The effect of supplementation of the diet of lactating Jersey cows with varying levels of acetic acid

Abstract

SummaryTwO Latin-square experiments using lactating Jersey cows have been made to determine the response to 4 levels of acetic acid given as a supplement to diets fed at Woodman's Standards. The response in milk yield and composition to daily supplementary infusions of acetic acid is curvilinear, the point of inflexion occurring between the levels of 450 and 600 ml acetic acid/d. The direction of responses to the 150-ml level of infusion varied between the experiments. At the 600-ml level of addition the non-significant increases in milk fat, protein and lactose yield led to a significant increase in solids corrected milk yield. The effects of acetic acid infusion on the composition of the milk fat were determined.