COPRA MEAL AS A SUPPLEMENT FOR GRAZING …

1 Proc. Aust. Soc. Anim. Prod. Vol. 18 COPRA MEAL AS A SUPPLEMENTFOR GRAZING dairy EHRLICH*, UPTON**, COWAN* and MOSS* COPRA meal was evaluated as a SUPPLEMENT for dairy cows GRAZING tropical andtemperate Holstein Friesian cowsin early to mid lactationwere given supplements once per day of either nil,3 kg cracked sorghum grain,3 kg COPRA meal or 6 kg COPRA meal over a 12 week consumed all the sorghum SUPPLEMENT but found COPRA meal unpalatable to intakes of COPRA meal averaged and kg/d for cows offered 3and 6 kg daily yieldsaveraged kg/day forunsupplemented cows and kg/d for supplemented cows . COPRA meal increasedthe butterfat content of milk (P< ) and reduced liveweight loss (P< ). Weconclude that COPRA meal can partly replace sorghum grain as a SUPPLEMENT andincrease butterfat !

2 L!IONT here is potential for COPRA meal to be imported from Papua New Guinea and usedas a supplementary feed for cattle in northern Australia. In this environmentpastures grazed by dairy cows have a relatively low energy content, andsubstantial amounts of grainand molasses are fed to increase meal has been shown to be a suitable SUPPLEMENT for cows grazingtropical pastures in Fiji (McIntyre 1973).In this experiment COPRA meal was compared with sorghumfor dairy cows GRAZING tropical and temperate as asupplementMATERIALS AND WETaoDSThe experiment wascarried out on Mutdapilly Research Station in south-eastQueensland (lat. 27O46'S; long- 152 40'E).It was done in two 12 week periods,from January to March 1988 and June to August 1988,During the first period, cows grazed irrigated pangola grass (Digitaria decumbens); during the secondperiod they grazed irrigated oats (Avena sativa), cows grazed as one group at astocking rateof approximately 5 cows /ha on each pasture mealobtained from a single batch was used during both multiparous Holstein Friesian cows were selected on the basis of similarcalving date and yield during two weeks prior to the first period.

3 They werethen randomly allocated to separate multiparous HolsteinFriesian cows were similarly allocated to treatments during cows received 3 kg cracked sorghum daily from calving until entering were adaptedto COPRA by gradually increasing the copracontent of SUPPLEMENT until all grain was removed after two weeks. Supplementswere then offered at nil, 3 kg cracked sorghum/d,3 kg COPRA meal/d and 6 kgcopra were individually fed after morning milking and rejectfeed was weighed each of grain and COPRA meal are shown in degradability was measured in sacco (Mehrez and Orskov 1977),using three rumen-fistulated Holstein Friesian cows on a basal diet of Rhodesgrass (Chloris gayana) pasture and supplemented with lucerne (Xedicago sativa)ay (Table 1).

4 *Qld Dept Primary Industries,Mutdapilly Research Station, , Ipswich, ** Qld Dept Primary Industries, AB Centre, Wacol, Qld. Aust. Soc. Anim. Prod. Vol. 18 Table 1 Chemical analyses and degradability of supplementsCows were milked twice daily,and yield recorded on two consecutive milkingseach composite sample of evening and morning milk was analysed forbutterfat,protein and lactose content (Milkotester Mk III - Foss Electric).During the last week of each period acomposite milk sample was taken foranalyses of fatty acid composition of milk fat (Aston 1977).During the lastweek of the first period samples of jugular blood and rumen liquor (stomachtube) were taken before and four hours after feeding supplements. cows grazedpasture during these four serum was analysed for urea (Talke andSchubert 1965).

