Hostname: page-component-848d4c4894-2pzkn Total loading time: 0 Render date: 2024-06-03T21:37:03.069Z Has data issue: false hasContentIssue false
  • English
  • Français

Feeding the young ruminant

Published online by Cambridge University Press:  27 February 2018

P. E. V. Williams  and
A. I. Frost
P. E. V. Williams
Affiliation:
Rhone Poulenc Animal Nutrition, 92166 Antony, Cedex, France
A. I. Frost
Affiliation:
Natural Resources Institute, Chatham, Kent ME4 4TB
Get access

Abstract

Young calves and lambs are weaned early to reduce the amount of milk products consumed and potentially improve the profitability of rearing enterprises. At weaning the pre-ruminant must make a number of adjustments to cope with the change in dietary substrate. The microbial population in the rumen must develop and metabolic changes are required in order for the young ruminant to metabolize the end products of microbial digestion. It is recognized that early weaning poses a stress to the calf but it is generally considered that the calf rapidly adjusts to the change in diet composition. A number of factors indicate that considerable advantage would be gained from delaying the weaning of calves and indeed that the calf is not physiologically capable of adapting to an early-weaning regime. Work has indicated that a diverse anaerobic microbial population can be identified in the developing rumen of the calf. More recent results show that the presence of a faculative anaerobic population, which exists for a considerable period of time, has an adverse effect on the development of a mature anaerobic population. Low rumen pH is a problem in the young calf. The level of rumen pH verges on that which would be described as acidosis in the adult ruminant. The young calf is unable to stabilize rumen pH and increasing the level of dry food intake at weaning may further depress rumen pH if the salivary buffering capacity of the calf is not adequately developed. Results indicate that the ability to utilize volatile fatty acids is not fully developed in the young calf and that early weaning can result in high levels of VFAs in the circulation.

The composition of the dry diet has a major effect on the response of the calf to weaning. Choice of the ingredients can affect the buffering capacity of the rumen and the physiological development of the digestive tract. Strategies to limit the nutrient intake from dry food to levels commensurate with the developing physiology of the calf may result in a more uniform transition to full ruminant status with consequent benefits in growth rate and health.

Type
Research Article
Information
BSAP Occasional Publication , Volume 15 , 1992 , pp. 109 - 118
Copyright
Copyright © British Society of Animal Production 1992

Access options

Get access to the full version of this content by using one of the access options below. (Log in options will check for institutional or personal access. Content may require purchase if you do not have access.)

