Short communication: Effect of diet changes on sorting behavior of weaned dairy calves

Costa, J.H.C.; Adderley, Nicola A.; Weary, Daniel M.; Keyserlingk, M.A.G. von

doi:10.3168/jds.2015-10052

Cited by 22 publications

(15 citation statements)

References 24 publications

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“…These results indicate that calves begin to sort the feed immediately following transition to a mixed diet, and they prefer the feed component they were initially familiar with. In agreement with current study, previous studies also revealed that feed sorting behavior was observed in both milk-feeding [45] and weaned calves [46], suggesting that feeding and sorting behaviors are established early in life even though the brain and digestive system are not fully developed at this stage. It was not surprising to find that calves were in favor of feed components which they had been exposed to earlier.…”

Section: Feed Sortingsupporting

confidence: 93%

Providing calves different feed source early in life would not affect feed sorting and rumen fermentation for a long term

Xiao

Khan

Alugongo

et al. 2020

Preprint

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This study aimed to investigate the short and long-term effect of early in life exposure to different feed sources on feed sorting and rumen fermentation of calves. Forty newborn female Holstein calves were randomly divided based on supplementation of concentrate (CON) or hay (HAY) only during the milk-feeding stage (d 1 to 56). After that, all calves were offered a total mixed ration (TMR) containing 43% of forage and 57% of concentrate until the end of the experiment (d 57 to 196). Calves were weighed immediately after birth and raised in individual hutches until d 70. The calves were then transferred to a heifer barn, housed within treatment in pairs (2 calves/pen). Rectal temperature, feed intake, body weight, body structural measurement, fecal and cough score were recorded ranges from day 1 to 196. Fresh and orts feed were sampled daily at the first two weeks (d 57-70) once TMR was offered and at the last week of the experiment (d 190 to 196) for analysis of feed sorting. Rumen fluid samples were collected at ranges from d 14-190 for detecting rumen pH and volatile fatty acids (VFA) concentrations. Our findings showed that early feed exposure did not influence calf health and growth performance but affected feed sorting in a short period. Upon transition to the same mixed diet, differences were found between treatments in the sorting of the different particle fractions. At week 9 and 10, calves early exposed to concentrates began to sort for fine particle fraction (primarily concentrate in this fraction), and against the long particle fraction (solely forage in this fraction), whereas calves early fed hay sorted for the long particle fraction, and against the fine particle fraction. However, no carryover effect was found, the differences between treatments fade away when detecting feed sorting at the last week, all calves sorted for short and fine particle fractions, and sort against long and medium particle fractions. Although the pattern of feed sorting initially differed between treatments, the rumen pH and VFA concentration were not altered once all calves transitioned to a TMR. These results suggested that the feed familiarity established early in life would not affect diet selection and rumen fermentation in heifer later in life, the dietary experience after transition to same TMR would eventually override the effect of early feed experience.

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Section: Feed Sortingsupporting

confidence: 93%

Providing calves different feed source early in life would not affect feed sorting and rumen fermentation for a long term

Xiao

Khan

Alugongo

et al. 2020

Preprint

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“…Calves are capable of developing the emergence and persistence, but not the pattern, of sorting skills from a young age, and these skills are determined by nutritional demands, rumen function, or their motivation to chew and ruminate (Costa et al, 2016). Because calves are thought to learn through physiological postingestive feedback mechanisms (Provenza, 1995), our findings indicate that calves fed AH and RAH from birth learn to balance nutrient intake (CP and NDF measured in the present study) in ways that support growth and alleviate the effects of lower rumen pH, which was substantiated by similar final BW (87.4 vs. 92.8 kg for AH vs. RAH, respectively; SEM = 3.25 and P = 0.26) and rumen fluid pH during the preweaning (5.62 vs. 5.73 for AH vs. RAH, respectively; SEM = 0.14 and P = 0.57) and postweaning (5.70 vs. 5.60 for AH vs. RAH, respectively; SEM = 0.09 and P = 0.45) periods between treatment groups (Kargar and Kanani, 2019).…”

Section: Discussionmentioning

confidence: 99%

Reconstituted versus dry alfalfa hay in starter feed diets of Holstein dairy calves: Effects on feed intake, feeding and chewing behavior, feed preference, and health criteria

