Document Type : Research Paper
Authors
1 Graduated from Animal Nutrition, Department of Animal Sciences, Institute of Agriculture, Water, Food and Nutraceuticals, Isf.C., Islamic Azad University, Isfahan, Iran.
2 Department of Animal Sciences, Institute of Agriculture, Water, Food and Nutraceuticals, Isf.C., Islamic Azad University, Isfahan, Iran
3 Department of Animal Science, College of Agriculture, Isfahan University of Technology, Iran.
4 Department of Animal Sciences, Institute of Agriculture, Water, Food and Nutraceuticals, Isf.C., Islamic Azad University, Isfahan, Iran.
Abstract
This study was conducted to evaluate the effects of different levels of transition milk at various feeding durations on performance, nutrient digestibility, feed intake and blood metabolites in dairy calves. The experiment was carried out using a completely randomized design with 5 treatments and 9 replicates for a period of 70 days. A total of 45 calves with an average birth weight of 37 ± 1 kg were randomly assigned to treatments (6 females and 3 males per treatment). The treatments: whole milk (control), 2 L of transition milk + 3 L of whole milk up to 7 days of age, 4 L of transition milk + 1 L of whole milk up to 7 days of age, 2 L of transition milk + 3 L of whole milk up to 14 days of age and 4 L of transition milk + 1 L of whole milk up to 14 days of age. After these periods, all groups were fed according to the standard farm feeding program. Specifically, calves receiving 2 L of transition milk plus 3 L of whole milk up to 14 days of age had the highest body weight, average daily gain and feed intake. Moreover, this treatment showed greater blood total protein and globulin concentrations compared with others. The highest mean fecal score was observed in the control group (P<0.05), indicating a greater risk of diarrhea. In conclusion, supplementation with transition milk improved growth performance, reduced diarrhea incidence, and enhanced immune status in dairy calves.
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