Lactation performance and rumen fermentation in dairy cows fed a diet with alfalfa hay replaced by corn stover and supplemented with molasses

The objective of current study was to investigate the lactation performance and rumen fermentation characteristics of dairy cows fed a diet with alfalfa hay replaced by corn stover but supplemented with molasses. Sixteen Holstein cows in mid-lactation were randomly assigned to 1 of 2 dietary treatments: i) alfalfa based diet (AH), and ii) corn stover based diet supplemented with molasses (CSM). The experiment was conducted according to a 2×2 crossover design with 22-d each period, consisting of 17 d for adaptation and 5 d for data and samples collection. Dry matter intake and milk yield were higher for cows fed AH than CSM (p