1869
Impact of "COGU" technology on performance in lactating dairy cows
“ COGU” is a proprietary combination of GRAS microbial fermentation extracts meant to diminish the negative impact of mineral interactions that may be responsible for inefficient digestibility, absorption and utilization of nutrients in livestock. Two studies were initiated to investigate the effect of COGU on blood profiles and lactation performance of dairy cows. The first study was conducted on a commercial dairy farm in the Pacific Northwest. Water and forages in this region are known to have certain minerals in excess causing depressed milk production, high somatic cell counts and other metabolic issues. In a Washington herd of 1500 cows, three groups of 130 cows each were selected. Each group contained fresh cows, heifers, or high cows. Cows were fed a supplement containing COGU at a rate of 15 g/head/d in a corn silage based TMR diet for 41 days. Twenty cows averaging 75 DIM (± 3 d) from the high group were randomly selected for blood sampling and milk data collection. Blood samples were obtained 2 weeks prior to feeding COGU (BCOGU), followed by wk 1, 2, and 4 fed COGU (COGU), and subsequently by sampling at wk 1, 3, and 5 after removing COGU (ACOGU) from the diet. On-farm milk production data was collected daily 2 weeks prior to feeding COGU through 4 weeks after removing COGU. Data were analyzed by ANOVA CRD. Blood glucose, BUN, and hemoglobin were increased (p < 0.0002) for cows fed COGU, and BHBA and NEFA were decreased (p < 0.0001). The 150 DIM adjusted production was higher (p< 0.0001) for cows fed COGU. In a second study, 180 commercial dairy farms across the United States representing 29,346 cows were randomly selected. COGU was blended into a supplement and fed at a rate of 15 g/head/d. Data for milk yield and components was collected for a minimum of 10 d to maximum of 120 d on these farms. Statistical analysis was performed with Kruskal-Wallis One-Way Nonparametric AOV and Dunn’s All-Pairwise Comparison test. There were no differences in DMI intake (p = 0.98); however, milk yield, milk butterfat, milk protein, ECM, and ECM feed efficiency were all significantly higher (p < 0.03) at the end of the experimental period compared to the start of the experiment. COGU increased glucose uptake and nitrogen utilization as well as improved milk yield and components in dairy cows.
Keywords:
glucose, milk yield, dairy cows