In early lactation dairy cows use stored body fat to provide an additional source of energy to support milk production and these reserves are replaced when energy requirements for milk synthesis are reduced. The extent to which body fat is mobilized depends on the nutritional state of the animal and its genetic potential. These changes are accompanied by substantial alterations in the intermediary metabolism of adipose tissue. The aim of this work was to investigate the timing and magnitude of changes in synthetic and lipolytic pathways in adipose tissue from dairy cows during a lactation cycle and at three levels of energy intake.

Fifty four cows were fed grass silage ad libitum and a concentrate ration at 3(L), 6(M) or 9(H) kg DM/day (Sutton et al 1992). An initial group of six cows was slaughtered at 2 to 4 days post partum (week 0) followed by two cows from each treatment at weeks 2, 5, 8, 11, 14, 19, 24 and 29.