Lactation response of dairy cows receiving bovine somatotropin via daily injections or in a sustained-release vehicle

Three experiments were conducted to characterize metabolic and milk production responses of dairy cows receiving recombinantly derived bovine somatotropin administered either by daily injection or in a sustained-release vehicle. In Experiment 1, somatotropin (25 mg/d) purified by two methods was given by daily injection for 14 d and resulted in 3.5 and 3.8 kg/d more milk than controls. Percentages of fat and total solids in milk were also increased by somatotropin. Eleven hematology indices and 12 metabolites, minerals, and enzyme activities in serum were unaffected by somatotropin. In Experiments 2 and 3, somatotropin was administered in a sustained-release vehicle during an 84-d treatment period. In Experiment 2, administration of 960 mg of somatotropin at 28-d intervals increased milk and SCM yields by 4.1 and 3.3 kg/d compared with yields of controls. There were no significant differences in other production parameters. In Experiment 3, 320, 640, and 960 mg somatotropin were each administered in the sustained-release vehicle at intervals of 14, 21, and 28 d. An uninjected group served as control. Cows receiving somatotropin averaged 3.5 to 5.9 kg/d more milk than controls across all injection intervals. Among doses, milk yield was greater at 960 mg than at 320 or 640 mg. There were no significant differences in milk or SCM among injection groups. These experiments demonstrate the comparable efficacy of somatotropin when given by daily injections or in a sustained-release vehicle.