from a total of 3577 Holstein dairy cows (47 herds) in Quebec enrolled in a herd-level, randomized clinical trial investigating the effects of monensin supplementation. Milk production and composition data were collected from monthly dairy herd improvement (DHI) testing. Monensin increased milk production by 0.9 kg/cow/d in cows under 150 days in milk (DIM) (P < 0.05). Monensin decreased milk fat percentage by 0.18 percentage points during the whole lactation (P < 0.05). This decreasing effect was larger for component-fed cows (P < 0.05) and for cows being fed low levels of dietary physically effective particles (P < 0.05) when compared respectively to cows fed total mixed ration and cows fed high levels of dietary physically effective particles. The results of this study suggest that monensin influences milk production and milk composition of dairy cows, and that diet composition and feeding system influence those effects. |
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