The Effect of Feeding a Total Mixed Ration with an ad libitum or Restricted Pelleted Starter on Growth Performance, Rumination Behavior, Blood Metabolites, and Rumen Fermentation in Weaning Holstein Dairy Calves.

Spina, Anna Antonella; Lopreiato, Vincenzo; Britti, Domenico; Minuti, Andrea; Trevisi, Erminio; Tilocca, Bruno; Perri, Alessia; Morittu, Valeria Maria

Simple Summary: Preweaning nutrition plays a crucial role in the growth of dairy calves, determining their future productivity and overall health. Researchers are still studying the most appropriate dietary strategies in the preweaning and early post-weaning periods. In particular, the effect of different levels of forage inclusion in the diet of young cattle is not yet clear. Our study evaluated the effects of starter restriction and ad libitum inclusion of the total mixed ration on intake, growth performance, rumination time, and health status of Holstein dairy calves during preweaning and in the immediate post-weaning period. The results obtained from the present study indicate that providing TMR (high fiber content, with or without concentrate restriction) does not impair growth performance and health of calves, and at the same time it leads to a greater time spent for ruminating when calves are weaned. The latter indicates a better rumen development and likely a better rumen fermentation efficiency in post-weaning. The aim of the current study was to evaluate the effect of the starter restriction and of the ad libitum TMR (total mixed ration) inclusion on intake, growth performance, rumination time (RT), and health condition of Holstein dairy calves during weaning. We randomly assigned thirty female Holstein calves (with an average weight of 38.5 ± 1.96 kg at birth) to one of three treatments. From 21 days of age, the calves were fed one of three treatments as follows: a control diet (CTR) with an ad libitum calf starter but without TMR; Treatment 1 diet (TRT1) with both an ad libitum calf starter and ad libitum TMR; Treatment 2 diet (TRT2) with ad libitum TMR and a restricted amount of a calf starter (50% of the intake recorder in the control group day by day). Calves in the TRT2 group, between 56 and 63 days of age, had a lower body weight (80.1; 79.5; 75.6 kg for the CTR, TRT1, and TRT2 groups, respectively) compared with CTR and TRT1 calves. This outcome is ascribed to the average daily gain (0.759; 0.913; 0.508 kg/day for the CTR, TRT1, and TRT2 groups, respectively), resulting also in TRT2 being lower than CTR or TRT1 calves. The inclusion of ad libitum TMR increased the rumination time, especially after weaning (15.28 min/h, 18.38 min/h, and 18.95 min/h for the CTR, TRT1, and TRT2 groups, respectively). Concerning the rumen metabolism and inflammometabolic response, overall, no differences were observed between the three dietary treatments. In conclusion, the results indicated that a TMR could partially replace a calf starter in weaning dairy calves, since neither growth performance nor health status were impaired. In addition, providing TMR (with or without concentrate restriction) led to a better rumen development and likely a better rumen fermentation efficiency in post-weaning.

ANIMAL weaning; CALVES; CATTLE feeding & feeds; RUMINATION (Cognition); RUMEN fermentation; CATTLE nutrition; RATIONING

Animals (2076-2615), 2024, Vol 14, Issue 1, p81

2076-2615

Academic Journal

10.3390/ani14010081