Effects of bovine somatotropin on milk yield and composition in Holstein cows in advanced lactation fed low- or high-energy diets

The objective of this study was to evaluate the response of Holstein cows to bovine somatotropin (bST) during advanced lactation and its relationship to energy intake. Twenty-four lactating Holstein cows averaging 21 kg of milk/d, and 292 d in milk were assigned to one of three treatment groups in a randomized block design. Blocks were based on the 14 d of pretreatment milk production, and treatment groups were balanced for days in milk. Treatment 1 was a low-energy diet (1.49 Mcal/kg of dry matter) without bST injection; treatment 2 was the low-energy diet plus injection of 500 mg of bST every 14 d; and treatment 3 was a high-energy diet (1.71 Mcal/kg of dry matter) with bST injections as in treatment 2. Treatment was divided into two periods (1 to 49 and 50 to 98 d) to determine if response to bST and energy changed with time on treatment. Results showed that bST significantly (P < 0.05) increased milk, fat-corrected milk, and fat and protein yields; and feed efficiency (fat-corrected milk per dry matter intake) for both periods. Milk yield responses to bST were greater for cows fed the low-than the high-energy diet in both periods. These data show that bST injections for cows in advanced lactation increased performance, but excessive energy diminished the bST response.     

Southeastern pasture-based dairy systems: housing,posilac, and supplemental silage effects on cow performance

This experiment tested performance and physiological responses to evaporative cooling, bovine somatotropin (bST), and supplemental silage of lactating cows grazing bermudagrass (Tifton 85; Cynodon dactylon x C. nlemfuensis cv.) pastures. Multiparous (n = 32) cows (196 d in milk) were assigned one of five treatments arranged in two replicates. Treatments were 1) cows maintained continuously on pasture with access to shade, 2) treatment 1 + bST, 3) night housing on pasture, then free-stall housing with fans and misters from 0730 to 1630 h, 4) treatment 3 + bST, and 5) treatment 4 + corn silage fed at 0.5% of body weight (dry matter basis) in the barn. A grain supplement was fed at a rate of 0.5 kg/kg of milk produced. Time spent grazing ranged from 4 to 7.2 h/d, with cows fed corn silage spending the least amount of time. Cows given bST grazed 45 min/d longer than controls, but intake of bermudagrass was unchanged. Intake of bermudagrass ranged from 7.4 to 9.5 kg/d of organic matter, with the lowest intake by cows fed corn silage. With the exception of cows fed corn silage, cows kept in a cooling barn during the day ate equivalent amounts of pasture as those given unlimited access to pasture. Production of 4% fat-corrected milk was greater by cows injected with bST (17.7 vs. 15.8 kg/d) compared with controls and tended to be greater for cows given daytime cooling compared with cows on pasture continuously (17.2 vs. 16.3 kg/d). Cows provided evaporative cooling did not lose weight compared with continually pastured cows (6.3 vs. -10.9 kg/24 d). Cows injected with bST compared with controls maintained their body weight better (2.5 vs. -7.1 kg/24 d). Cows given bST had increased concentration of plasma insulin-like growth factor-I (142 vs. 89 ng/ml), insulin (0.60 vs. 0.56 ng/ml), and nonesterified fatty acids (318 vs. 239 mEq/L). Cows given bST and those continually on pasture had greater diurnal body temperatures. Use of barn cooling systems and bST treatments as management tools provided limited improvement in performance of midlactation cows managed in pasture-based systems.     

Lactational response of Jersey cows to bovine somatotropin administered daily or in a sustained-release formulation.

