Effect of Feeding Frequency of a Total Mixed Ration on the Performance of High-Yielding Dairy Cows

Forty Finnish Ayrshire cows, 16 primiparous and 24 multiparous, were randomly assigned to 1 of 2 treatments (FF1 or FF5). Total mixed ration (TMR) was fed once a day on the FF1 treatment and 5 times a day on the FF5 treatment. The experiment began at calving and continued to wk 28 of lactation. The TMR consisted of a grass silage and concentrate mix. The amount of concentrate in the TMR was 51% on a DM basis. The feeding frequency had no effect on milk or energy-corrected milk yields or on milk composition. The average energy-corrected milk yield was 32.8 kg/d on the FF1 treatment and 32.5 kg/d on the FF5 treatment. The less frequent feeding increased the dry matter intake (DMI) of cows. The average DMI during the experiment was 20.9 kg/d on the FF1 treatment and 19.9 kg/d on the FF5 treatment. The difference in DMI was due to the differences in DMI of the mature cows. Energy and protein conversion tended to be lower with feeding once a day compared with feeding 5 times a day. The cows’ feeding behavior was also observed. Cows fed 5 times a day tended to eat quite evenly after each delivery, whereas on the FF1 treatment there were 2 clear feeding peaks in the evening after the feed delivery. The time spent eating during the observation period was longer on FF5 than on FF1. The cows fed once a day spent more time lying than the cows fed 5 times a day. Based on the observations of feeding behavior, feeding a TMR 5 times a day seemed to be too frequent based on the increased restlessness and decreased lying time of the cows.