Two feeding systems with autumn born dairy calves
1992
Lanuza A, Francisco (Instituto de Investigaciones Agropecuarias, Osorno (Chile). Estacion Experimental Remehue) | Stehr H, Gunther | Butendieck B, Norberto | Pineda A, Rene
Two artificial calf feeding systems and two individual management systems were compared. Sixteen autumn born calves were (randomly) assigned the following treatments; in a complete randomized design with a factorial arrangement (2 x 2) I. Whole milk until 60 days of age (T1) and II. Whole milk until 40 days of age (T2). Both treatments included two individual management, on wood cage with groove floor (S1) and straw bedding and tied to the neck (S2). Twelve hours after birth, calves were started on the artificial feeding. T1 received 4 L/day of whole milk in two rations from 2nd day to 60th day of age. T2 received 4 L/day of whole milk in two rations during the first 30 days and later received 2 L/day in one ration for the following 10 days. Alfalfa (2nd cut) and starter was available for all the animals during the first 90 days. The body weight at 90 days was 99,5 and 100,9 kg (P = 0,05) and 50,6 started intake and 94,9 kg (P = 0,05) for T1 and T2, respectively. Total dry matter intake was 138,9 and 168,1 kg for T1 and T2, respectively from 2 to 90 days of age. Higher starter intake than hay was observed with calves in cages. It is possible to do feeding with fluid milk diet since 40th days of age and started (21% P.T.): cost per kilogram of live weight gain were similar and the system to use will depend of the milk diet cost. The individual tight allow a good calf performance but the type of feeding trough influenced the higher intake of the animal individual cage
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