Table 3.
Performance of dairy cows in the transition period and at different stages of lactation
| Variable | 3 wk prepartum | 1 wk postpartum | 5 wk postpartum | 14 wk postpartum | wks 1 to 14 postpartum | P-value |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Dry matter intake (kg/d) | 13.4c ± 0.33 | 13.4c ± 0.48 | 18.4b ± 0.62 | 20.4a ± 0.53 | 18.5 ± 0.49 | < 0.001 |
| Milk yield (kg/d) | - | 28.6c ± 0.76 | 37.5a ± 0.90 | 32.0b ± 0.81 | 32.7 ± 0.67 | < 0.001 |
| FCM* (kg/d) | - | 39.2a ± 1.39 | 40.9a ± 1.51 | 33.0b ± 1.03 | 37.7 ± 0.87 | < 0.001 |
| Milk fat (%) | - | 6.40a ± 0.25 | 4.51b ± 0.20 | 4.11b ± 0.13 | 5.00 ± 0.17 | < 0.001 |
| Milk protein (%) | - | 4.09a ± 0.09 | 2.85c ± 0.05 | 3.13b ± 0.06 | 3.35 ± 0.08 | < 0.001 |
| Energy balance† (MJ NEL/d) | 46.9a ± 2.42 | -64.9d ± 5.15 | -30.4c ± 3.05 | 3.89b ± 2.11 | -12.5 ± 5.52 | < 0.001 |
| Energy intake† (% of requirement) | 215.1 ± 7.92 | 58.9 ± 2.45 | 82.3 ± 2.22 | 102.1 ± 2.10 | 81.1 ± 2.63 | < 0.001 |
Values are mean ± SE (n = 20)
a, b, c, d Means with different superscripts differ significantly (P < 0.05)
* Corrected for 4% milk fat content
† Calculated value