Feed preference in lactating dairy cows for different pellet formulations

Two taste preference experiments were conducted with the same 8 multiparous lactating Jersey cattle (100 ± 7.1 DIM, 30.5 ± 4 0.06 kg of milk yield, 18.8 ± 2.52 kg of DMI in experiment 1; and 215 ± 7.1 DIM, 27.6 ± 3.98 kg of milk yield, 19.6 ± 3.03 kg of DMI in experiment 2). In experiment 1, 4 pellets were formulated and manufactured into 4.0-mm pellets. These were as follows: 45.7% alfalfa meal, 45.7% corn grain, and 8.57% wheat middlings (ALFC); 72.3% corn grain, 18.5% wheat middlings, and 9.25% dried distillers grains and solubles (ENG); a pellet containing 100% dehydrated alfalfa meal (DALF); and a pellet containing a mixture of concentrate ingredients (GMIX; 43.1% corn grain, 26.3% dried distillers grains and solubles, 13.8% wheat middlings, 7.10% dry molasses, 3.18% soybean meal, 0.93% corn oil, and 5.6% minor constituents). Cows were offered 0.50 kg of pellets in a randomized arrangement within the feed bunk. Feed preference was ranked from 1 to 4 with 1 being the most preferred and 4 the least. The resulting preference rankings were averaged (± SE) resulting in a highest (closest to 1) to lowest (furthest from 1) ranking as follows of ALFC (1.38 ± 0.164), ENG (2.13 ± 0.327), GMIX (2.88 ± 0.375), and DALF (3.13 ± 0.350). The probabilities of first choice were 70.6 ± 0.55% ALFC, 16.5 ± 0.46% ENG, 5.50 ± 0.475% DALF, and 7.48 ± 0.455% GMIX. A Z-test was conducted to determine the percentage a treatment would be chosen first differed from the value of no preference at 25%; ALFC and DALF differed from the mean value, whereas no difference was observed for ENG and GMIX. The most preferred pellet (ALFC) was used in a second study and compared against 3 other treatments in which different flavoring agents were added. In this study, 4 pellets were manufactured with ALFC: 45.7% alfalfa meal, 45.7% corn grain, 6.76% wheat middlings, and 1.81% oregano leaf (ALFCO); 45.7% alfalfa meal, 45.7% corn grain, 8.22% wheat middlings, 0.10% melon flavoring, and 0.25% BitterOff (ALFCM); and 45.7% alfalfa meal, 45.7% corn grain, 8.47% wheat middlings, and 0.10% licorice flavoring (ALFCL). The resulting preference rankings were averaged resulting in a highest to lowest ranking as follows: ALFC (1.25 ± 0.164), ALFCO (2.38 ± 0.263), ALFCM (2.63 ± 0.375), and ALFCL (3.25 ± 0.164). The probabilities of first choice were 81.9 ± 0.65% ALFC, 8.49 ± 0.46% ALFCO, 6.50 ± 0.481% ALFCM, and 3.12 ± 0.491% ALFCL. Of the pellet choices, ALFC and ALFCL differed from the mean value of no choice, whereas no difference was observed for ALFCO and ALFCM. Mixtures of corn grain and dehydrated alfalfa meal bound by wheat middlings may serve as a feeding strategy that is preferred by the animals and may be an effective reward to cows entering an automated milk system, and we were unable to improve preference by adding flavoring agents.