The effects of supplemental carbohydrate （CHO） sources on milk yield and composition, nitrogen （N） balance,and ruminal fermentation were evaluated in lactating dairy cows fed energy-deficient total mixed rations （TMR） . Fifty-six lactating Holstein cows （36. 8 ± 3. 4 kg / d of milk yield; 152 ± 26 days in milk [DIM]） were randomly assigned to one of four diets： （1） basal TMR （control） ; （2） basal TMR ＋ 1. 25 kg / d sucrose （SUC） ; （3） basal TMR ＋ 2. 12 kg /d steam-flaked corn （SFC） ; （4） basal TMR ＋ 2. 23 kg / d wheat （WHE） . The trial lasted 70 days,including the first 10 days of adaptation. Simultaneously, a 4 × 4 Latin square trial was conducted with four ruminally cannulated cows of similar DMI （Dry Matter Intake） fed on the above four diets. Each testing period lasted 18 days： 15 days for adaptation and 3 days for sampling. Cows fed SUC-,SFC-,and WHE-supplemented diets produced 1. 6,2. 9,and 0. 8 kg / d,respectively,more milk than those on the basal TMR control diet,but the difference was not significant （P = 0. 160） . However,the production of energy-corrected milk of cows fed CHO-supplemented diets improved significantly （P = 0. 020） ,and the yield of 4% fatcorrected milk tended to be higher （P = 0. 063） than in control animals. Percentages of milk protein,lactoseand solids-not-fat （SNF） increased significantly in cows fed CHO-supplemented diets （P 〈 0. 05） ,and yields of milk protein and SNF were significantly higher （P 〈0. 05） ; yields of milk fat and lactose were somewhat higher （P 〈 0. 10） . Cows receiving supplementary CHO diets consumed more DM （Dry Matter） （P = 0. 023） ; however,there was no significant difference in N retention,digestibility,or utilization efficiency among the treatments （P 〉 0. 10） . The average ruminal pH was lowest in cows supplemented with SUC,while that in cows supplemented with SFC and WHE was only slightly reduced （P = 0. 025） . Ruminal NH 3 -N concentration w
Nowadays, most available information on the degradative behaviour of feeds in ruminants is based on in situ incubation in the rumen, and it is adopted by many feed evaluation systems currently in use for ruminants. However, the outcome of.this technique might be affected by many factors such as sequence of nylon bags incubation in the rumen. The objective of current study was to investigate effects of sequence of nylon bag incubation on degradative behavior of dry matter （DM）, crude protein （CP）, neutral detergent fiber （NDF） and acid detergent fiber （ADF） in some feed ingredients commonly used in dairy rations, including alfalfa haylage, corn silage, corn grain and soybean meal. Four multiparous Holstein lactating cows fitted with permanent ruminal cannulas were used. The nylon bags containing feed samples either were placed in the rumen at once and removed at designated time intervals （all in-gradually out method; AG） or were placed in the rumen at designated time points and retrieved at once （gradually in-all out method; GA）. Fractional rate of degradation of potentially degradable fraction, lag time and effective rumen degradability （ED） of DM and CP were significantly higher in the AG compared to the GA method （P〈0.05）. Fractional rates of DM and CP degradation was higher in alfalfa haylage samples incubated in the rumen using the AG method compared to that using the GA method （0.138 h-1 vs. 0.073 h-1 and 0.002 h-1 vs. 0.1125 h-1, for DM and CP, respectively; P〈0.05）. Due to a higher fractional rate of degradation （Kd） of DM and CP, the ED of DM and CP at different fractional passage rates were higher in the AG than those in the GA method （P〈0.05）. Potentially degradable fraction and lag time of NDF were higher in the AG method compared to the GA method （P〈0.05）. Placing all bags in the rumen at once and removing them at designated time intervals compared with introduction of bags in reverse sequence and removing them all at once led to a lower undegrad
