Cows were weighed before entering the experiment, after calving, and in week 12 and week 24 relative to calving. Feed samples were collected weekly, and pooled over periods of 4 weeks throughout the experiment. A semi-quantitative collection of urine was performed by emptying the cows for urine by hand-stimulation hourly for 6 h from 0830 h until 1430 h on Wednesdays