Effects of ruminally inert fat and evaporative cooling on dairy cows in hot environmental temperatures

Under hot summer conditions of Tucson, Arizona, 24 Holstein cows (mean = 80 d of lactation) were assigned for 56 d to four treatments in a randomized block design with a 2 x 2 factorial arrangement of treatments. Factors were 1) medium [4.6% of dry matter (DM)] versus high (7.4% of DM) amounts of dietary fat and 2) corral shade only versus shade equipped with evaporative cooling. The high fat diet contained 3% prilled fatty acids. The efficiency of the conversion of feed to milk tended to be better for cows fed prilled fat than for cows fed medium dietary fat, but other lactation measurements were unaffected. Cows with access to evaporative cooling had greater milk yields than did cows with access to shade only. Prilled fatty acids did not depress the percentage of milk protein, but reduced short- and medium-chain fatty acids (C6:0 to C14:0) in milk fat and increased palmitic acid. Digestibilities of DM, organic matter, crude protein, acid detergent fiber, neutral detergent fiber, and starch were unaffected by amount of fat or by cooling method, but prilled fatty acids tended to decrease apparent digestibility of fatty acids. No differences were observed among treatments in respiration rates or rectal temperatures. When rectal temperatures were determined, cows were crowded, which probably negated detection of an effect of evaporative cooling. Evaporative cooling increased milk yield of cows in hot weather, but the addition of 3% fatty acids did not increase yield, and no interactions were observed.