sponsor day on animal feeding: paving the road for the future: nutrition and management of dairy...
DESCRIPTION
Sponsor Day: Seminar on Animal Feeding 15th-16th May 2014 IRTA Mas BoverTRANSCRIPT
Paving the Road for the Future:
Nutrition and Management of Dairy
Calves
Ruminant Production [email protected]
IMPORTANCE OF DAIRY CALVES
IMPORTANCE OF DAIRY CALVES
The most common objective is to have a first-calf heifer at about 22-23 months weighing about 650 kg before calving and be 137-147 cm tall at the withers.
However, the mean AFC in the US is about 27 months (Hare et al., 2006), and in Europe ranges between 25 and 29 months depending on the country (Berry and Cromie, 2009).
IMPORTANCE OF DAIRY CALVES
Reducing AFC (w/o compromising BW at calving) implies:
1) the number of animals needed
2) the number of days on feed
Number of cows x replacement rate / ((1-mortality) x (1-heifer culling rate)) x 2x(Age first calving/24)
100 x .30 / ((1-.03)x(1-.01)) x 2x(24/24) = 63 -> 27,000 €/y
100 x .30 / ((1-.03)x(1-.01)) x 2x(28/24) = 73 -> 37,000 €/y
100 x .30 / ((1-.03)x(1-.01)) x 2x(22/24) = 57 -> 23,000 €/y
IMPORTANCE OF DAIRY CALVES
226 kg milk/100 g ADG
Bach and Ahedo., 2008
IMPORTANCE OF DAIRY CALVES
WHAT CAN WE DO?
RESEARCH IN MILK FEEDING PROGRAMS
80 Holstein female calves raised at Rancho Las Nieves (contract heifer operation)
Milk feeding program: 6 l/d vs 8 l/d
JDS, Bach et al., 2013
RESEARCH IN MILK FEEDING PROGRAMS
JDS, Bach et al., 2013
RESEARCH IN MILK FEEDING PROGRAMS
JDS, Bach et al., 2013
RESEARCH IN MILK FEEDING PROGRAMS
120 Holstein female calves raised at Granja San José (2,000 milking cows farm)• Milk feeding program: 4 l/d vs 6 l/d vs 8 l/d• Weighing animals at 35, 63 and 400 d of
age• Glucose Tolerance Test
RESEARCH IN MILK FEEDING PROGRAMS
0 3 6 9 12 15 18 21 24 27 30 33 36 39 42 45 48 51 54 57 60 63 66 690
500
1000
1500
2000
2500
4L
6L
8L
day of life
Tota
l DM
I, g/
d
RESEARCH IN MILK FEEDING PROGRAMS
IMPORTANCE OF SOLID FEED
R2 =0.32, P < 0.001
RESEARCH ON FOSTERING SOLID FEED INTAKE
Castells et al. (2013)15 Holstein male calves (8 days old) Same MR feeding program (4 L/d at 12,5%) Pelleted concentrate (20.4%CP; 21% NDF) Forage in a separate bucket:
No forage Chopped oats hay (72% NDF; 46% ADF) Chopped alfalfa hay (48% NDF; 42%
ADF)Weaning at 57 d of age Slaughtered 3 weeks after weaning
RESEARCH ON FOSTERING SOLID FEED INTAKE
Some of the measurements...Daily intake Weekly BW Weekly rumen sample: pH, VFA, qPCR of Ruminococcus
albus and Streptococcus bovis Total gastrointestinal tract passage rate 2 wks after weaning At slaughter:
Morphological rumen papillae measurements Cecum VFA Gastrointestinal tract weights and pH Rumen mRNA expression: MCT-1, MCT-4, SPC25,
NHE1, NHE3, DRA Parotid gland mRNA expression: AQ5 and TMEM16
RESEARCH ON FOSTERING SOLID FEED INTAKE
JDS, Castells et al., 2013
RESEARCH ON FOSTERING SOLID FEED INTAKE
JDS, Castells et al., 2013
RESEARCH ON FOSTERING SOLID FEED INTAKE
JDS, Castells et al., 2013
RESEARCH ON FOSTERING SOLID FEED INTAKE
A study under commercial conditions:120 Holstein male calves (9 days old) Same MR feeding program (6 L/d at 12,5%) Meal concentrate (20%CP; 20% NDF):
No life yeast Life Yeast
Weaning by concentrate intake Following the calves until 63 d of study Measurements:
Daily intake Weekly BW Rumen samples at weaning: pH,
microbial determination
RESEARCH ON FOSTERING SOLID FEED INTAKE
TAKE HOME MESSAGES
• Research on calves and heifers is important because they are the future of the farm, and investing in their performance and health will be recovered later in life
• Calving at 650 kg BW with 23 months at first calving needs an excellent calves and heifers feeding program (milk and concentrate)