Kargar

Kanani

2019

Journal of Dairy Science

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We investigated the effect of reconstitution of alfalfa hay on feeding and chewing behavior, sorting activity, and health status using 20 neonate Holstein male calves (3 d of age; 40.3 ± 1.30 kg of body weight) that were assigned randomly to 2 treatments, a starter feed containing either 10% dry (AH) or reconstituted alfalfa hay (RAH), each consisting of 10 calves. Alfalfa hay was reconstituted with water 24 h before feeding to achieve a theoretical dry mater (DM) content of 20%. Both starter diets had the same ingredients and nutrient compositions but differed in their DM content (90.9 vs. 66.6% DM for AH vs. RAH, respectively). Calves were weaned on d 50 and remained in the study until d 70. Reconstitution of alfalfa hay increased the percentage of particles retained on 8-and 1.18-mm sieves, but reduced feed materials retained on the bottom pan. Feeding RAH tended to increase meal frequency (preweaning) and increased meal duration (pre-and postweaning), and thereby increased time devoted to eating without affecting nutrient intake. Calves fed RAH tended to have lower eating rate during the pre-and postweaning periods. Tendencies to concurrent increase in rumination frequency and rumination duration in calves fed RAH increased time devoted to ruminating during the preweaning period; however, a tendency to longer rumination duration did not affect ruminating time during the postweaning period. Calves fed RAH spent less time resting and standing and more time drinking during the postweaning period. Nonnutritive oral behaviors were not affected by treatment during the pre-and postweaning period. Feeding RAH decreased sorting of particles retained on 8-mm sieve compared with AH; however, calves in both treatment groups sorted for particles retained on 8-and 1.18-mm sieves and against the feed materials retained on the bottom pan. Crude protein and neutral detergent fiber intakes of particles retained on the both 8-and 1.18-mm sieves increased in calves fed RAH versus AH, with no changes in intake of nutrients retained on the bottom pan. Calves fed AH were more susceptible to develop diarrhea (odds ratio = 2.02) and pneumonia (odds ratio = 4.74) and thereby had lower chances of being treated. We found no difference between treatment groups for frequency and medication days of diarrhea; however, calves fed RAH experienced fewer days with diarrhea. Furthermore, frequency and number of days with pneumonia and administration of medication were greater for calves fed AH compared with calves fed RAH. Blood concentrations of total protein and globulin tended to be higher in calves fed RAH compared with calves fed AH. Overall, feeding RAH increased time devoted to eating by increasing meal frequency and meal duration but did not affect feed intake due to lower eating rate. Calves in both treatment groups exhibited feed sorting at the extent to which they balanced intake of nutrients and met their nutritional needs. Calves, in general, were healthy, but it seems that feeding a diet containing reconstituted alfalfa hay has a p...

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“…In addition, longer particles may increase both chewing and rumen pH, which may explain why dairy cows experiencing ruminal acidosis altered their preferences for the form of their alfalfa diet in favor of long-stemmed hay over pellets [ 10 ]. Likewise, both beef and dairy cattle preferentially sorted for longer feed particles [ 7 – 9 ] when suffering from acute bouts of ruminal acidosis, as did dairy calves when they were offered a total mixed ration in addition to their primary diet of high-energy calf starter [ 34 ]. In future studies of ruminant motivation to obtain roughage, it would be informative to quantify feed particle size.…”

Section: Discussionmentioning

confidence: 99%

Domestic cattle (Bos taurus taurus) are motivated to obtain forage and demonstrate contrafreeloading

Mintline

DeVries

et al. 2018

PLoS ONE

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Domestic cattle (Bos taurus taurus) are adapted to digest high-roughage diets, but in confinement they are commonly fed low-roughage, high-energy diets. This practice may leave cattle with an unfulfilled need to consume forage. A way to quantify motivation is to require animals to work to access a resource. Using this method, we evaluated cattle motivation to obtain forage when fed high- or low-roughage diets during and 30 d before the study. Individual heifers were fed Sudan grass (Sorghum × drummondii) hay (high roughage, n = 6) or a diet with 12% forage (as fed, low roughage, n = 6) in an open feed trough. In a second trough, 200 g/d of Sudan grass hay were fed behind a push gate, to which additional weight was added daily until heifers no longer pushed. We predicted heifers would push heavier weights, show a shorter latency, and spend more time pushing the gate when fed a low- vs. high-roughage diet. Indeed, heifers fed a low-roughage diet pushed the gate immediately after hay delivery (1.7 min) and much sooner than those fed a high-roughage diet (75.7 min). On the day before they no longer pushed the gate, latency for heifers in the low-roughage treatment remained only 3.2 min after hay delivery. The suddenness with which they ceased pushing the next day suggests they were unable to move heavier weights to express their motivation. This may explain why maximum weight pushed and time spent pushing the gate did not differ between treatments. The gate pushing by heifers with unrestricted hay access is the first demonstration by cattle of contrafreeloading: performing work to obtain a resource that is simultaneously available for free. In conclusion, consuming forage is important to cattle and is affected by both their primary diet and an internal motivation to work to obtain feed.

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Short communication: Effect of diet changes on sorting behavior of weaned dairy calves

Cited by 22 publications

References 24 publications

Providing calves different feed source early in life would not affect feed sorting and rumen fermentation for a long term

Providing calves different feed source early in life would not affect feed sorting and rumen fermentation for a long term

Reconstituted versus dry alfalfa hay in starter feed diets of Holstein dairy calves: Effects on feed intake, feeding and chewing behavior, feed preference, and health criteria

Domestic cattle (Bos taurus taurus) are motivated to obtain forage and demonstrate contrafreeloading

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