Twenty-four Holstein cows were used in six
4×4 Latin squares to evaluate the effects of
substituting extruded-expelled cottonseed meal
(Express™) for whole cottonseed and solvent
soybean meal in diets for lactating cows. No
differences were observed in milk and milk
component yield among treatments.
Percentages of fat, protein, solids-not-fat, and
lactose in milk were similar among treatments.
Replacing whole cottonseed with Express™
tended to reduce milk urea nitrogen but had no
effect on milk protein percentage or yield. Cow
acceptability of Express™ was excellent
throughout the 84-day study conducted
between late June and September when ambient
temperature exceeded 100EF for 35 days.
Long-term storage of Express™ in a
commodity barn was not a problem. In vitro
analysis of Express™ revealed that it contains
approximately 75% rumen undegradable protein
(RUP) with an intestinally absorbable dietary
protein value of 53.4%. Express™ is an
excellent source of RUP, and the protein
fraction is highly digestible in the small intestine.