Twenty-four Jersey cows were administered either 0 or 15.5 mg of bST/d or 310 mg of bST/14 d to determine the effect on milk yield, milk composition, feed intake, and body weight. Administration of bST was from wk 14 through 42 postpartum. Cows were housed in a tie-stall barn and fed for ad libitum intake a TMR adjusted to one of two energy protein densities according to milk yield. Milk yield of cows administered bST daily or by sustained-released vehicle increased 27.6 and 24.7%, respectively, over that of control cows; FCM increased by 30.3 and 26.7%. Percentages of fat and protein in milk were unaffected by bST treatment. Dry matter intake of cows administered bST was greater than that of control cows, whether expressed as kilograms per day or as a percentage of body weight. Apparent efficiency of yield increased in cows administered bST. No significant change in body weight occurred; however, cows administered bST had lower body condition scores at 42 wk postpartum. This trial demonstrated comparable effects of bST on lactational performance when administered daily or in a 14-d sustained-release vehicle.     

Influence of bovine somatotropin on the composition and manufacturing properties of milk.

Three studies (84, 140, and 200 d) were performed to examine the effect of injecting dairy cows with various doses (0, 320, 640, or 960 mg/28 d; 0 or 640 mg/28 d; 0, 320 mg/14 d, or 320 or 640 mg/28 d) of bST on milk production, composition, and manufacturing properties. Mean bST response among studies on milk production varied from 0 (trial 1) to 7.3% (trial 2) and from 8.5 to 14.2% (trial 3) in relation to feeding conditions. Neither milk fat nor protein percentages in milk at time of maximum response were affected by the use of bST. Distribution of casein and protein in the whey was not affected by the treatments at any time. The nature of fatty acids varied more with time after injection than with bST doses. Neither coagulation time, standard curd firmness, nor soft or pressed cheese yields were affected by the treatments.     

Effect of a prolonged-release formation of N-methionyl bovine somatotropin (sometribove) on milk composition.

Forty Holstein cows received bi-weekly injections of prolonged-release formulation of bST, and 39 received bi-weekly injections of excipient, in a study to evaluate the effects of long-term bST administration on milk composition and component production. Injections began at 60 +/- 3 d postpartum. Administration of bST increased production of milk and of all measured components. Concentrations of lactose (4.85 and 4.81%), fat (3.76 and 3.67%), total solids (12.57 and 12.44%), SNF (8.83 and 8.75%), casein (2.56 and 2.53%), and true protein (3.13 and 3.08%) were similar in milks from cows receiving bST and excipient, respectively. Percentages of NPN (times 6.38) and total protein were greater in milk from bST-treated cows (.179% NPN and 3.32% total protein) compared with milk from cows injected with excipient (.172% NPN and 3.24% total protein). Use of bST did not change the relative percentages of alpha s-casein, beta-casein, kappa-casein, beta-lactoglobulin, alpha-lactalbumin, or casein proteolysis products. A cyclical pattern of milk production, component production, and composition within each 14-d injection interval was observed. This suggests that a diminishing amount of bST was delivered during the latter third of each injection interval. There were no effects of bST on milk composition that would be of any practical significance to dairy product manufacturers or consumers.     

Influence of bovine somatotropin and nutrition on production and composition of milk from dairy cows.

Forty-eight multiparous Holstein cows were used in an experiment with a 2 x 2 factorial arrangement of treatments to study interactions of bST and nutrient density during wk 5 through 20 postpartum. Main effects were bST (0 or 10.3 mg/d) and diet (control or high protein and energy). The control diet was formulated to contain 16.3% CP and 1.65 Mcal of NEL/kg of DM; the high protein and energy diet was formulated to contain 18% CP and 1.74 Mcal of NEL/kg of DM with additional energy as fat from extruded soybeans and calcium salts of fatty acids. Diet ratios were 50:25:25 for concentrate:alfalfa hay:corn silage (DM basis). Bovine somatotropin increased milk production (40.9 vs. 37.9 kg/d) and production of 4% FCM (35.7 vs. 32.3 kg/d). The high protein and energy diet increased milk production (40.3 vs. 38.5 kg/d); 4% FCM production was higher for high protein and energy plus bST (36.0 kg) than without bST (33.6 kg). Percentage of milk fat was not affected by treatment. Percentage of milk protein was reduced with the high protein and energy diet, presumably because of the added fat, but this reduction was less with high protein and energy plus bST. Dry matter intake was not significantly elevated by bST (23.1 vs. 22.8 kg/d) but was lower for high protein and energy (22.0 vs. 23.8 kg/d). Increased dietary protein and energy with bST augmented the total milk production response.     

