17 Z. Iqbal M. A. Rashid T. N. Pasha J. A. Bhatti Journal of Animal and Plant Sciences JAPS 20192019/04/01 29 2 419-424 1018-7081 NA <p>The objective was to evaluate the effects of increasing level of palm kernel cake (PKC) in concentrate feed on dry matter intake (DMI), body weight (BW), milk production,&nbsp; milk composition and blood metabolites of dairy cows. Twenty one crossbred cows with average BW 410 &plusmn; 52.6 kg, producing 12 &plusmn; 3.2 kg of milk daily were blocked by their BW, previous lactation yield and days in milk (DIM). The animals were assigned to dietary treatments in a randomized complete block design (RCBD) with n=7 cows per treatment. Dietary treatments were: Control (C), PKC 20 and PKC 40 containing 0%, 20% and 40% PKC in concentrate diets, respectively. The duration of experiment was 70 days (d). Commonly used agro industrial by-products wheat bran and rice polishing were replaced with PKC. Body weight and body condition score (BCS) were measured at the start and then on a bi-weekly basis; whereas, feed intake and milk yield were recorded daily. Milk samples were collected twice a week (wk) and blood samples were taken weekly. Increasing level of PKC in concentrate diet had no effect (<em>p</em>&gt;0.05) on DMI, fecal score, milk production and composition, BW and BCS gain as well as milk production efficiency. However, milk fat and total solids (TS) increased linearly (<em>p&lt;</em>0.05) with increasing level of PKC. Plasma glucose, blood urea nitrogen (BUN) and non-esterified fatty acids (NEFA) concentrations were similar (<em>p</em>&gt;0.05) among treatments. Inclusion of PKC at 40% increased milk fat and TS contents without affecting DMI, milk production, BW and BCS in crossbred dairy cows. It is concluded that PKC up to 40% can successfully replace wheat bran and rice polishing in dairy concentrate diet for crossbred cows.</p> Palm kernel cake; Dairy cow; Milk production; Milk composition Pakistan Agricultural Scientists Forum https://thejaps.org.pk/AbstractView.aspx?mid=2019-JAPS-210