Lack of response to addition of degradable protein to a low protein diet fed to midlactation dairy cows.

Midlactation Holstein cows (n = 24, 12 primiparous) were subjected to four dietary treatments arranged in six Latin squares. Cows were assigned to squares according to parity and previous production within parity. Diets contained 53 to 55% DM from corn silage, and the remaining DM was from concentrates. The basal diet contained 13.9% CP with 9.5% rumen-degraded and 4.4% undegraded intake protein. Three other treatments were formulated to give one diet with more degradable true protein than the basal (11.9% degraded intake protein, 4.3% undegraded intake protein); another with urea added to the basal (12.2% degraded intake protein, 4.5% undegraded intake protein); and a third with additional undegraded protein added to the basal (8.3% degraded intake protein, 7.2% undegraded intake protein). Milk fat and protein concentration were unaffected by diet in all squares. Only the highest producing cows responded significantly to increased undegraded intake protein; milk production was 30.8, 30.9, 31.6, and 33.2 kg/d for basal, added degradable true protein, added urea, and added undegraded protein, respectively. Corresponding protein productions were 913, 929, 927, and 1004 g/d for these cows. Neither degradable true protein nor degradable N increased milk production in the highest producing cows, suggesting that microbial protein production was not limited by the amount of degradable protein in the basal diet. For midlactation, multiparous, and primiparous cows producing < 30 and 25 kg of milk/d, respectively, the protein content of the basal ration appeared to be adequate.