Animal Sciences Commons^™

Influence Of Strategic Supplementation And Genetic Potential For Milk Yield On Forage Digestibility, Amino Acid Utilization, And Livestock Production, Tasha M. King

Department of Animal Science: Dissertations, Theses, and Student Research

When consuming low-quality forages or at times when nutrient demands are high, ruminants may be unable to meet these requirements resulting in a state of negative energy balance. With feed costs contributing a large portion of production costs, providing dietary nutrients to maintain energy balance must be done so strategically. Additionally, producers must ensure consistent reproductive performance and offspring weaned to maintain a successful livestock enterprise. The objective of these studies was to evaluate the effect of glucogenic precursor supplementation and milk yield on forage digestibility, amino acid utilization, and livestock production. In experiment 1, a metabolism study was conducted …