Use of urea by early postpartum Holstein cows

Thirty-nine lactating Holstein cows were fed high-energy complete rations ad libitum with crude protein: 1) 11.7% (negative control); 2) 13.9% (1% urea); 3) 16.6% (1% urea); or 4) 16.6% (positive control) in a continuous 12-wk study beginning at wk 5 postpartum. Milk production of 27.7, 31.8, 34.0, and 30.4 kg/day showed the use of urea nitrogen by groups 2 and probably 3. Two digestion-nitrogen balance trials with each cow also provided evidence that urea nitrogen was used for milk secretion. Energy digestibility averaged 59.4, 64.2, 65.4, and 65.8; and lower for the negative control diet. Nitrogen solubility in the diets was 28, 36, 32, and 21%, which reflects the objective of selecting ingredients with low nitrogen solubility for use in urea diets. Concentrations of ammonia nitrogen before and after feeding were 1.1, 3.3, 3.5, 4.2, and 2.2, 11.2, 11.9, and 9.3 mg/100 ml of rumen fluid. The prefeeding amounts were probably too low for maximum microbial growth. Urea-nitrogen concentrations in plasma were 8.65, 10.32, 18.00, and 17.03 mg/100 ml. These results lend support to the postulate that lactating cows in early lactation can use urea nitrogen when high-energy complete rations with ingredients of low nitrogen solubility are fed ad libitum.