Flows of nitrogen and amino acids in dairy cows fed diets containing supplemental feather meal and blood meal.

Four Holstein cows, fitted with ruminal and duodenal cannulas, were used to determine the effects of supplemental feather meal and blood meal on ruminal fermentation and flows of N and AA to the duodenum. The basal diet contained (DM basis) 9.9% chopped alfalfa hay, 39.7% corn silage, 34.7% cracked corn, 8.2% corn starch, 2.1% vitamins and minerals, 4.4% casein, and 1% urea. A combination of feather meal and blood meal (3:1 on an N basis) was used to replace 0, 33, 67, and 100% of the casein and urea in the basal diet in a Latin square design. Intakes of DM, OM, and N were similar for all diets. Flows of total N, NAN, individual AA, total AA, and total essential AA were unaltered as supplemental feather meal plus blood meal increased. Flows of microbial N tended to decrease, but flow of non-ammonia, nonmicrobial N increased as supplemental feather meal plus blood meal increased. Increased proportions of dietary feather plus blood meal decreased the proportions of Ile, Lys, Met, and Thr in duodenal digesta. Molar percentages of ruminal pH and VFA were unchanged, but concentrations of ruminal NH3 N decreased linearly as supplemental feather meal plus blood meal increased. For the diets fed in this study, inclusion of one-third of the supplemental protein from feather plus blood meal resulted in maximum flows of NAN and microbial N to the small intestine.