Milk production analysis after supplementing <i>Calotropis gigantea</i> leaf silage to dairy cows

Ingredients	% of TMR DM
Soybean meal	10.42
Cotton seed meal	5.03
Canola seed meal	2.18
DDGS^a	5.45
Feeding corn meal^b	1.15
Steam-flack corn	23.99
Wheat bran	0.00
Limestone	0.91
Salt	0.55
Magnesium oxide	0.36
Dicalcium phosphate	0.42
Fat powder	1.15
Sodium bicarbonate	0.97
Supplement^c	0.67
Corn silage	28.77
Alfalfa hay	17.99
Total	100
Chemical analysis (% DM)		Ensiled GM	Hay GM
CP^d	15.31^A	15.43^A	13.89^B
NDF^e	27.69	40.65	39.81
ADF^f	18.57	25.73	24.46
Ash	7.88	13.38	13.98
Organic matter	92.12	/	/
Ether extract	2.1	/	/
NE_L^g (Mcal/kg DM)	1.69	/	/
^a Distillers dried grains with solubles. ^b Flour made with corn. ^c Contained (per kg of DM) a minimum of 250,000 IU, of vitamin A; 65,000 IU, of vitamin D; 2,100 IU, of vitamin E; 400 mg of Fe; 540 mg of Cu; 2,100 mg of Zn; 560 mg of Mn; 15 mg of Se; 35 mg of I; and 68 mg of Co. ^d Crude protein. ^eNeutral detergent ﬁber. ^f Acid detergent ﬁber. ^g Net energy of lactation. Superscripts A and B refer to significance differance within the line.

Table 1.

Ingredients and chemical composition of the basal diet.

	Treatment			SEM	P-values
	Control	GM hay	GM silage	SEM	Trt	Period	Trt × Period
DMI kg/d	12.0^a	0.4^b	10.6^a	0.596	0.008	0.292	0.774
Milk yield (kg)	11.85	/	11.68	1.300	0.694	0.364	0.511
Milk yield/DMI	0.98	/	1.10	/	/	/	/
Protein (%)	4.24	/	4.25	0.205	0.957	0.523	0.891
Fat (%)	4.76	/	4.82	0.324	0.629	0.014	0.787
Lactose (%)	4.47	/	4.57	0.102	0.469	0.885	0.813
TS (%)	14.59	/	14.74	0.470	0.418	0.024	0.843
NFS (%)	9.64	/	9.52	0.346	0.682	0.461	0.703
DMI: dry matter intake, TS: total solids, NFS: non-fat solids, SEM: standard error mean, trt: treatment. Superscripts a and b refer to significance differance within the line.

Table 2.

Milk yield and composition.

Protozoa counts (#/mL)	Treatment		SEM	P-values
Protozoa counts (#/mL)	Control	GM silage	SEM	Trt	Period	Trt × Period
Entodinium	821304	842157	105171	0.663	0.883	0.463
Ophryoscolex	1688	1391	483	0.633	0.430	0.356
Eudiplodinium	2740	2337	540	0.613	0.510	0.447
Dasytricha	4967	4364	571	0.481	0.033	0.618
Isotricha	4916	5928	1058	0.242	0.066	0.393
Total protozoa	836627	855165	105939	0.695	0.938	0.466
SEM: Standart error mean; Trt: Treatment; GM: Giant milkweed leaves silage; #/mL: Number of protozoa per mL of rumen fluid.

Table 3.

Microscopic counts of rumen protozoa.