The nutritive value of cooked potato in liquid and creep diets for early-weaned calves

Abstract

1. In three experiments, 112 7-day-old British Friesian male calves were used in performance and digestibility trials to evaluate dried cooked potato in liquid and creep diets. 2. A 15% depression in growth rate for each 10% inclusion of cooked potato flour in liquid diets was recorded from 4 to 21 days and the faeces of potato-fed calves also tended to be less solid. Over the whole feeding period, liquid diets containing up to 20% potato did not significantly depress performance to weaning at 35 days. 3. Only when a liquid diet containing potato starch was introduced prior to 4 weeks of age was daily live-weight gain markedly depressed. 4. Incorporating potato starch in milk diets did not influence creep intake. 5. Calves offered a creep diet containing 40 % cooked potato flake ate less, but grew faster than calves given a diet containing 40% flakedmaize. At constant intakes of creep, daily gains were 14 to 18% greater on the diet containing potato flake. 6. The apparent digestibility of gross energy and nitrogen was 0-67 and 0-66 for the flaked maize creep and 0-71 and 0-69 for the potato creep. Digestible energy and digestible nitrogen values were 12-7 MJ and 18-2 g/kg dry matter for the maize diet and 13-0 MJ and 19-0 g/kg dry matter for the flaked potato diet. 7. The incidence of bloat was higher for calves fed on potato than for those fed on maize.

Utilization of partially hydrolysed starch in milk replacers by newborn lambs

“…(1968), Hinks e<a£. (1974 and Hinks & Armishaw (1975) reported poor performance for calves given starch during the first 2 weeks of life with subsequent improvement thereafter. The apparent improvement in lamb performance with age may have been associated with the increased secretion of pancreatic amylase and intestinal maltase thought to occur in lambs (Walker, 1959) and calves (Dollar & Porter, 1957;Siddons, 1968;Ternouth, Siddons & Toothill, 1971) as they grow.…”

Comparison of ruminal and post-ruminal digestion of a concentrate feed in the young calf

“…In addition to the processes occurring in the rumen in situ, rumen contribution to improved digestibility might also be due to the fact that (i) partial digestion of the concentrate in the rumen improves its digestibility in the intestine, and (ii) the gradual release of concentrate from the rumen avoids loading the intestine and permits better exposure of the chyme to digestive and absorptive processes. It was shown earlier that the capacity of the abomasum and the small intestine of young calves to digest and absorb ingredients of plant origin is somewhat limited as compared to milk ingredients (Nitsan et al, 1972 ;Hinks and Armishaw, 1975 ;Sissons and Smith, 1976 …”