Lactational responses of dairy cows fed unsaturated dietary fat and receiving bovine somatotropin.

Feeding unsaturated dietary fat to lactating dairy cows receiving bST may effectively alter the fatty acid composition of milk fat. This was tested using 16 Holstein cows assigned to one of four treatments during midlactation. Treatments were control, control diet with 15.5 mg of bST/d per cow, dietary fat from sunflower seeds and bST, or dietary fat from safflower seeds and bST. Diets were formulated to contain 19% CP and contained 25% corn silage, 25% alfalfa hay, and 50% concentrate mix on a DM basis. Milk yield was not significantly higher when bST was administered and increased with added fat diets (29.5, 32.7, 40.0, and 34.1 kg/d for the control, control with bST, sunflower seed with bST, and safflower seed with bST treatments, respectively). Percentage of milk fat was similar for all treatments. Concentrations of long-chain and unsaturated fatty acids in milk were increased slightly by bST and substantially with added fat. Milk protein percentages were not influenced by bST but were reduced by approximately .2 unit with added fat. Added unsaturated dietary fat coupled with bST increased milk yield and produced a greater concentration of unsaturated fatty acids in milk.     

Administration of bovine somatotropin in early lactation: a meta-analysis of production responses by multiparous Holstein cows

A meta-analysis was conducted to assess production responses before 90 d in milk (DIM) when bovine somatotropin (bST) administration was initiated between 5 and 35 DIM. The database was developed from 13 studies of multiparous cows that were published between 1985 and 2006 and from an unpublished study that complied with the study selection criteria. The database included results from 842 cows and provided 50 treatment means for the effect of bST on 3.5% fat-corrected milk (FCM) in early lactation. Effects of bST were investigated using mixed model procedures that included fixed (intercept and slope) and random (intercept and slope) effects for independent variables. Yields of milk (38.6 ± 1.3 kg/d) and FCM (37.6 ± 1.6 kg/d) by control cows before 90 DIM were increased by 2.6 ± 0.8 and 3.2 ± 0.6 kg/d by bST administration. Fat content in milk from bST-treated cows was 0.31 ± 0.10 percentage units greater than that from control cows (3.46 ± 0.13%) but milk protein content (2.95 ± 0.03%) was not altered by bST. Milk fat (1.39 ± 0.10 kg/d) and protein (1.15 ± 0.04 kg/d) yields by controls were increased 0.16 ± 0.03 and 0.07 ± 0.03 kg/d by bST, respectively. Dry matter intake and body weight loss were not altered by bST before 90 DIM, but duration of negative energy balance was prolonged and overall energy balance during this interval reduced when cows were treated with bST. Results are consistent with the premise that bST-treated cows partition nutrients and energy toward milk synthesis for a longer duration and thus likely need a longer interval to replenish their body reserves than cows not treated with bST. Production responses to bST were not altered when cows consumed typical early-lactation diets supplemented with fat except that supplemental fat tended to decrease the magnitude of the effect of bST on milk fat content and decreased the effect of bST on fat and protein yield. Yield of FCM increased curvilinearly with the amount of bST administered. Results indicate that initiation of bST administration to cows before 35 DIM increased FCM yield but the response was at the low end of that typically observed when bST administration is initiated in wk 9 of lactation.     

