Use of 1,3-butanediol for lactation and growth in cattle.

These studies have been designed to test whether 1,3-butanediol (BD) alleviates milk fat depression in lactating cows, to observe physiological changes in blood and rumen constituents when BD is fed to cows or growing cattle, and to test the effects of BD on growth rates and feed efficiency in growing cattle. In trials with lactating cows, milk fat percentage and total fat production were higher for cows fed BD than for controls. Feeding BD to either cows or growing cattle had no consistent effect on rumen pH or relative concentrations of rumen volatile fatty acids. 1,3-Butanediol feeding had little effect on blood glucose concentrations. Feeding more than 4% BD in diets sometimes caused increased concentrations of blood ketones. In trials where growing cattle were fed 4% BD, rates of gain and feed efficiency were at least as good as and often better than those of cattle fed the same diets without BD. Body composition was not significantly affected. 1,3-Butanediol can be utilized effectively as an energy source for cattle and causes no obvious problems with 4% in diets.