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Protein requirements for pregnant dairy cows
M I Marcondes1, F P Provazi2, T Silvestre1
1Department of Animal Sciences, Washington State University, Pullman, WA 99164.
Journal of Dairy Science
|September 7, 2023
Summary
This study determined the protein requirements for pregnant dairy cows, establishing values for maintenance, growth, and gestation. The findings suggest an exponential model for accurately predicting protein needs during pregnancy in cows.
Area of Science:
- Animal Science
- Dairy Nutrition
- Reproductive Physiology
Background:
- Accurate estimation of protein requirements is crucial for optimizing dairy cow health and productivity during gestation.
- Existing models may not fully capture the dynamic changes in protein metabolism during pregnancy.
Purpose of the Study:
- To estimate the metabolizable protein (MP) requirements for maintenance (MPm), growth (NPg), and gestation (NPgest) in pregnant Holstein × Gyr cows.
- To determine the efficiency of metabolizable protein utilization for growth (kg) and gestation (kgest).
- To propose a model for predicting protein requirements throughout gestation.
Main Methods:
- Utilized data from 61 Holstein × Gyr cows (pregnant, nonpregnant, and baseline) to determine maintenance and growth requirements.
- Employed linear regression and allometric equations to estimate MPm and NPg.
- Applied an exponential model to quantify protein accumulation during gestation (NPgest) and calculated kgest via an iterative method.
- Estimated metabolizable protein intake (MPI) by combining microbial protein synthesis and digestible rumen undegradable protein.
Main Results:
- Metabolizable protein for maintenance (MPm) was estimated at 3.88 g EBW^0.75/d.
- Net protein for gain (NPg) was calculated using the equation: NPg = 0.716 × (EBWopen^-0.308) × EBGc, with an efficiency of use (k) of 0.347.
- Net protein for gestation (NPgest) followed an exponential pattern: NPgest (g/d) = 0.0008722 × exp^(0.01784 × GD) × (calf weight/35), with kgest = 0.625.
Conclusions:
- The study provides specific values for the protein requirements of pregnant dairy cows, differentiating between maintenance, growth, and gestational needs.
- An exponential model is recommended for describing protein requirements during pregnancy due to the pattern of protein accumulation in gestational components.
- Further research is needed to validate the results and the proposed methodology, particularly regarding the estimation of microbial protein for practical application.
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