Effects of a sorbitol-containing additive fed to dairy cows for 30 days postpartum.

The objective of this study was to determine the effects of early postpartum supplementation of Rally®, a sorbitol-containing feed additive (RAL), on lactation performance and automatic milking system (AMS) metrics on a commercial dairy farm. Multiparous (MT) and primiparous (PP) Holstein cows were randomly assigned to either RAL supplementation (570 g/d RAL; RAL-MT, n = 75, RAL-PP, n = 34) or control (CTL-MT, n = 72; CTL-PP, n = 38). The RAL cows were supplemented from 1 to 30 d in milk via an automated feed dispenser in the AMS.

Feeding incremental amounts of ground flaxseed: effects on diversity and relative abundance of ruminal microbiota and enteric methane emissions in lactating dairy cows.

We evaluated the effects of incremental amounts of ground flaxseed () on diversity and relative abundance of ruminal microbiota taxa, enteric methane () emissions, and urinary excretion of purine derivatives () in lactating dairy cows in a replicated 4 × 4 Latin square design. Twenty mid-lactation Jersey cows were used in the study. Of these 20 cows, 12 were used for ruminal sampling, 16 for enteric CH measurements, and all for spot urine collection.