Fecal sieving for ration control
Ms. Stefanie Gappmaier, a certified engineer, presented fecal analysis as a simple and practical method for individual animal ration control. Modern cattle husbandry systems and increasing farm sizes make ration control at the individual animal level more difficult. Especially around calving time and during peak production periods, a close examination of these so-called "special needs" animals is crucial to prevent metabolic disorders. The results of the fecal sieving trial (distribution of solids in the feces into coarse, medium, and fine particles) showed that the coarse fiber content in the feces increases with very low and very high concentrate feed intake. A balanced energy and nutrient intake with moderate concentrate feeding (15-25%) resulted in the lowest coarse fiber content in the feces.
Methane emissions from dairy cows
In his presentation, Dr. Georg Terler addressed the influence of genotype (Simmental, various Holstein Friesian genotypes) and the proportion of concentrate in the ration on methane emissions from forage-fed dairy cows. Significant differences in methane emissions were observed between dairy cow genotypes, as well as between individual animals. This suggests that methane emissions can be influenced through breeding. Increasing the proportion of concentrate in the ration resulted in an increase in daily methane emissions, but also a decrease in methane emissions per kilogram of milk produced. However, the extent to which methane emissions change with increasing concentrate content varies from genotype to genotype.
A lively discussion following both presentations showed that the presented experimental results met with great interest from colleagues in Germany, Switzerland and Austria.