References

Agricultural Research Council. 1984. Nutrient requirements of ruminant livestock. Commonwealth Agricultural Bureaux, Slough.Google Scholar
Anderson, K. L., Nagaraja, T. G., Morrill, J. L., Avery, T. B., Galitzer, S. J. and Boyer, J. E. 1987. Ruminai microbial development in conventionally or early weaned calves. Journal of Animal Science 64: 1215–1226.Google Scholar
Bell, F. R. and Holbrooke, S. E. 1979. The sites in the duodenum of receptor areas which affect abomasal emptying n the calf. Research in Veterinary Science 27: 1–4.Google Scholar
Bell, F. R. and Mostaghni, K. 1975. Duodenal control of gastric emptying in the calf. Journal of Physiology 245: 387–407.Google Scholar
Bell, F. R., Nouri, M. and Webber, D. E. 1981. The interplay between hydrogen ions, bicarbonate ions and osmolality in the anterior duodenum modulating gastric function in the conscious calf. Journal of Physiology 314: 331–341.Google Scholar
Bell, F. R. and Razig, S. A. D. 1973. The effect of some molecules and ions on gastric functions in the milk fed calf. Journal of Physiology 228: 513–526.Google Scholar
Broesder, J. T., Judkins, M. Bv Krysl, L. J., Gunter, S. A. and Barton, R. K. 1990. Thirty or sixty per cent milk replacer reduction for calves: effects on alfalfa hay intake and digestibility, digestive kinetics and ruminai fermentation. Journal of Animal Science 68: 2974–2985.Google Scholar
Bush, R. S. 1988. Effect of age and diet on in vitro metabolism in rumen epithelium from Holstein calves. Canadian Journal of Animal Science 68: 1245–1251.Google Scholar
Counotte, G. H. M., van Klooster, T. T., van der Kuilen, J. and Prins, R. A. 1979. An analysis of the buffer system in the rumen of dairy cattle. Journal of Animal Science 49: 153–154.Google Scholar
Davis, C. L., Brown, R. E., Staubus, J. R. and Nelson, W. O. 1960. Availability and metabolism of various substrates in ruminants. II. Rate of acetate oxidation as affected by availability of substrate. Journal of Dairy Science 43: 241–249.Google Scholar
Fonty, G., Jouany, J. P., Senaud, J., Gouet, Ph. and Grain, J. 1984. The evolution of microflora, microfauna and digestion in the rumen of lambs from birth to 4 months. Canadian Journal of Animal Science 64: suppl., pp. 165–166.Google Scholar
Frost, A. I. 1989. The effect of dietary substrate on the stimulation of appetite and rumen function in young calves. Ph.D. Thesis, University of Aberdeen.Google Scholar
Frost, A. I., Innes, G. M. and Williams, P. E. V. 1989. Effects of replacing rolled barley with either molassed sugar-beet feed or lucerne meal in complete pelleted diets for young calves. Animal Production 48: 630 (abstr.).Google Scholar
Frost, A. I. and Nevison, I. M. 1989. A system for analysing the buffer system in the developing rumen of the young calf. Animal Production 48: 666 (abstr.).Google Scholar
Fulton, W. R., Klopfenstein, T. J. and Britton, R. A. 1979. Effects of ruminai pH alteration on rumen fermentation and voluntary intake of wheat diets. Journal of Animal Science 49: 785–789.CrossRefGoogle Scholar
Gouet, Ph., Fonty, G., Jouany, J. P. and Nebout, J. M. 1984. Cellulolytic bacteria establishment and rumen digestion in lambs isolated after birth. Canadian Journal of Animal Science 64: 163–164.Google Scholar
Hodgson, J. 1971. Development of solid food intake in calves. 1. The effect of previous experience of solid feed and the physical form of the diet on the development of food intake after weaning. Animal Production 13: 15–24.Google Scholar
Hughes, J. 1988. The effect of high strength yeast culture in the diet of early-weaned calves. Animal Production 46: 526 (abstr.).Google Scholar
Jouany, J. P., Demeyer, D. I. and Grain, J. 1988. Effect of defaunating the rumen. Animal Feed Science and Technology 21: 229–265.Google Scholar
Kaufmann, W. and Hagemeister, H. 1969. The buffer system in the forestomachs of cattle. Zeitschrift für Tierphysiologie Tierernahrung Futtermittelkunde 25: 157–168.Google Scholar
Kay, R. N. B. 1966. The influence of saliva on digestion in ruminants. World Review of Nutrition and Dietetics 6: 292–325.Google Scholar
Kellaway, R. C., Grant, T. and Chudleigh, J. W. 1973. The effect of roughage and buffers in the diet of early weaned calves. Australian Journal of Experimental Animal Husbandry 13: 225–228.Google Scholar
Leaver, J. D. and Yarrow, N. H. 1972. Weaning calves according to their concentrate intake. Animal Production 14: 161–165.Google Scholar
McBurney, M. I., Van Soest, P. J. and Chase, L. E. 1983. Cation exchange capacity and buffering capacity of neutral detergent fibres. Journal of the Science of Food and Agriculture 34: 910–916.Google Scholar
Mann, S. O. and Oxford, A. E. 1955. Relationship between viable saccharolytic bacteria in the rumen and abomasum of the young calf and kid. Journal of General Microbiology 12: 140–146.Google Scholar
Nisbet, D. J. and Martin, S. A. 1990. Effect of Yea-sacc on lactate utilization by the ruminal bacterium Selenomonas ruminantium . In Biotechnology in the feed industry, (ed. Lyons, T. P.), pp. 463–467. Alltech Technical Publications, Kentucky.Google Scholar
Quigley, J. D., Schweb, C. G. and Hylton, W. E. 1985. Development of rumen functions in calves: nature of protein reaching the abomasum. Journal of Dairy Science 68: 694–702.Google Scholar
Ricks, C. A. and Cook, R. M. 1978. Volatile fatty acid activation in the young ruminant. Federation Proceedings 37: 1053 (abstr.).Google Scholar
Roy, J. H. B. 1980. The calf. 4th ed. Butterworths, London.Google Scholar
Stobo, I. J. F., Lucci, C. S., Roy, J. H. B. and Perfitt, M. W. 1985. Comparison of high-energy pellets containing processed fibre with a coarse concentrate mixture in relation to the development of solid food intake in the calf. Animal Production 40: 570 (abstr.).Google Scholar
Thomas, D. B. and Hinks, C. E. 1982. The effect of changing the physical form of roughage on the performance of the early weaned calf. Animal Production 35: 375–384.Google Scholar
Turner, A. W. and Hodgetts, V. E. 1955. Buffer systems in the rumen of the sheep. I. pH and bicarbonate concentration in relationship to pC02. Australian Journal of Agricultural Research 56: 115–124.Google Scholar
Williams, A. G. and Coleman, G. S. 1988. The rumen protozoa. In Rumen microbial system (ed. Hobson, P. N.). Elsevier Applied Science, Barking.Google Scholar
Williams, P. E. V. 1977. An examination of the effects of climatic housing and nutrition on the performance of calves. Ph.D. Thesis, University of Glasgow.Google Scholar
Williams, P. E. V., Fallon, R. J. and Innes, G. M. 1985a. The effect of diet on the degradation of barley and hay in the developing rumen of the calf. Animal Production 40: 571 (abstr.).Google Scholar
Williams, P. E. V., Fallon, R. J. and Innes, G. M. 1985b. The effect of diet on the pH of contents in the developing rumen of the calf. Animal Production 40: 571 (abstr.).Google Scholar
Williams, P. E. V., Fallon, R. J., Innes, G. M. and Garthwaite, P. 1987. Effects on food intake, rumen development and live weight of calves of replacing barley with sugar beet-citrus pulp in a starter diet. Animal Production 44: 65–73.Google Scholar
Williams, P. E. V., Innes, G. M., Brewer, A. and Magadi, J. P. 1985c. The effects on growth, food intake and rumen volume of including untreated or ammonia-treated barley straw in a complete diet for weaning calves. Animal Production 41: 63–74.Google Scholar
Williams, P. E. V., Tait, C. A. G., Innes, G. M. and Newbold, C. J. 1991. Effects of yeast culture (Saccharomyces cerevisiae plus growth medium) in the diet of dairy cows on milk yield and forage degradation and fermentation patterns in the rumen of steers. Journal of Animal Science 69: 3016–3026.Google Scholar
Williams, P. P. and Dinusson, W. E. 1972. Composition of the ruminal flora and establishment of ruminal ciliated protozoal species in isolated calves. Journal of Animal Science 34: 469–474.Google Scholar
Young, J. W., Tove, S. B. and Ramsey, H. A. 1965. Metabolism of acetate, propionate and N-butyrate in young milk-fed calves. Journal of Dairy Science 48: 1079–1087.Google Scholar