Comparison of Whole Cottonseed, Extruded Soybeans, or Whole Sunflower Seeds for Lactating Dairy Cows

Two 37-day feeding trials with 21 lactating Holstein cows measured effects of diets containing whole cottonseed, extruded soybeans, or whole sunflower seed on milk production and composition, feed intake and digestibility, efficiency of feed utilization, and body weight. Diet dry matter composition was 60% concentrate, 24% alfalfa hay, and 16% corn silage. Diets contained either 10% whole cottonseed, 5.0% extruded soybeans, or 12.0% whole sunflower seeds dry matter. All diets were approximately isocaloric and isonitrogenous. Cows were fed for ad libitum consumption. Feed intake was highest for the extruded soybean diet, intermediate for the whole cottonseed diet, and lowest for the whole sunflower seed diet. Milk, fat-corrected milk, fat, protein, and solids-not-fat production were lower among cows fed the whole sunflower seed diet than for the other two diets. Cows on the whole cottonseed diet produced milk most efficiently. There were no differences among diets for dry matter digestibility or in body weights of cows. The diet containing whole sunflower seeds was not as satisfactory for lactating dairy cows as those containing whole cottonseed or extruded soybeans.