Ruminally protected lysine and methionine for lactating dairy cows fed a diet designed to meet requirements for microbial and postruminal protein.

Dairy cows, 20 at each of two sites, were used to determine responses to ruminally protected Lys and Met in a full lactation study. Cows were fed corn silage twice daily for ad libitum intake and a concentrate four times daily in proportion to milk production. At Truro, cows were fed 2.7 kg/d of alfalfa and timothy hay DM at 0600 and at 1500 h. At Fredericton, cows were fed 2.7 kg of timothy silage DM at 0600 h and 2.7 kg of alfalfa hay DM at 1500 h. Diets were designed to meet, but not to exceed, recommendations for ruminally degradable CP and intestinally digestible protein. Ten cows at each site were fed ruminally protected L-Lys.HCl (19 g/d) and DL-Met (6.5 g/d). Cows fed AA at each site produced more milk, lactose, protein, and fat; milk protein and fat percentages were also higher. No time x treatment interactions occurred for any production parameter. In spite of similar production responses between sites, cows fed AA consumed more DM at Truro, but those at Fredericton did not. Thus, gross efficiency of utilization of dietary N for milk N was increased with AA at Fredericton but not at Truro. However, considering the increased intake of CP by cows fed AA at Truro, an event that would have been expected to depress efficiency of utilization of dietary N, the lack of difference at Truro between treatments can be interpreted as an improvement, relative to expectations, because of AA feeding. High producing dairy cows fed a diet that was adequate in CP responded to ruminally protected Lys and Met primarily with increased production of milk protein and fat throughout the full lactation.