5 Rumen liquor was analysed for pH and ammonia content (Bolleteret al. 1961).Live weights were recorded fortnightly after morning intake of COPRA varied from to yields weresimilar for cows given grain or COPRA ,and tended to be lower in unsupplementedanimals (Table 2). COPRA meal increased fat content of milk, but did not alterthe protein or lactose content (Table 2).Feeding COPRA meal caused smallerchanges in Cl8 fatty acids in milk fat than did feeding grain (Table 2).Rumen ammonia concentration tended to increase with supplementation, and in thefour hours after feeding increased slightly for cows given pasture only anddecreased for cows given decline for cows given COPRA meal wassmall (Table 2).

6 Rumen pH was reduced with grain feeding but maintained withcopra feeding (Table 2).Serum urea content tended to increase with the crudeprotein content of the total diet (Table 2).Liveweight change was reduced withcopra meal feeding (Table 2).197 Proc. Aust. Soc. Anim. Prod. Vol. 18 Table2 Intakes of SUPPLEMENT and effects on milk yield,ammonia,rumen pH,serum urea and live weightcomposition,rumenDISCUSSIONC opra meal was effective in maintaining milk yield at a level similar to thatof cows given (1973) measured a 60% increase in milk yield whencoconut meal substituted for did not include molasses in ourexperiment but Cowan and Davison(1978) demonstrated that for cows grazingtropical pastures plus grain, milk yield increased30% when compared reasons for the high response measured by McIntyre (1973)were that he continued the experiment for the full lactation, which has beenshown to enhance the response to supplementaryfeeding (Cowan 1983).

7 Alsolevels of protein in the pasturesused by McXntrye (1973) were likely to beconsiderably less than those in the present experiment and the COPRA meal mayhave been acting as a protein and energy pasture consumed inour experiment would have had a protein content in the order of 17% in the drymatter,and it is unlikely a response would have been measured to the extraprotein contained in COPRA meal (T-M. Davison unpublished).A third differenceis the relatively high fibre content of the COPRA meal we used compared to thatused by McIntyre (1973).The increase in fat percentage of milk may have been due to either the highfibre content of coprameal or its relatively high oil fats may increasefat content of milk relative to grain feeding andcan change the fatty acid composition of milk fat (Palmguist and Jenkins 1980).

8 The advantage to COPRA meal in liveweight change may be brought about by areduction in demand for body lipids for milk fat meal was not palatable initially and required about two weeks training toachieve satisfactory 12 weeks only one cow ate 6 kg/d and intakeEy other cows was not the second period of the experiment itwas observed that palatability of coprameal was lower than in the firstperiod,and intake was1 kg/cow/day may reflect a problem withrancidity of COPRA meal after prolonged storage, though no obvious signs ofrancidity addition cowsgrazed temperate pasture during198 Proc. Aust. Soc. Anim. Prod. Vol. 18winter,comparedwith less digestible tropicalpastures duringsummermay have reducedtheir appetite for SUPPLEMENT (Phipps et al.)

9 1987)., and thisCopra meal was found to be an effective SUPPLEMENT for dairy cows . Despite notbeing highly palatable,milk fat content acceptance as asupplement in comparison tocereal grains would depend on availability thank Mr and Mr for technical support and Mutdapillystaff for care of the P. Martin and Mr carried out theanalyses of serum,rumen liquor and feed, and Mr the analyses of milkfatty Agricultural Technology provided the meal and supportfor this , (1977). J. Chromatog. 131: , W-T., BUCHMAN, C. J. and TIDWELL, (1961). Anim. An. Chem. 33 , (1983).In "Efficient dairy Production", , Aust. and SAP,Albury Wodonga, March , and DAVISON, (1978). Aust. J. Exp. Agric. Anim. Husb. 18: , R-T.,DAVISON, and O'GRADY, P.

10 (1977). Exp. Agric. 17: , A-2. and ORSKOV, (1977). J. Agric. Sci., Camb. 88: , (1973). Trop. Agric. (Trinidad) 50: , D-L.,and JENKINS, (1982).J. dairy : , ,WELLER, and BINES, (1987).Grass Forage Sci. 42 , H. and SCHUBERT, (1965). Klin. Wochensch. 43: 174.