Lactation responses of dairy cattle to concentrate feeding in the humid tropics.

Ten second lactation cows in late lactation were used in a 219 to 229 day trial to determine the influence of level of concentrate feeding on milk yield in the presence of abundant forage. Five cows were fed on a 2:1 (HH) milk-concentrate ratio throughout the trial while the other 5 were on a 4:1 (LL) milk-concentration ratio. Average daily milk production (kg/cow) were 14.6 and 13.1 for the HH and LL groups respectively; differences between means were non-significant (P = 0.05). The mean butterfat content was 3.5% for both treatments. Significant differences in the efficiency of milk prodution favouring low concentrate feeding were observed. It was concluded that where forage is abundant and of fairly good quality (about 9% crude protein) only minimal concentrate feeding is required for dairy cows in late lactation.