Table 1.
Effect of a clay mineral (CM)-based product on feed intake and reticular pH in dairy cows subjected to two intermittent subacute ruminal acidosis (SARA)-feeding phases with 65% concentrates for 1 week (SARA 1) or 2 weeks (SARA 2), separated by a 1-week feeding with 100% forages (Recovery)
| SARA 1 | Recovery | SARA 2 | P-value | |||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Variables | CON | CM | CON | CM | CON | CM | SEM | SARA 1 | Recovery | SARA 2 |
| DM intake (kg/day) | 10.3 | 10.0 | 9.47b | 10.5a | 13.0 | 13.3 | 0.64 | 0.57 | 0.05 | 0.45 |
| Forage intake (kg DM/day) | 3.52 | 3.53 | 9.47b | 10.5a | 4.56 | 4.62 | 0.375 | 0.98 | 0.01 | 0.82 |
| Grain intake (kg DM/day) | 6.71 | 6.42 | 0 | 0 | 8.45 | 8.66 | 0.315 | 0.32 | 0.99 | 0.30 |
| Reticular pH | ||||||||||
| Mean pH | 6.31 | 6.33 | 6.69 | 6.75 | 6.52 | 6.52 | 0.049 | 0.74 | 0.23 | 0.87 |
| Minimal pH | 5.46 | 5.40 | 6.33 | 6.37 | 5.81 | 5.81 | 0.069 | 0.49 | 0.64 | 0.97 |
| Time pH <6.0 (min/day) | 339 | 404 | 71.2 | 56.4 | 184 | 145 | 35.61 | 0.16 | 0.77 | 0.28 |
CON=control.
a,b
Different superscripts represent differences among CON- and CM-groups within a feeding phase with P⩽0.05.