Twenty lactating Friesian cows and 20 lactating buffaloes with an
average live body weight of 500 kg at 2-5 lactation seasonsafter
the peak of lactation (60 days from parturition). Animals were fed
summer rationconsisted of 40% concentrate feed mixture (CFM)
+ 40% corn silage (CS) + 20% rice straw (RS) (10 cows and 10
buffaloes) and winter ration consisted of 40% CFM + 40% fresh
berseem (FB) + 20% RS (on DM basis) (10 cows and 10 buffaloes).
Milk samples were taken from each cow and buffalo three
times biweekly and prepared for minerals determination. The
contents of Ca, K, Zn, Mn and Fe were higher in fresh berseem,
while the contents of P, Mg, Na and Cu were higher in concentrate
feed mixture, however, the lower contents of all minerals
were detected in corn silage and rice straw. The contents and
intake of all minerals were higher in winter ration containing fresh
berseem than summer ration containing corn silage. The excretion
of all minerals in feces and urine as well as absorption and
retention increased significantly (P