Effect of oat hay provision method on growth performance, rumen fermentation and blood metabolites of dairy calves during preweaning and postweaning periods

Abstract

The comparison of the effects of all forage offering methods would be particularly useful information in modeling growth performance and rumen fermentation of dairy calves. Therefore, this study attempted to evaluate the effects of methods of oat hay provision on growth performance, rumen fermentation and biochemical blood indices of dairy calves during preweaning and postweaning periods. At birth, 40 female Polish Holstein-Friesian calves (3 days of age; 39.6 ± 0.39 kg BW) were randomly assigned to four treatment groups differing in the access to chopped oat hay: CON (control, starter without oat hay), OH (starter feed containing 10% DM basis oat hay), OH-FC (starter feed containing 10% DM basis oat hay and oat hay fed as free-choice provision in different buckets) and FC (starter feed and oat hay fed as free-choice provision in different buckets). The calves were weaned on day 56, and then the study continued until day 84. Intakes of starter feed and oat hay were recorded daily, whereas BW and hip height (HH) on day 3 and then every 14 days. Samples of blood were collected on the initiation of experiment and then every 14 days, and rumen contents on day 28, 56 and 84. No treatment effects were found for starter, starch, CP, total DM intake, average daily gain, feeding efficiency, change in HH, ruminal fluid pH, concentrations of ruminal propionate and NH3-N, concentrations of urea nitrogen and non-esterified fatty acids in the blood. There were differences between treatments in terms of ruminal total volatile fatty acids and molar concentrations of acetate, butyrate and acetate to propionate ratio; highest in OH and OH-FC groups, especially during the postweaning period. On the other hand, lower concentrations of iso-valerate were found in OH and OH-FC groups on day 56 and 84. The concentrations of IGF-I throughout the experiment and β-hydroxybutyrate during the postweaning period in the blood were influenced by treatment, with the greatest values observed in OH and OH-FC calves. Results of this study indicate that starter feed containing chopped oat hay improves rumen fermentation parameters, which might allow successful transition from preruminant to mature ruminant state. Also, providing chopped oat hay with pelleted starter feed seems to be a better method than free-choice supplementation.

Effects of Age, Diet CP, NDF, EE, and Starch on the Rumen Bacteria Community and Function in Dairy Cattle

“…Still, the incomplete rumen function could not produce enough fatty acids making the rumen pH decreased. VFAs are the end products of diets’ fermentation, and they are also essential for rumen development, production performance, and body metabolism [ 40 , 41 , 42 ]. Previous studies showed that diet chemical composition could alter the rumen VFA production [ 21 , 41 , 42 ].…”

“…VFAs are the end products of diets’ fermentation, and they are also essential for rumen development, production performance, and body metabolism [ 40 , 41 , 42 ]. Previous studies showed that diet chemical composition could alter the rumen VFA production [ 21 , 41 , 42 ]. High diet starch content could enhance the rumen propionate concentration [ 41 ].…”

Effects of Oat Hay Content in Diets on Nutrient Metabolism and the Rumen Microflora in Sheep

“…Studies have shown that the composition and abundance of rumen microbes are affected by many factors, such as individual differences among animals [15], the composition of diets, and the ratio of fineness to roughness [16]. A study on the effects of dried oats on the growth performance of dairy cows before and after weaning, measured via rumen fermentation and biochemical blood indicators, revealed that starter feed containing chopped oat hay could improve rumen fermentation parameters, which might allow successful transition from a pre-ruminant to mature ruminant state [17]. The oat hay supplementation could improve the pH of the calf's rumen by changing the ratio of various microbial populations [18].…”

Different Methods of Eubiotic Feed Additive Provision Affects Health, Performance, Fermentation, and Metabolic Status of Dairy Calves During The Preweaning Period

“…Most published studies evaluated the provision of feed additive in the starter feed for dairy calves, to investigate bene ts to rumen development and accelerate growth performance [19,30,31]. However, as seen in the current study, the intake of solid feed (calf starter) by the calves in the rst 4 weeks of age is small [32,33,34], and the timing of the occurrence of enteric diseases is mainly in the rst 30 days of life [35,36]. Due to the calf's limited capability of ingesting large solid feed amounts in the rst days of life, the supplement intake within the starter is limited during the early stages of the pre-weaning period and the desired supplementation level may not be achieved until later, which might possibly mask any effects.…”