Effects of dietary soybean meal and fish meal on protein digesta flow in Holstein cows during early and midlactation

Six lactating Holstein cows fitted with rumen cannulae and T-type cannulae in the proximal duodenum were used to measure digesta and nitrogen compounds flow to the small intestine during early and midlactation. Fish meal and soybean meal provided 54 and 56% of the protein in the diets composed of corn grain, corn silage and orchardgrass hay, and which contained 15.4 and 15.5% crude protein and 20.9 and 20.5 acid detergent fiber. Spot samples of digesta were collected from the rumen, duodenum and rectum over a period of 72 hours. Co-EDTA and ytterbium were used as liquid and particulate digesta markers to estimate flow and digestibility of nutrients. Cytosine was used as microbial marker. True organic matter digestibility in the stomachs was 48.4, 49.8, 44.9, and 53.2% for fish meal and soybean meal diets and early and midlactation respectively. Protein degradability in the stomachs were 47.2, 65.8, 56.7, and 56.2% for fish meal and soybean meal diets and early and midlactation respectively. Amino acids intake was greater for soybean meal diet but total amino acids reaching the the duodenum were similar for both diets. Valine, methionine, lysine and histidine were less degraded for fish meal but were extensively degraded in soybean meal diet. Least degraded for both diets were glycine, valine, serine, proline and histidine. The advantage of greater quantity of protein escaping ruminal degradation with fish meal supplementation was counterbalanced by less microbial synthesis in the rumen partly explaining the similar response obtained with diets especially in early lactation.