Feeding palm fats
Feeding rumen protected fat or bypass fat is not new.
It is common for dairy farms to work towards increasing energy in high producing cows to support production.
Commercial bypass fat made of palm oil has been increasingly popular as it helps to increase butterfat milk of 0.2 - 0.4%.
Milkfat is made up of different types of fatty acids.
About 50% of milkfat composition comes from short chain fatty acids (up to 16 carbon fatty acids chain).
The rest of it comes from fatty acids which have been absorbed directly from the blood stream.
Compared to synthesized fats, blood borne sources of fatty acids in milkfat are primarily made up for longer 16- to 1 8-carbon fatty acids.
Hence, rumen bypass fats from palm oil is the default choice to use to raise milkfat as it contains high C16.
Processed palmfat has high melting point - around 135ºF.
It also easily bypasses the rumen and is digested in the small intestine of the dairy cow.
C16:0 fatty acid chains are absorbed into the bloodstream and transported to and then drawn off by the udder and synthesized into milkfat.
Regardless of what type of palm fat supplement is added to the ration, make sure to avoid overfeeding it.
Palm fat should complement the rest of the dairy ration instead of just focusing on raising milkfat yield.