Effect of garlic extract and organic mineral supplementation on feed intake, digestibility and milk yield of lactating dairy cows

Abstract

Background and Objective: The objective of this study was to evaluate supplementation of garlic (Allium sativum) extract and organic minerals (1.5 ppm organic Cr, 0.3 ppm organic Se and 40 ppm Zn-lysinat) on milk yield, milk quality and feed digestibility of lactating dairy cows. Materials and Methods: Fifteen multiparous, one month pre-partum Friesian Holstein cows with an average body weigth of 638±72 kg were used as the experimental units and therefore, there were 5 replicates for each treatment. The cows were fed with a Total Mixed Ration (TMR) consisted of Napier grass: Concentrate mixture (60:40 w/w, dry matter basis) as the basal diet. The experiment was conducted with three treatments, namely control feed (CTL), control feed+Organic Minerals (OM) and OM+garlic extract (OM-G). Variables measured were nutrient intake, nutrient digestibility, milk yield and milk composition. Data were analyzed by analysis of variance with a completely randomized design. Results: Supplementation of garlic extract significantly influenced the digestibility of Crude Fiber (CF), Neutral Detergent Fiber (NDF), milk yield and milk efficiency (p<0.05). However, the supplementation had no effect on nutrient intake (dry matter, organic matter and total digestible nutrient) and mik composition (fat, protein, lactose and solid non-fat). Supplementation of garlic extract and organic mineral resulted in better feed digestibility, milk production and milk efficiency than those of the control diet and control diet supplemented with organic mineral (p<0.05). Conclusion: Supplementation of combined garlic extract and organic mineral (Se, Cr and Zn) in dairy cows increases feed digestibility, milk production and milk efficiency.