Prepartum Grain Feeding Effects on Milk Production, Mammary Edema, and Incidence of Diseases

Abstract

The influences of feeding grain before calving on milk production, mammary edema, and disease were determined in 98 heifers and 50 cows. Half of them were fed grain to appetite starting 21 days prepartum while the others received no grain until after calving. All animals received grain to appetite after calving through 45 days postpartum. The 220 kg of grain fed per heifer before calving resulted in an extra 54 kg of milk during the 45day milking period and the 295 kg of grain per cow resulted in an increase of 36 kg of milk. Thus, the practice was uneconomical in this trial where the animals entered late pregnancy in good condition. Prepartum grain feeding also increased the severity of edema in heifers, but not in cows. Although a number of diseases such as metritis, retained placenta, and indigestion were not significantly affected by prepartum grain feeding, the incidence of milk fever was sigalificantly increased and the incidence of mastitis was increased twofold in heifers and somewhat less in cows.