Early Stepdown Weaning of Dairy Calves with Glutamine and Branched-Chain Amino Acid Supplementations

This study was designed to protect indigenous animal breeds as an infrastructure for the continuation of biodiversity and to be a link in the production chain. For this purpose, the interaction of the information on Eastern Anatolian Red (EAR) breed, which were evaluated or protected according to different methods, and some morphological characters of animals reared under ex-situ conditions, with the sources of variation were evaluated. It were used materials preserved according to different methods and 207 head calves obtained during four years in the study. The materials that consisted of 350 head ex-situ, 200 head in-situ, 50 piece in-vitro was conserved in original environment. The weights and measurements of calves were recorded at birth and weaning. Difference of CV was the highest that was seen between males and females in 2022 (%9.24, %19.23 respectively) in birth. It was observed a certain level of difference for CV for BL, WH, CD, CW, CG, RH and FWG both between sexes and between years in weaning, but these differences were not as large as at birth. BW, WH, CW, CG, RH and FWG differed between sexes in birth period (p< 0.05). In the same period, all body measurements were different between years (p< 0.01). In weaning period, difference of CV for WW was the highest that was seen by sex in 2019 (%9.64, %15.47 female, male, respectively). In the same period, it was close CV values of body measurements determined by both sexes and years. There was an interaction between sexes and WW, CW, FWG (p< 0.05), years and all body measurements (p< 0.01) in the weaning period. The increase in studies on EAR breed could result in a modulation of sustainable of animal biodiversity potentially impacting livestock control and efficiency.

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Effect of Dietary Benzoic Acid Supplementation on Growth Performance, Rumen Fermentation, and Rumen Microbiota in Weaned Holstein Dairy Calves

Dai,

Huang,

et al. 2024

Animals

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Supplementation with benzoic acid (BA) in animal feed can reduce feeds’ acid-binding capacity, inhibit pathogenic bacterial growth, enhance nutrient digestion, and increase intestinal enzyme activities. This study aimed to investigate the effects of different doses of BA on the growth performance, rumen fermentation, and rumen microbiota of weaned Holstein dairy calves. Thirty-two Holstein calves at 60 days of age were randomly assigned into four groups (n = 8): a control group (fed with a basal diet without BA supplementation; CON group) and groups that were supplemented with 0.25% (LBA group), 0.50% (MBA group), and 0.75% (HBA group) BA to the basal diet (dry matter basis), respectively. The experiment lasted for 42 days, starting at 60 days of age and ending at 102 days of age, with weaning occurring at 67 days of age. Supplementation with BA linearly increased the average daily gain of the weaned dairy calves, which was significantly higher in the LBA, MBA, and HBA groups than that in the CON group. The average daily feed intake was quadratically increased with increasing BA supplementation, peaking in the MBA group. Supplementation with BA linearly decreased the feed-to-gain (F/G) ratio, but did not affect rumen fermentation parameters, except for the molar proportion of butyrate and iso-butyrate, which were linearly increased with the dose of BA supplementation. Compared with the CON group, the molar proportions of iso-butyrate in the LBA, MBA, and HBA groups and that of butyrate in the HBA group were significantly higher than those in the CON group. Supplementation with BA had no significant effect on the alpha and beta diversity of the rumen microbiota, but significantly increased the relative abundances of beneficial bacteria, such as Bifidobacterium, and reduced those of the harmful bacteria, such as unclassified_o__Gastranaerophilales and Oscillospiraceae_UCG-002, in the rumen. Functional prediction analysis using the MetaCyc database revealed significant variations in the pathways associated with glycolysis across groups, including the GLYCOLYSIS-TCA-GLYOX-BYPASS, GLYCOL-GLYOXDEG-PWY, and P105-PWY pathways. In conclusion, BA supplementation improved the composition and function of rumen microbiota, elevated the production of butyrate and iso-butyrate, and increased the growth performance of weaned Holstein dairy calves.

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Early Stepdown Weaning of Dairy Calves with Glutamine and Branched-Chain Amino Acid Supplementations

Cited by 3 publications

References 52 publications

Branched-chain amino acids in ruminant nutrition: Function effects and summary of recent advances

Branched-chain amino acids in ruminant nutrition: Function effects and summary of recent advances

Defining of Some Morphological Characteristics in order to Determine the Infrastructure of Conservation Strategies of Indigenous Cattle for Designing Sustainable Methods and Conservation of Biodiversity: Eastern Anatolian Red Example Reared Under Ex-Situ Conditions in Türkiye

Effect of Dietary Benzoic Acid Supplementation on Growth Performance, Rumen Fermentation, and Rumen Microbiota in Weaned Holstein Dairy Calves

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