Effects of zeolite supplemented to Dairy cattle on Nitrogen Utilization Taylor Kelley

Outline Background Experiment Expected Results Conclusion Materials and Methods Expected Results Conclusion

Zeolite Microporous, aluminosilicate minerals Found mainly in volcanic Rock 245 unique frameworks Clinoptilolite Natural occurring zeolite (Na2,K2,Ca)3Al6Si30O72·24H2O Zeolite A Synthetic for of zeolite

Clinoptilolite Studies have shown to lower occurrences of Milk Fever Increase DM digestibility and increase digestibility of individual nutrients Has also shown to increase ADG and feed efficiency in Feedlot Cattle Shown to lower BUN in Dairy cattle supplemented with zeolite Has shown to have a high affinity to bind to ammonia

Objective of Study objective of this study is to determine if supplementation of Clinoptilolite to Dairy Cattle will Lower BUN, MUN, and Increase Nitrogen utilization

Experiment Materials Lactating Dairy Cattle 15 – Control 15 – Zeolite Treatment (High Inclusion Rate) 15 – Zeolite Treatment (Low Inclusion Rate_ TMR Control Inclusion Rate of 2.5% (low) and 5% (high) of DM diet Clinoptilolite – 85% purity Equipment needed to take blood and milk samples from cattle

Experiment Methods 3 Treatment Groups Animals will be fed diet for 45 days Blood and Milk samples will be taken daily Samples taken when BUN and MUN at highest concentrations Get urine sample Measure BUN and MUN Measure ammonia concentration Ammonia quantified by titration Fat must be removed before measuring ammonia SAS will be used for statistical analysis of results

Expected Results See a lower BUN and MUN in animals that are supplemented with zeolite See a lower concentration of ammonia in the urine of the supplemented animals See a difference in the two different inclusion rates See a difference in the nitrogen utilization between all three treatment groups

Conclusion Increase nitrogen utilization and decrease nitrogen loss decreasing environmental effects Increase in nitrogen utilization → better use of protein fed to animal Supplementation to animals that receive high amounts of nitrates could help with protein metabolism and glucose utilization

Questions?