Milk production and composition responses to the source of protein supplements in diets containing wheat middlings

Two 3 x 3 Latin square trials were conducted to determine the effect of the source of supplemental protein in diets containing wheat middlings on milk production and composition. Cottonseed meal or meat and bone meal was substituted for a portion of the soybean meal and provided 24.5% of the total dietary crude protein. Trial 1 was conducted during fall 1989, and trial 2 was conducted during summer 1993. During trial 1, no differences in production or composition of milk were found for primiparous cows fed the various protein supplements. Multiparous cows tended to have higher dry matter intakes and produced more milk with lower milk fat percentages when fed meat and bone meal than when fed soybean meal or cottonseed meal. No differences were found among supplements for other milk components or for the production of energy-corrected milk. In trial 2, primiparous cows tended to produce more milk, and multiparous cows tended to produce less milk, when fed meat and bone meal than when fed soybean meal. No differences were found for dry matter intake, milk composition, or production of energy-corrected milk. Cottonseed meal was equal to soybean meal in supporting milk production. Meat and bone meal tended to support higher productions of milk than did soybean meal, but production of energy-corrected milk was similar for both.