Effect of including probiotic corn in the diet of Girolando cows on milk production and composition

Abstract The objective was to evaluate the influence of the use of probiotic corn in the diet of dairy cows. Twelve Girolanda cows were used, with an average weight of 549 ± 66 kg, average production of 22.8 ± 4.8 kg of milk/day, which were distributed in three Latin squares (3x3). The experiment consisted of three treatments, three experimental periods, lasting 15 days each. The animals received a control diet with corn silage, 22% crude protein concentrate, access to tropical forage paddocks, and for the other treatments, 0.5 kg and 1.0 kg of probiotic corn were added to the control diet on a dry matter basis. Data on milk production and composition, and ingestive behavior were subjected to analysis of variance adopting a significance level of 10%, evaluated in a Latin square design, using regression to evaluate means. The addition of probiotic corn to the diet provided linear growth in milk production. Live weight and body condition score did not show significant differences with the inclusion of probiotic corn. Total solids, protein and fat contents of milk increased linearly. Probiotic corn decreased idle time and increased rumination time when added to the diet. There was no yeast growth during the incubation period of probiotic corn. Regarding the economic analysis, the addition of 0.5 kg of probiotic corn to the diet showed a positive balance. It is concluded that the use of probiotic corn proved to be technically and economically viable with 0.5 kg animal/day.