The Effect of Concentrate Supplementation on Nutrient Flow to the Omasum in Dairy Cows Receiving Freshly Cut Grass

An experiment was carried out to determine the effect of increasing the amount of grain-based concentrate (0, 3, or 6 kg/d) on nutrient flow to the omasum, rumen fermentation pattern, milk yield, and nutrient use of dairy cows. Harvested timothy-meadow fescue grass was fed individually 3 times daily to 6 rumen-cannulated Holstein-Friesian cows in a duplicated 3 × 3 Latin square experiment. Grass was offered as 6 equal meals daily, and concentrates were fed as 2 equal meals daily. Nitrogen, microbial N, and neutral detergent fiber (NDF) flow from the rumen were measured using an omasal sampling technique in combination with a triple marker method [CoEDTA, Yb, and indigestible NDF (INDF) as markers]. Concentrate supplementation linearly decreased ruminal pH, N degradability, ammonia N concentration, and molar proportion of acetate and increased the molar proportion of butyrate. Supplementation of grass with concentrates linearly increased dry matter intake (DMI), microbial N synthesis, N, and NDF flow to the omasum, and ruminal and total tract NDF digestibility decreased linearly. Decreases in NDF digestibility in response to concentrates was primarily related to a decrease in the rate of digestion. Increased DMI overcame the negative effects of concentrate on NDF digestion, resulting in a linear increase in total metabolizable energy intake and milk production. Physical constraints were found not to limit grass DMI. Concentrate supplementation increased the apparent use of dietary N for milk production because of a reduction in N intake, rather than thorough improvements in N capture in the rumen.