The effect of pre-weaning feeding and housing strategy on calf growth performance and behavior following post-weaning housing transition

Abstract Text: The objective was to compare the effects of pre-weaning housing and feeding strategy on post-weaning growth performance and behavior after housing transition. Forty-eight Holstein calves were fed 770 g DM/d from birth through 15 d of age and 900 g DM/d thereafter split into 2 feedings and housed in individual hutches (n = 16; FI), or fed ad libitum acidified milk replacer and housed in either individual hutches (n = 16; AI) or group hutches with 4 calves/hutch (n = 16; AG). Milk replacer was 24% CP and 20% fat, fed at 14% solids. Following weaning (wk 8), calves were moved to a separate housing area (wk 10) and housed in 3.05 x 3.66 m pens with 4 calves/pen. Calves were weighed prior to transit (FI = 79.2 ± 3.4 kg; AI = 89.7 ± 4.2 kg; AG = 88.1 ± 4.2 kg) and weekly thereafter. Behavior of individual calves (n = 36) for the first 5 h following transit and pen introduction was observed using 5-min scan sampling and averaged across pen. Calves were offered free choice chopped hay (16.1% CP; 58.7% NDF) and pelleted grain (25.7% CP; 29.8% NDF) daily. Dry matter intake was measured daily. Data were analyzed as a randomized block design using the MIXED procedure of SAS. Total DMI was greater (P = 0.02) for AI (mean ± SE; 5.85 ± 0.12 kg DM/d) compared to AG (5.29 ± 0.12 kg DM/d) and tended (P = 0.06) to be greater than FI (5.40 ± 0.12 kg DM/d). Average daily gain over the 2 wk period tended (P = 0.08) to be greater for FI (1.20 ± 0.08 kg BW/d) than AI (0.97 ± 0.08 kg BW/d) or AG (0.90 ± 0.08 kg BW/d). Feed efficiency was not altered (P = 0.12) by pre-weaning housing and feeding strategies averaging 6.16 ± 0.53 kg DMI/kg gain for AI, 5.67 ± 0.53 kg DMI/kg gain for AG, and 4.38 ± 0.53 kg DMI/kg gain for FI. Time spent in contact with another calf was greater (P = 0.02) for AG (85.4 ± 8.8 min) compared to AI (27.1 ± 8.8 min) and FI (40.0 ± 8.8 min). Housing and feeding strategy pre-weaning did not alter time spent standing (P = 0.55) or lying (P= 0.55) post-weaning. These data suggest post-weaning compensatory gain occurs with fixed intake feeding when compared to ad-libitum feeding.

Keywords: post-weaned calves, performance, behavior