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The Effects of Supplementing Two Pasteurized Milk Balancer Products to Pasteurized Whole Milk on the Health and Growth of Dairy Calves
Neonatal Holstein heifer calves (n=72) received one of three dietary treatments: M (no supplement), MB (Land O’Lakes Pasteurized All-Milk Balancer), or MPB (Land O’Lakes Pasteurized Protein-Blend Balancer) from d 1 through weaning at d 56. Two locations were used in this trial, NCSU Lake Wheeler Dairy (Raleigh, NC) and NCDA Piedmont Research Station (Salisbury, NC), with 36 calves on trial at each site. All calves were removed from their dams after birth (d 0) and fed 3.8L pasteurized colostrum. All calves were fed pasteurized whole milk from d 1 through d 56. Calves were fed 3.8L milk divided into 2 equal feedings from d 1 through d 14 and 5.7L milk divided into 2 equal feedings from d 15 through weaning at d 56. Supplements given to MB and MPB were included at a rate of 0.23kg of their respective balancer per 3.8L of pasteurized whole milk. Calves were weighed and measured for wither height (WH), hip height (HH), and hip width (HW) every 7 d from birth until weaning at d 56. Average daily gain (ADG) and feed efficiency (FE) were calculated from d 0 through d 56. Feed efficiency is the ratio of total gain to total dry matter intake (DMI), which included milk balancer DM and calf starter DM consumed. A contrast statement was used to compare M to the average of MB and MPB, and a second contrast compared the two supplemented treatments, MB versus MPB. Calves fed MB and MPB had greater body weight (BW) , ADG, HW and WH when compared to calves fed M. Calves fed MB or MPB performed similarly.
Table 1: BW, HH, HW, WH, ADG and FE as affected by treatment for 72 Holstein heifer calves from birth through weaning at 56 d
|
Treatment |
|
M vs ½(MB+MPB) |
MB vs MPB |
||
|
M |
MB |
MPB |
SEM |
P ≤ |
P ≤ |
BW, kg |
53.8 |
56.7 |
58.19 |
1.0 |
0.01 |
0.3 |
HH, cm |
85.0 |
85.5 |
86.3 |
0.7 |
0.2 |
0.3 |
HW, cm |
18.8 |
19.0 |
19.4 |
0.2 |
0.04 |
0.1 |
WH, cm |
80.4 |
81.1 |
82.1 |
0.7 |
0.04 |
0.1 |
ADG, kg |
0.70 |
0.80 |
0.77 |
0.03 |
0.01 |
0.3 |
FE, total gain/total DMI |
0.75 |
0.69 |
0.64 |
0.04 |
0.09 |
0.4 |
Keywords: Calf, Milk Balancer, Pasteurized