The artificial rearing of calves and their growth on grass diets: I. The effect of type and temperature of milk substitute given ad libitum

Abstract

Two experiments were carried out to study the effect of the ad libitum feeding of whole-milk substitutes, either warm or cold, and the availability of drinking water, on the level of food intake and live-weight gain of calves. Freshly cut grass or pasture was the sole source of solid feed.In Exp. 1 forty Hereford x Friesian male calves were reared individually indoors in a 2 x 2 x 2 factorial design experiment. The treatments were full-cream milk powder v. milk substitute, temperature at which the milk was offered, and drinking water v. no drinking water available to the calves. Fresh grass was cut daily and fed ad libitum to all animals from the sixth day of treatment.In Exp. 2, twelve Hereford x Friesian male calves were reared at pasture on warm or cold full-cream milk during weeks 1-7, and on milk substitute during weeks 8-15.During both experiments calves receiving warm milk drank slightly more than calves receiving cold milk; this difference was significant in Exp. 1 only. There was a tendency for calves receiving cold milk to make higher live-weight gains (0-05 < P < 0-1) when drinking water was available than when it was not. In Exp. 1, the rates of live-weight gain of calves receiving warm or cold milk substitute with drinking water available were 0-99 and 0-89 kg/head/day, respectively: for calves receiving full-cream milk powder the corresponding rates were 0-86 and 0-80 kg/head/day. When drinking water was not available the rates of gain of calves on warm or cold milk substitute were respectively 0-93 and 0-82 kg/head/day, and on full-cream milk powder, 0-94 and 0-55 kg/head/day. In Exp. 2 the rate of live-weight gain measured during the first 7 weeks, whilst calves were receiving full-cream milk powder, was 0-88 kg/head/day irrespective of the temperature at which the milk was given. During weeks 8-14 milk substitute was given, which resulted in rates of live-weight gain of 1-05 kg/head/day for calves receiving warm milk and 0-92 kg/head/day for calves receiving cold.

The artificial rearing of calves and their growth on grass diets:III. The effect of length of period of feeding cold milk Substitute to calves given dride grass in different physical forms

“…consumed (50-70, Table 3) was lower than that calculated from the data of other workers who fed warm milk with cereal/protein concentrates (70-90;Burt & Bell, 1962;Hussain, 1963;Baker & Baker, 1965). This was probably an effect of a higher intake of nutrients in the dry form, since an earlier experiment in this series (Tayler & Lonsdale, 1969) showed no difference in conversion efficiency of milk substitute reconstituted at two temperatures.…”

“…which its nutritive value changes very little. The use of dried grass means that calves entering an In previous papers (Tayler & Lonsdale, 1969; experiment at different times and weaned after Lonsdale & Tayler, 1969 a) it was shown that different periods of milk feeding can be offered a calves born in spring and summer could be reared uniform diet. on cold reconstituted milk substitute when fresh Artificial drying per se does not markedly alter grass, either fed or grazed ad libitum, was the 'solid' the nutritive value of herbage (Watson, 1948) feed.…”

The artificial rearing of calves and their growth on grass diets: II. The effect of length of period of feeding cold milk substitute to spring–born calves at pasture

“…metal shelter 8 ft in diameter. Previous work on artificial outdoor rearing of During the period indoors, the calves were introcalves has involved the hand-feeding of warm milk, duced to the method of feeding milk substitute The first experiments in this series (Tayler & described by Tayler &Lonsdale (1969), except that Lonsdale, 1969) showed that the live-weight gains of iron injections were omitted. The composition of the calves fed on cold milk substitute indoors or at milk substitute was the same as that used in the pasture were comparable with those attained on previous experiment except that beef tallow rewarm milk and that a system of ad libitum feeding of placed the coconut oil and comprised 20 % by weight C. R. LOKSDALE AND J .…”

The management of calves on an early-weaning system: the relationship of voluntary water intake to dry feed intake and live-weight gain to 5 weeks

“…Tayler and Lonsdale (1969) evaluated the effect of feeding ad libitum of whole milk substitutes, given either warm or cold, and availability of drinking water, on the level of dry feed intake and live-weight gain of calves. However, there is still a difference of opinion as to the best time to introduce water to calves reared on a 5to 6-week weaning system.…”