Effects of somatotropin and dietary calcium soaps of fatty acids in early lactation on milk production, dry matter intake, and energy balance of high-yielding dairy cows

We allocated 39 high-yielding individually fed cows to three treatments: control, calcium soaps of fatty acids (CSFA) fed at 2.2% dry matter, and 500 mg of Zn-sometribove (bST) injected every 14 d from 10 to 150 d in milk (DIM). Production of fat corrected milk was increased by 3.0 kg/d in the CSFA group and by 5.4 kg/d in the bST group. Energy balance was negative during the first 28 to 34 DIM in control and CSFA cows and during 59 DIM in bST-treated cows; minimum body weight, minimum body condition score, and DMI peak were reached 25-28 d later in the bST group. Dry matter intake (DMI) was significantly increased by bST, and during the first 3 wk of treatment the increase in DMI of the bST cows was 46% more than that of the controls. DMI was significantly correlated throughout the experimental periods with calculated energy expenditure in the control and CSFA groups, but only during 54 DIM in the bST group. Furthermore, commencement of the DMI decrease was correlated with the beginning of the decrease in milk production. Gross feed efficiency was significantly higher in the bST group than in the other groups. We concluded that treating high-yielding cows with bST early in lactation increased milk production at the expense of an extensive period of negative energy balance and body weight and body condition decreases despite an increase in DMI after bST treatment.     

Effect of a prolonged-release formulation of N-methionyl bovine somatotropin (sometribove) on milk fat.

Nine Holstein cows were injected bi-weekly with a prolonged-release formulation of N-methionyl bST, and 9 cows were injected with excipient. Intramuscular injections began at 60 +/- 3 d postpartum and continued at 14-d intervals for the full lactation. Administration of bST increased production of milk, total fat, and all milk fat components measured. Average fatty acid composition of milk fat was not influenced by bST treatment. Stage of lactation had a large influence on production and percentage of individual fatty acids in milk fat from both bST-treated and control cows. The stage of lactation impact on the fatty acid composition of milk fat reflected changes in the relative contributions of body fat mobilization and de novo synthesis of milk fat components in response to changes in energy balance. Initiation of bST treatment caused some transient changes in milk fatty acid composition that were related to energy balance. These changes were small compared with the normal changes because of stage of lactation in all cows. Phospholipid and cholesterol content of milk also changed with stage of lactation but were not influenced by bST treatment. Melting properties of milk fat were influenced greatly by stage of lactation. Bovine somatotropin did not cause any changes in composition or physical properties of milk fat that were outside the range of normal variation.     

Lactational evaluation of recombinant bovine somatotropin with corn and barley diets

Forty-eight Holstein cows were randomly assigned to receive diets containing corn or barley as the primary energy concentrate from wk 4 through 44 postpartum. During wk 14, cows from each grain source group were randomly assigned to receive 0 (control), 10.3, 20.6, and 30.9 mg/cow per d of recombinant bST injected wk 15 through 44 postpartum. Grain source exerted no significant effect on production parameters and efficacy of bST, although milk production tended to be higher with corn diets. Milk production (24.2, 29.2, 31.7, and 29.5 kg/d) and 4% FCM (21.9, 26.2, 28.1, and 28.0 kg/d) were higher for cows injected with bST, and DM intakes (20.9, 22.8, 22.0, and 23.3 kg/d) increased slightly. Percentages of milk fat (3.47, 3.28, 3.39, and 3.52) and protein (3.48, 3.44, 3.44, and 3.38) varied. Lactose, SCC, and body weights were similar for bST and dietary treatments. Diet or bST had no detectable affect on health or reproduction. Injection of bST wk 15 through 44 increased milk production 21 to 31% relative to control animals. Limiting bST use to the latter two-thirds of lactation resulted in an 8 to 17% increase in total yield with only a 0 to 5% increase in lactational DM intake.     

