Table 5. Effects of dry period lengths (0-d and 60-d DP) on milk yield and milk composition of dairy cows pre- and post-calving
| Item | 0-d DP (n=7) | 60-d DP (n=8) | SEM | p-value |
| DP | Wk | DP × Wk |
| Precalving1) |
| Milk yield (kg/d) | 14.85 | - | 0.51 | - | - | - |
| FPCM (kg/d) | 16.87 | - | 1.08 | - | - | - |
| Fat (%) | 5.02 | - | 0.08 | - | - | - |
| Protein (%) | 4.23 | - | 0.09 | - | - | - |
| Lactose (%) | 4.69 | - | 0.05 | - | - | - |
| Fa (kg/d) | 0.75 | - | 0.06 | - | - | - |
| Protein (kg/d) | 0.63 | - | 0.04 | - | - | - |
| Lactose (kg/d) | 0.71 | - | 0.05 | - | - | - |
| Postcalving2) |
| Milk yield (kg/d) | 26.07 | 30.60 | 0.35 | < 0.001 | < 0.001 | 0.003 |
| FPCM (kg/d) | 25.29 | 28.81 | 0.85 | 0.003 | < 0.001 | 0.010 |
| Fat (%) | 4.14 | 3.33 | 0.07 | < 0.001 | 0.037 | 0.036 |
| Protein (%) | 4.16 | 3.96 | 0.12 | 0.261 | < 0.001 | 1.000 |
| Lactose (%) | 4.54 | 4.47 | 0.02 | 0.029 | < 0.001 | 0.982 |
| Fat (kg/d) | 1.06 | 1.07 | 0.03 | 0.804 | < 0.001 | 0.357 |
| Protein (kg/d) | 0.93 | 0.97 | 0.02 | 0.324 | < 0.001 | 0.005 |
| Lactose (kg/d) | 1.30 | 1.46 | 0.04 | 0.002 | < 0.001 | 0.340 |
Precalving was defined as the last 8 weeks before the actual calving date.
Postcalving was defined as the first 10 weeks after the actual calving date.
DP, dry period; Wk, week related to calving; FPCM, fat- and protein-corrected milk.