Comparison the effects of different boron sources supplementation to the diets in dairy cattle on milk yield and quality, some blood and milk mineral levels in the postpartum period

In this study, it was aimed to investigate the effects of supplementation of boric acid and borax on milk yield and composition, some blood and milk mineral levels in order to determine the effective boron form in postpartum period in dairy cattle. 30 Simmental dairy cattle were divided into equal numbers of control (K) and 2 experimental groups.The cows were individually fed in the morning and evening by adding 500 ppm boric acid-H3BO3 (DG1) and 500 ppm Na2O4B7 10H2O-borax (DG2) to the total mixed rations (TMR) of the experimental groups 10 days after birth for 30 days. From the 10th day of the postpartum period, feed intake, milk yield, body condition score (BCS) were recorded 3 times at 15-day intervals, and milk and blood samples were collected individually. The chemical composition of the feed collected from the diets was analyzed and metabolizable energy (ME) values were estimated. The milk components of the collected milk samples were analyzed. Calcium (Ca), phosphorus (P) and magnesium (Mg) values in collected milk and blood samples were determined spectrophotometrically; Boron analyzes in TMR and 40th day blood samples were conducted with ICP-MS methods. Supplementation of 500 ppm boron, in boric acid or borax form to TMR as a feed additive between 10-40 days postpartum did not affect milk yield and BCS, but improved milk quality. In addition, there was no difference between the boron sources in terms of their mechanism of action on milk and blood B, Ca, P and Mg levels. Correlations between blood and milk Ca, P and Mg concentrations taken on days 10-25-40 of postpartum were estimated very low. In conclution, boric acid is produced in industry as a result of the reaction of borax with a mineral acid. For this reason, since borax is a freely available source in nature, using borax as a trace mineral source in dairy cattle diets without any processing can be both practical and very economical in practice.