Evaporative tunnel cooling of dairy cows in the southeast. II: impact on lactation performance

Heat stress has a dramatic impact on the dairy industry, reducing production and profitability throughout the southeastern United States. In many regions, management techniques can be used to mitigate the effects of heat stress, but available cooling technologies are often overwhelmed by the conditions of chronic heat stress present in southeastern United States. Although combining tunnel ventilation and evaporative cooling (evaporative tunnel cooling) seems to provide superior cooling for dairy cows, there is a dearth of reports on the impact of this technology on milk production. A model evaporative tunnel cooling facility in northern Mississippi was studied using 2 groups of 10 lactating Holstein cows housed in the tunnel barn and 2 groups of 10 matched herdmates housed in an adjacent naturally ventilated free-stall barn. Two 10-wk trials were performed in 2 yr beginning June 25, 2001, and May 26, 2003, in which cows housed outside were cooled by traditional fans and shade alone (2003) or with sprinklers (2001). In both years, the use of evaporative tunnel cooling decreased exposure to conditions of moderate heat stress by 84%. Cows cooled by evaporative tunnel ventilation increased feed intake by 12 and 11% over cows housed outside in 2001 and 2003, respectively. Evaporative tunnel cooling had no effect on milk composition, but increased milk yield over the 10-wk trial by 2.6 ± 0.27 and 2.8 ± 0.19 kg/cow per day in 2001 and 2003, respectively. In addition, somatic cell count was decreased 27 to 49% by evaporative tunnel cooling. Thus, under the range of environmental conditions present, evaporative tunnel cooling reliably reduced exposure to conditions of heat stress and improved milk production of lactating dairy cows during the summer season.     

Physiological, productive, and economic benefits of shade, spray, and fan system versus shade for Holstein cows during summer heat

During the 1984 summer, effects of spray and fan in freestall areas and feeding areas on milk yield, plasma growth hormone and prolactin, freestall utilization, and economic significance for Holstein cows were studied. Weekly milk and rectal temperatures at morning and afternoon milkings were higher for cows in shade than in shade with spray and fan cooling. Compared with rectal temperature, milk temperature measured in the clawpiece provided a more reliable indicator of heat stress than in the milk meter. Diurnal pattern of rectal temperature from 4-h measurements showed an average of 12 h in which maximal rectal temperatures of cows in shade were greater than 39 degrees C, but cows in the shade plus spray plus fan group had rectal temperatures below 39 degrees C all day. Plasma growth hormone was higher and prolactin lower for cows in shade plus spray and fan than cows in shade only. Cows cooled with spray and fan under shade produced 2 kg/cow per d more than cows in shade alone. Economic analysis showed a net income of 22 cents/cow per day for spray plus fan under shade. Results suggest that milk temperature is a practical technique to assess heat stress in dairy cattle, and the use of spray plus fan is a profitable means to maximize cow comfort and lessen stress-induced decline in milk production.     

Bias in genetic evaluations by records of cows treated with bovine somatotropin

Records from Dairy Records Management Systems in Raleigh were used to estimate effects of bovine somatotropin (bST) treatment and to predict breeding values for milk production traits. The data comprised 5245 test-day records of bST-treated cows and 126,223 test-day records of untreated cows in first lactation for milk, fat, and protein yields. Fixed effects of bST treatment were estimated from test-day animal models with herd-test-date as another fixed factor. Percentage increases due to bST treatment ranged from 7 to 8% for test-day milk, fat, and protein yields. Random regression coefficients for additive genetic and permanent environmental effects were included in the model. To assess the potential for bias in genetic evaluations when some and not all cows are treated with bST, breeding values predicted by the test-day model with and without effects of bST treatment were compared for cows and sires. Correlations between breeding values predicted from models with and without effects of bST treatment were 0.99. However, relatively large bias was found for individual animals. This result suggests that bias in genetic evaluation caused by ignoring bST treatment may be significant.     

Effect of dietary energy and previous bovine somatotropin on milk yield, mastitis, and reproduction in dairy cows.

