Milk protein dropping

[vulcan]

Had my latest milk test results back over the weekend and my milk protein is dropping down and has slowly been going down since the cows were housed in October it's down to 3.06 was up to 3.53in the summer what has caused this and what can I do to get it back up will be getting InTouch with feed rep in the morning there getting fed on round bale silage and a18% cake in the parlour.

 

[More to life]

You need you up there energy intake either more cake or higher ME cake. A higher starch concentrate would also help. Are you currently breeding that protein level always results in poor fertility here.

 

[Clay52]

Lower quality feed, lower intakes, lower overall energy of diet.

 

[multi power]

Energy

 

[Irish NZ]

What everyone said. Its an energy problem.

 

[vantage]

National compounder?

 

[buffalo_soldier]

Energy density is the main thing here, there is a whole heap of possibilities though. So be careful of just upping cake.

I like the American reading myself, but that may just be me.

https://extension.psu.edu/milk-comp...-fat-and-protein-variation-in-your-dairy-herd

 

[Surface Tension]

Our protein dropped below 3.1 last year when we started using 2nd cut silage, this year it dropped from over 3.4 to under 3.1 when the cows were housed. We self mix feed for the parlour so I bought a couple of tonnes of soya and substituted it for half the dark grains in the parlour mix. The protein in the milk went up above 3.1 within days and over 3.2 a couple of weeks later, it's currently 3.27. If you don't self mix would it be possible to mix soya (or something else suitable) in with the silage then reduce cake fed in the parlour as a temporary solution?

 

[jimmer]

you would have been better off substituting for ground maize or even sugar beet than soya to get milk protein up

 

[Dead Rabbits]

Energy density is the main thing here, there is a whole heap of possibilities though. So be careful of just upping cake.

I like the American reading myself, but that may just be me.

https://extension.psu.edu/milk-comp...-fat-and-protein-variation-in-your-dairy-herd

Just remember that protein is usually measured a little differently over here.

 

[Holsteinfriesian90]

Had my latest milk test results back over the weekend and my milk protein is dropping down and has slowly been going down since the cows were housed in October it's down to 3.06 was up to 3.53in the summer what has caused this and what can I do to get it back up will be getting InTouch with feed rep in the morning there getting fed on round bale silage and a18% cake in the parlour.

Unfortunately having the same problem here at the moment. Changing blend so hope we might see an improvement.