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ABSTRACT: The objective of this study was to investigate the effects of milk allowances equal to 526 g/d as moderate (MOD) versus 790 g/d of milk dry matter as high (HI), and starter diets containing 18% or 23% crude protein (CP), on growth performance, blood metabolites, and purine derivative (PD) excretion in the urine of dairy calves. A total of 52 female Holstein dairy calves (40.8 kg of body weight) were randomly assigned to the experimental diets. The treatments were (1) moderate milk and 18% CP starter diet (MOD-18CP); (2) MOD and 23% CP starter diet (MOD-23CP); (3) high milk and 18% CP starter diet (HI-18CP); and (4) HI and 23% CP starter diet (HI-23CP). Calves had free access to a starter feed and water and were weaned on d 53 but remained in the study until d 73. Urine samples were collected during the preweaning period (for 6 consecutive days between d 35 and 40) and postweaning period (for 6 consecutive days between d 65 and 70) to investigate urinary excretion of PD. Starter feed intake, β-hydroxybutyrate (BHB), and blood urea concentrations were reduced; however, average daily gain (ADG) and blood glucose levels increased in calves fed HI before weaning compared with MOD. During the preweaning period, high milk feeding increased total urinary PD excretion but decreased it after weaning. The 23CP diet resulted in higher feed intake and ADG before weaning and higher excretion of allantoin and total excretion of PD compared with the 18CP diet. The HI-23CP treatment resulted in the greatest withers and hip heights at weaning and final measurement, as well as the highest preweaning blood insulin concentrations. In terms of rumen development, MOD-23CP showed the greatest benefits based on starter intake, blood BHB concentration, and urinary excretion of PD. Based on the higher urinary excretion of PD found in HI-fed calves before weaning, it is possible that milk feeding overestimates estimated microbial yield. The results suggest that feeding starters with a higher proportion of CP may help maintain a more balanced ratio of CP to ME during high milk feeding, to avoid protein deficiency due to low starter intake. When calves are fed a high milk allowance, urine excretion of PD may be misinterpreted as a measure of estimated microbial growth and rumen development; this should be considered during calculations of estimated microbial yield in milk-fed calves.

Background: Forage inclusion in starters of young dairy calves has become an acceptable strategy in the last decade. To compensate for the lower energy provided by forage, concurrent lipid supplementation can be proposed. However, ruminal microbial activity and forage digestibility may be decreased by lipid supplementation. We hypothesized that the composite effect of forage and lipid supplements may be dependent on forage particle size and the type of lipid supplement. Therefore, we evaluated the effect of long (LP; geometric mean, 4.97 mm) vs. short alfalfa hay particle sizes (SP; geometric mean, 1.26 mm) with either soybean oil (SBO) or palm fatty acids (PLF) as lipid source in a 2 × 2 factorial design with treatments SP-SBO, SP-PLF, LP-SBO, and LP-PLF. Treatments (n = 13 with 6 males and 7 females each) were offered to Holstein calves (3 days old) with equal amounts of lipid (25 g/kg DM) throughout the experimental period. The milk offering scheme (d 1 to 53) was equal for all groups. Data collection continued until 20 d post-weaning., Results: Interaction between forage particle size and lipid supplement was significant for the following readouts: the highest and lowest starter intakes during the pre-weaning period occurred in LP-PLF and LP-SBO, respectively. This was associated with similarly contrasting changes in average daily gain (ADG) during the post-weaning period, body weight at the end of experiment, withers height, digestibility of organic matter and neutral detergent fiber, and blood serum concentrations of glucose, beta-hydroxybutyrate, and insulin during the pre-weaning period. During both pre- and post-weaning periods, the highest and lowest urinary excretion of allantoin and total purine derivatives, representing microbial protein synthesis, were observed in LP-PLF and LP-SBO, respectively, indicating that those diets were most and least favorable for rumen development. Irrespective of forage particle size, supplemental SBO vs. PLF increased serum malondialdehyde as an oxidative stress indicator across periods, increased blood urea nitrogen and feed efficiency in the pre-weaning period, and reduced hip height during the post-weaning period., Conclusions: It can be concluded that feeding a rumen-inert, mostly saturated fatty acid source with alfalfa hay as long particle size is recommended with view on performance, whereas a combination soybean oil rich in unsaturated fatty acids should not be provided to milk-fed Holstein calves together with long particle forage. Feeding soybean oil and alfalfa hay as long particles is not advisable mainly due to lower starter consumption and impaired development of ruminal function. If dietary supplementation of soybean oil is applied, incorporation of forage as small particles should be preferred to support rumen development., (© 2023. The Author(s).)