Thirty multiparous lactating Holstein cows were blocked according to time of calving and assigned to a 2 x 3 factorial arrangement of treatments in a randomized complete block design to evaluate the effects of two dietary energy concentrations either without or with bST (20.6 mg/d per cow) administered to cows that had not or had received bST during the preceding lactation. Subcutaneous injection of bST began 28 to 35 d postpartum and continued for 39 wk. The dietary energy concentration x bST interaction was not significant for any response variable. Compared with DMI of control cows, DMI was higher for cows receiving bST, being 1.6 and 2.4 kg/d higher for cows receiving bST for one and two lactations, respectively. Milk, fat, and protein yields were higher for cows receiving bST than for controls. Those receiving bST for a second lactation also produced more milk than controls until wk 20; thereafter, milk yields were similar to those of controls. Somatotropin administration had no adverse effect on udder health. Cows receiving bST tended to ovulate less regularly than controls, which may be attributed to their higher milk yield. However, BW gains during lactation were similar for all treatments, indicating that bST-treated cows built energy reserves for the subsequent lactation. Although energy concentrations of the diets had no significant impact on yield, the higher energy diet tended to depress milk fat concentration. Administration of bST to dairy cows for a second, consecutive lactation yielded responses similar for the first 20 wk of the study to those receiving bST for the first time. However, after wk 20, milk yield was less than that by cows receiving bST for the first lactation but similar to that of control cows.     

Slow release somatotropin in dairy heifers and cows fed two levels of energy concentrate. 1. Performance and body condition.

Fifty-two Holstein dairy cows (27 primiparous) were used in a 2 x 2 factorial design during wk 9 to 39 of lactation to assess the effects of slow release recombinant bST (500 mg injected at 14-d intervals) and the effects of the level of energy concentrate in the diet on dairy performance. After a winter period, cows were turned out to pasture at wk 24 of lactation. During winter, cows given low concentrate (2.5 vs. 5.4 kg DM/d) ate significantly more corn silage (13.9 vs. 11.9 kg DM/d), so that treatment had no significant effect on any measured parameter. The milk yield of bST-supplemented cows increased by 2.1 kg/d (11.0%) throughout the total experimental period. The response did not differ according to parity. Milk fat content and SCC were not altered, but milk protein was lower (.8 g/kg) from cows receiving bST during winter, and lactose increased (.5 g/kg). Lactation curves of bST-supplemented cows showed a cyclic response in milk production. Gross efficiency of milk yield was improved (.18 units) by bST administration without change in diet digestibility. No difference due to bST was found in the health or reproduction of cows. Live weight change did not differ among the groups. Multiparous cows gained body condition (bST-supplemented animals gained less than controls: .1 vs. .7 point on a five-point scale; NS). Control primiparous cows gained body condition (.1 point) but bST-supplemented cows significantly lost body condition (1.4 point).     

Postparturient metabolic and production responses in cows previously exposed to long-term treatment with somatotropin.

Postparturient metabolic and production responses were studied for 85 multiparous cows consisting of controls and animals that had been previously exposed to long-term treatment with bST. Older cows previously exposed to bST at high doses (51.6 mg/d) had lower milk yields than controls. However, there were no significant differences compared with controls in milk yield for lower dose (17.2 mg/d) older cows or parity 2 cow groups. The bST-treated groups had higher postpartum DMI, lower serum FFA, lower serum beta-hydroxybutyrate levels, and higher serum glucose than controls. Some bST-exposed groups had lower milk fat but higher milk protein levels. All bST-treated groups had significantly lower ratios of C18 to C4 to 10 milk fatty acids. Control cows of both parity groups were in higher body condition and weighed more than bST-treated cows prior to calving. The differences in postpartum metabolism may be attributed to differences in body composition resulting from bST treatment in the prior lactation, because use of body condition score prior to calving as a covariate did not substantially alter responses. The control cows probably had greater reserves of mobilizable lipid. These contentions are supported by changes in milk composition for bST-treated cows, which were consistent with animals of greater appetite, mobilizing less lipid. The bST-treated cows were probably more energetically efficient milk producers because they produced milk from feed rather than from mobilization of tissue stores. These data suggest that bST use in a prior lactation may have potential benefit in reducing risk of metabolic disorders associated with lipid mobilization in the postparturient period.     

