Extended transition milk feeding for 3 weeks improves growth performance and reduces the susceptibility to diarrhea in newborn female Holstein calves

Background and Aim: Colostrum composition and importance for newborn organisms were repeatedly studied. However, the interest in transitional milk usefulness is weak and recommendations concerning transition milk intake are not developed. The aim of this study was to evaluate whether transition milk intake after colostrum consumption affects the chances of calf infection with Cryptosporidium spp. Materials and Methods: We collected data for Cryptosporidium spp. infection from calves (n=425) divided into three groups: The first group – supervised colostrum and transition milk intake; the second group – supervised colostrum and whole milk intake; and the third group – not supervised colostrum and whole milk intake. To detect oocysts of Cryptosporidium spp. in feces, the flotation method was used, and slides were stained using the modified Ziehl-Neelsen method. Generalized linear mixed modeling was conducted to determine whether the explanatory variable – the management of colostrum and transition milk feeding with three categories (three research groups) – was related to the probability of calves incurring infection with Cryptosporidium spp. Results: In the first group, 26.1% of calves were positive for the presence of Cryptosporidium spp. oocysts, in the second – 37.2%, and in the third – 44.1%. Statistical data analysis showed that calves who did not receive transition milk after colostrum consumption had increased chances of having Cryptosporidium spp. (by 1.90-2.47 times on average). The main results showed that the management of colostrum and transition milk feeding is related to Cryptosporidium spp. infection, indicating that both colostrum and transitional milk play a significant role in controlling pathogenic infections. Conclusion: The most effective management of colostrum and transition milk feeding against Cryptosporidium spp. infection is the timely intake of an adequate amount of colostrum followed by transitional milk consumption for at least 2 weeks before weaning from the dam.

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“…[ 24 ] and Kargar et al . [ 25 ], who investigated the health status of calves fed transitional milk. For example, Kargar et al .…”

Section: Discussionmentioning

confidence: 99%

“…For example, Kargar et al . [ 25 ] showed that extending the duration of feeding transitional milk positively influenced calf weight gain and decreased the chance of having diarrhea. This is explained by the greater concentrations of some bioactive compounds in transitional milk compared with whole milk [ 9 , 22 , 26 ].…”

Section: Discussionmentioning

confidence: 99%

Prevalence of susceptibility to Cryptosporidium spp. among dairy calves with different feeding regimens with an emphasis on the feeding of transition milk

2022

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“…Each individual calf hutch had 1.2 m × 2.4 m with approximately 3 m 2 outer fence area. Further transition milk feeding protocol was applied for this study (Kargar et al 2021). Calves were fed with 3 × 1.6 l/day of transition milk until the rst four days of age.…”

Section: Care and Feedingmentioning

confidence: 99%

Performance and health status in preweaning semi-indoor Holstein calves wearing calf jackets during winter months

Çam,

Arslan,

Kaya

et al. 2024

Preprint

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The purpose of this study was to investigate whether jacket wearing by semi-indoor Holstein calves affected performance, body measurements and health status in the preweaning period throughout the winter months. A total of one hundred calves were allocated into two treatment groups (control and jacket) in terms of their weights and sex. The calves throughout the study period were raised at individual calf hutches in a semi-open barn. All calves and the consumed concentrate intakes were weighed every 28 days to determine body weight (BW), daily growth rate (ADG), total and daily feed consumption (TFC, DFC). Incidence rate (IR) ratios were calculated from the records of daily health assessments. Calves in treatment group were jacketed from first to 45 days of age. The weaning process started gradually at 56 days of age and the calves were weaned on day 63. No significant effects of wearing jackets in terms of body measurements and performance. The respiratory diseases IR was 1.15 times higher in calves without jackets, which means that calf health was positively affected by wearing jackets. The improved health status of the treatment group showed that wearing jackets may protect calves from adverse effects of cold stress. There is a need for more comprehensive studies about the effect of calf jackets in early periods of preweaning, especially in calves in outdoor hutches.

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“…The effect of substituting PWM with raw SM for 3 weeks on dairy calves' growth and health performance has been well documented ( 28 ). It has consistently been reported that calves fed PWM gained more BW than those fed raw SM during the post-weaning and overall periods.…”

Section: Effect Of Wm Feeding On Calf Performancementioning

confidence: 99%

An Overview of Waste Milk Feeding Effect on Growth Performance, Metabolism, Antioxidant Status and Immunity of Dairy Calves

Khan

Xiao

et al. 2022

Front. Vet. Sci.

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Waste milk (WM) is a part of the milk produced on dairy farms, which is usually unsuitable for human consumption. The WM contains transition milk, mastitis milk, colostrum, milk with somatic cells, blood (Hemolactia), harmful pathogens, pathogenic and antibiotic residues. Due to the high cost of milk replacer (MR), dairy farmers prefer raw WM to feed their calves. It has been well established that WM has a greater nutritive value than MR. Hence WM can contribute to improved growth, rumen development, and immune-associated parameters when fed to dairy calves. However, feeding raw WM before weaning has continuously raised some critical concerns. The pathogenic load and antibiotic residues in raw WM may increase the risk of diseases and antibacterial resistance in calves. Thus, pasteurization has been recommended as an effective method to decrease the risk of diseases in calves by killing/inhibiting the pathogenic microorganisms in the raw WM. Altogether, the current review provides a brief overview of the interplay between the positive role of raw WM in the overall performance of dairy calves, limitations of raw WM as a feed source and how to overcome these issues arising from feeding raw WM.

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Extended transition milk feeding for 3 weeks improves growth performance and reduces the susceptibility to diarrhea in newborn female Holstein calves

Cited by 20 publications

References 23 publications

Prevalence of susceptibility to Cryptosporidium spp. among dairy calves with different feeding regimens with an emphasis on the feeding of transition milk

Prevalence of susceptibility to Cryptosporidium spp. among dairy calves with different feeding regimens with an emphasis on the feeding of transition milk

Performance and health status in preweaning semi-indoor Holstein calves wearing calf jackets during winter months

An Overview of Waste Milk Feeding Effect on Growth Performance, Metabolism, Antioxidant Status and Immunity of Dairy Calves

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Extended transition milk feeding for 3 weeks improves growth performance and reduces the susceptibility to diarrhea in newborn female Holstein calves

Cited by 20 publications

References 23 publications

Prevalence of susceptibility to Cryptosporidium spp. among dairy calves with different feeding regimens with an emphasis on the feeding of transition milk

Prevalence of susceptibility to Cryptosporidium spp. among dairy calves with different feeding regimens with an emphasis on the feeding of transition milk

Performance and health status in preweaning semi-indoor Holstein calves wearing calf jackets during winter months

An Overview of Waste Milk Feeding Effect on Growth Performance, Metabolism, Antioxidant Status and Immunity of Dairy Calves

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Extended transition milk feeding for 3 weeks improves growth performance and reduces the susceptibility to diarrhea in newborn female Holstein calves