Does adding water to a dry starter diet improve calf performance during winter?

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Effects of corn grain processing and protein source on calf performance, rumen fermentation, and blood metabolites

Abstract The objective of this study was to investigate the effects of the interaction between corn grain processing and protein source on feed intake, growth performance, rumen fermentation, and blood metabolites of dairy calves. Seventy-two 3-day-old Holstein calves with an initial weight of 39.1 ± 3.24 kg were randomly assigned (n = 12 calves (6 male and 6 female) per treatment) to a 2 × 3 factorial arrangement of treatments with the factors of physical form of the corn grain [coarsely ground (CG) and steam-flaked (SF)] and protein type [canola meal (CAN), canola meal + soybean meal (CASY), and soybean meal (SOY)] were assigned. The study showed a significant correlation between corn grain processing method and protein source on calf performance, including starter feed intake, total dry matter intake (DMI), body weight, average daily gain (ADG), and feed efficiency (FE). The CG-CAN and SF-SOY treatments resulted in the highest feed intake and DMI in the post-weaning and total period, respectively. Interestingly, corn processing did not affect feed intake, ADG, and FE, but the highest ADG was observed at SF-SOY and CG-CAN. In addition, the interaction between corn processing method and protein source improved FE in calves fed CG-CAN and SF-SOY during the preweaning period and throughout the period. Although skeletal growth parameters were unchanged, calves fed SOY and CASY had greater body length and withers height than calves fed CAN during the preweaning period. Rumen fermentation parameters were also not affected by the treatments, except that calves fed CAN had a higher molar proportion of acetate than calves fed SOY and CASY. Corn grain processing and protein source did not affect glucose, blood urea nitrogen (BUN), or β-hydroxybutyrate (BHB) concentrations, except for the highest blood glucose level observed in the CAN treatment and the highest BUN level observed in the preweaned calves fed SOY. However, a two-way interaction was observed for BHB concentration, suggesting that ground corn grain resulted in higher BHB concentration during the preweaning and postweaning periods than steam-flaked corn. In summary, it is recommended to incorporate canola meal with ground corn or soybean meal with steam-flaked corn in calf starters to enhance calf growth

Effects of corn processing index and forage source on performance, blood parameters, and ruminal fermentation of dairy calves

Abstract The objective of this study was to investigate the effects of corn processing index (CPI)—particularly at 70% and 85%—in starter feed in combination with the provision of forage, either alfalfa hay (AH) or wheat straw (WS), on feed intake, growth performance, rumen pH, and blood metabolites of dairy calves. Forty-eight male Holstein calves (43.0 ± 1.5 kg body weight) were randomly assigned (n = 12 calves per treatment) to one of four dietary treatments: (1) a textured starter diet containing 70% CPI and AH (70CPIAH), (2) a textured starter feed containing 70% CPI combined with WS (70CPIWS), (3) a textured starter feed containing 85% CPI and AH (85CPIAH), (4) a textured starter feed containing 85% CPI combined with WS (85CPIWS). Intake of starter feed (TMR) and milk was individually monitored and recorded daily, while body weight was measured weekly. On days 30 and 65, blood samples were collected from all calves 3 h after morning feeding. No interaction was detected between the CPI of starter feed diets and forage provision for starter intake, dry matter intake (DMI), metabolizable energy intake (MEI), feed efficiency (FE), average daily gain (ADG), and body weight (BW). The preweaning and overall DMI, preweaning, postweaning and overall FE and ADG, preweaning and overall starter intake, preweaning and overall ME intake, and postweaning and overall BW were greater for calves fed 85CPI than those fed 70CPI starter diets. Postweaning and overall ADG and postweaning FE were greater in calves fed WS than those fed AH. Body length and hip width were greater for calves offered 85CPI than in fed 70CPI. Wheat straw supplementation increased rumen pH at day 65 in calves fed 70CPI, but not in those fed 85CPI. No interaction was found between the CPI in the starter feed diet and the forage source for starter intake and DMI, MEI, FE, and BW. The results showed that including corn with 85% processing index in dairy calf starters improved their growth performance