Productive response of grazing dairy cows to fresh chopped maize supplementation under a small farming system in the Mexican Highlands

The aim of this study was to evaluate the animal performance of late lactating grazing dairy cows in response to fresh chopped maize (FCM) supplementation under a small farming system. Twenty-four multiparous Holstein dairy cows were used in a rotational grazing on a mixed alfalfa-orchard grass sward. Three treatments were evaluated: 0, 4, and 8 kg dry matter (DM) of FCM cow⁻¹ day⁻¹. The experimental design was a crossover, with three periods lasting 19 days each. There were no differences on individual milk production nor on milk composition. Herbage DM intake decreased (P