Effect of fish meal and expeller-processed soybean meal fed to dairy cows receiving bovine somatotropin (sometribove).

Forty-eight multiparous cows were blocked by calving date and milk production and assigned randomly to a TMR formulated to contain 68 or 55% of dietary CP as ruminally degradable CP. Diets contained corn silage, alfalfa haylage, and ground corn. Supplemental CP was soybean meal for the control diet or a combination of soybean meal, expeller-processed soybean meal, and fish meal for the low degradable protein diet. Two 10-wk phases began on d 31 +/- 3 (phase 1) and 110 +/- 7 postpartum [phase 2, all cows received subcutaneous implantations of pelleted (400 mg) bST (sometribove) every 14 d]. Dietary energy, CP, ruminally degradable CP, NDF, and ADF were similar between dietary treatments. Production of FCM increased in response to bST but was not affected by dietary treatment. Cows fed the expeller-processed soybean meal and fish meal TMR produced milk that contained less milk fat in phase 1 and less milk protein content in both phases. The DMI, BW, and body condition scores were not affected by diet. Hematocrit, plasma urea N, albumin, total protein, creatinine, glucose, and serum insulin were similar between dietary treatments. Replacing soybean meal with expeller processed soybean meal and fish meal did not affect ruminal degradation of protein or milk production but decreased milk fat and protein contents.     

Responses by lactating cows in commercial dairy herds to recombinant bovine somatotropin

Cows (890) in 15 US herds were assigned randomly in equal numbers to control or bST injections (500 mg in a prolonged-release form every 14 d for 12 wk) within three stages of lactation (57 to 100, 101 to 140, and 141 to 189 d postpartum) and two parity groups (primiparous and multiparous). Yield and milk composition were monitored 1 d/wk for 16 wk including 2 wk pretreatment and 2 wk posttreatment. Increases in milk and FCM due to bST injections were less at 57 to 100 d than at 101 to 189 d postpartum (milk 3.6 vs. 5.5; FCM 3.9 vs. 6.1 kg/d per cow), and increases in milk and FCM were more for multiparous than for primiparous cows (milk 5.5 vs. 4.2; FCM 6.0 vs. 4.7 kg/d cow). Temporarily, concentration of milk fat increased and protein decreased; later, concentrations for control and injected cows were similar. Postinjection milk fat concentration decreased, but milk protein concentration increased temporarily. The net increase in milk (and FCM) varied significantly among herds from 2.9 to 7.6 kg/d per cow (mean, 4.9 kg). Responses in FCM were similar over a wide range of pretreatment yields. A great variety of feed ingredients were fed as total mixed rations, and nutrient concentrations varied greatly. The SCC were similar before, during, and after treatment, but increase in FCM of injected cows exhibited a negative correlation with pretreatment SCC. Changes in body condition score of sometribove-injected cows varied among herds (.25 to -.45) and averaged -.02 compared with .07 for controls. There was no pattern in incidence of mastitis during sometribove injections.     

Effects of somatotropin and duodenal infusion of amino acids on nutrient passage to duodenum and performance of dairy cows.

Four multiparous Holstein cows were used in a 4 x 4 Latin square to investigate the effects of bST and postruminal infusion of lysine and methionine on ruminal fermentation, flow of nutrients to the small intestine, and animal performance. The treatments were 1) control; 2) control plus 24 g of lysine and 8 g of methionine/d; 3) control plus 25 mg of bST/d; and 4) control plus 25 mg of bST/d plus 24 g of lysine and 8 g of methionine/d. Intakes of DM, OM, CP, starch, NDF, and ADF were similar among treatments. Ruminal characteristics, flow of nutrients to the small intestine, and total tract apparent digestibilities of nutrients were not affected by injection of bST or postruminal infusion of lysine and methionine in this short-term experiment. Milk production, 4% FCM, milk fat percentage and yield, and production of milk CP were increased by administering bST. Postruminal infusion of lysine and methionine did not affect milk production or composition.