This experiment was conducted to investigate the effects of partial replacement of steam-flaked corn (SFC) with shredded sugar beet pulp (SBP) in the starter diet on selective intake (sorting), feeding and chewing behavior, blood biochemical parameters, and growth in newborn female Holstein dairy calves. A total of 48 calves (3 d old; 40.1 ± 0.84 kg body weight; mean ± SE) were randomly assigned to 1 of 2 feeding treatments containing 0 or 25% SBP (percentage of dry matter [DM]) in the starter diet. Calves were weaned on d 61 and remained in the study until d 81. Intake of starter feed and total intake of DM (milk DM + starter feed DM), crude protein, and neutral detergent fiber were increased ( P  < 0.05) by feeding SBP; however, intake of starch ( P  < 0.01) and total intake of ether extract ( P  = 0.03) were decreased with no apparent effect on total intake of ME. Average daily gain, feed efficiency, final weight, and skeletal growth also showed no significant changes. Circulating concentrations of glucose, total protein, and albumin were not affected by partial replacement of SBP with SFC; however, higher concentrations of blood urea-N ( P  = 0.01) and a lower albumin-to-globulin ratio ( P  = 0.03) were observed in SBP- vs. SFC-fed calves. Calves fed SBP sorted more for particles retained on the 4.75-mm sieve ( P  = 0.02) and against particles retained on the 0.6-mm sieve and bottom pan ( P  < 0.01). Intake of neutral detergent fibers and starch from particles retained on all sieve fractions was increased and decreased ( P  < 0.01), respectively, by replacing SFC with SBP. Replacement of SBP with SFC was associated with increased meal length and meal size and increased rumination frequency and length, but decreased intervals between rumination ( P  ≤ 0.01). Calves fed SBP spent more time eating, rumination, and standing and less time lying and non-nutritive oral behaviors ( P  < 0.01). In general, 25% replacement of SFC with SBP did not affect calf performance but increased time spent rumination and eating and decreased non-nutritive oral behaviors., Competing Interests: We declare that we have no financial and personal relationships with other people or organizations that can inappropriately influence our work, and there is no professional or other personal interest of any nature or kind in any product, service and/or company that could be construed as influencing the content of this paper., (© 2021 Chinese Association of Animal Science and Veterinary Medicine. Publishing services by Elsevier B.V. on behalf of KeAi Communications Co. Ltd.)

The aim of this study was to determine the influence of follicular profiles over 4 days prior to superovulation on superovulatory responses. Eighty-eight Holstein cows were synchronized by two prostaglandin F(2)α injections given 11 days apart and conventionally superovulated between days 8 and 12 of the estrous cycle with 400 mg Folltropin-V given in decreasing doses over 4 days. Luteolysis was induced by 2 im injections of cloprostenol (2 ml) with the sixth and seventh injections of Folltropin-V. The ovaries of all cows were examined by ultrasonography with a real-time linear scanning ultrasound diagnostic system (Ls-300-A: Tokyo Keiki Co., Tokyo, Japan; 7.5 MHz Transducer) on days -3, -2, -1, 0 (initiation day of the superovulatory treatment=day 0). Data were analyzed by the GLM procedure of the SAS. Animals with a greater diameter of the largest follicle (F1; 13.4 vs 9.8 and 10.1 mm; p<0.007) and with a greater difference in the diameter of the first and second largest follicles (7.6 vs 4.5 and 3.8 mm; p<0.001) had the greater superovulatory response and produced the greater number of quality I embryos. In conclusion, the diameter of the F1 and the F1-F2 follicles were higher over a 4-day period prior to superovulation in animals yielding a high than a medium and a low number of quality I and I+II embryos., (Copyright © 2012 Elsevier B.V. All rights reserved.)