Effect of a ration change from a total mixed ration to pasture on production, health and rumen physiology of dairy cows

In temperate climate zones dairy cows need to be fed with conserved feed during winter, and are then often gradually transitioned to a pasture-based ration in spring. We hypothesized that the change from a confinement to a pasture-based system involves complex nutritional and metabolic adaptations with consequences on health and performance.
American Association of Bovine Practitioners Proceedings of the Annual Conference, 2016