Hostname: page-component-586b7cd67f-2plfb Total loading time: 0 Render date: 2024-11-23T06:53:24.889Z Has data issue: false hasContentIssue false
  • English
  • Français

The effect of frequency of feeding milk replacer to pre-ruminant calves on respiratory quotient and the efficiency of food utilization

Published online by Cambridge University Press:  02 September 2010

P. E. V. Williams ,
R. J. Fallon ,
J. M. Brockway ,
G. M. Innes  and
A. C. Brewer
P. E. V. Williams
Affiliation:
Rowett Research Institute, Bucksburn, Aberdeen AB2 9SB
R. J. Fallon
Affiliation:
Rowett Research Institute, Bucksburn, Aberdeen AB2 9SB
J. M. Brockway
Affiliation:
Rowett Research Institute, Bucksburn, Aberdeen AB2 9SB
G. M. Innes
Affiliation:
Rowett Research Institute, Bucksburn, Aberdeen AB2 9SB
A. C. Brewer
Affiliation:
Rowett Research Institute, Bucksburn, Aberdeen AB2 9SB
Get access

Abstract

Thirty-four British Friesian bull calves were used in experiments to identify diurnal patterns of respiratory quotient (RQ), as an indicator of substrate utilization and to measure energy balance when the same daily amount of milk replacer was given on either 1, 2, 4 or 6 occasions. Each calf spent two 4-day periods in an open-circuit respiration chamber followed immediately, in selected calves, by an 8-day period in a metabolism crate, period 1 starting when calves were 12 days of age and period 2 at 28 days of age. The amount of milk replacer given daily was 32 and 48 g/kg M0·75 during periods 1 and 2 respectively.

Neither rate of live-weight gain nor the energy balance of the calves was affected by frequency of feeding. However, raising the frequency of feeding from one to four times daily significantly affected the pattern of RQ. Reduced feeding frequency tended to raise the mean maximum and lower the mean minimum values of RQ; reducing the frequency of feeding significantly increased the range in RQ (F < 0·01).

The apparent dry-matter digestibility of the milk replacer was higher in 36-day-old than in 20-day-old calves (0·93 v. 0·88; s.e.d. 0·011, P < 0·01). The effect was mainly due to an increase in the digestibility of fat (0·82 v. 0·73; s.e.d. 0·019). In 20-day-old calves, there was a linear increase in fat digestibility with increased frequency of feeding (P < 0·01) rising from 0·67 in calves given milk once daily to 0·85 when milk was given in six meals.

The results suggest that calves given milk replacer once daily (at a level of intake of 32 rising to 48 g milk powder per kg M0·75) do not pass through a diurnal period of severe nutrient deprivation and that raising frequency of feeding would do little to improve efficiency of energy utilization.

Type
Research Article
Information
Animal Production , Volume 43 , Issue 3 , December 1986 , pp. 367 - 375
Copyright
Copyright © British Society of Animal Science 1986

Access options

Get access to the full version of this content by using one of the access options below. (Log in options will check for institutional or personal access. Content may require purchase if you do not have access.)

References

REFERENCES

Appleman, R. D. and Owen, F. G. 1975. Breeding, housing and feeding management. Journal of Dairy Science 58: 447–464.CrossRefGoogle Scholar
Atkinson, T., Fowler, V. R., Garton, G. A. and Lough, A. K. 1972. A rapid method for the accurate determination of lipid in animal tissues. Analyst, London 97: 562–568.CrossRefGoogle ScholarPubMed
Blaxter, K. L. 1962. The Energy Metabolism of Ruminants, p. 41. Hutchinson, London.Google Scholar
Blaxter, K. L. and Wood, W. A. 1951. The nutrition of the young Ayrshire calf. 4. Some factors affecting the biological value of protein determined by nitrogen-balance methods. British Journal of Nutrition 5: 55–67.CrossRefGoogle Scholar
Brockway, J. M., McDonald, J. D. and Pullar, J. D. 1977. Calorimetric facilities at the Institute and the techniques employed to measure metabolism. Report, Rowett Institute 33: 106–119.Google Scholar
Brouwer, E. 1958. On simple formulae for calculating the heat expenditure and the quantities of carbohydrate and fat metabolised in ruminants, from data on gaseous exchange and urine-N. 1st Symposium on Energy Metabolism, pp. 182–192. European Association of Animal Production, Publication No. 8.Google Scholar
Clench, S. F. 1972. Early weaning of calves. Agriculture, London 79: 143–147.Google Scholar
Davidson, J., Mathieson, J. and Boyne, A. W. 1970. The use of automation in determining nitrogen by the Kjeldahl method, with final calculations by computer. Analyst, London 95: 181–193.CrossRefGoogle ScholarPubMed
Davis, A. V., Woodward, R. S. and Rusoff, L. L. 1970. Effect of feeding two milk replacers once or twice daily or milk twice daily to young dairy calves. Journal of Dairy Science 53: 674 (Abstr.).Google Scholar
Fabry, P. and Braun, T. 1967. Adaptation to the pattern of food intake: some mechanisms and consequences. Proceedings of the Nutrition Society 26: 114–152.Google Scholar
Gibson, J. P. 1981. The effects of feeding frequency on the growth and efficiency of food utilization of ruminants: an analysis of published results. Animal Production 32: 275–283.Google Scholar
Han, I. K. 1973. Effects of frequency of meal on the growth rate, nutrient digestibility, body composition, nitrogen retention and heat production of rats. Nutrition Reports International 7: 9–18.Google Scholar
Hardy, R. 1972. Simple early weaning concentrates for calves. Experimental Husbandry 22: 89–98.Google Scholar
Hofmann, A. F. 1976. Fat digestion: the interaction of lipid digestion products with micellar bile acid solutions. In Lipid Absorption; Biochemical and Clinical Aspects (ed. Rommel, K. and Bohmer, R.), pp. 3–19. MTP Press Ltd, Lancaster.CrossRefGoogle Scholar
Huber, J. T. and Slade, L. M. 1967. Fish flour as a protein source in calf milk replacers. Journal of Dairy Science 50: 1296–1300.CrossRefGoogle Scholar
Jonsson, G., Hassler, L. and Ostlund, K. 1966. The effect of a 24-hour fast and glucose feeding on the weight and composition of the liver in suckling calves. Ada Veterinariae Scandinavica 7: 143–156.CrossRefGoogle Scholar
Leibholz, J. 1975. Dietary effects on the flow of nutrients from the abomasum of the preruminant calf. Australian Journal of Agricultural Research 26: 623–633.CrossRefGoogle Scholar
Lineweaver, J. A. and Hafez, E. S. E. 1969. Feed intake and performance in calves fed ad libitum and four times daily. Journal of Dairy Science 52: 2001–2006.CrossRefGoogle Scholar
McCracken, K. T. 1975. Effect of feeding pattern on the energy metabolism of rats given low-protein diets. British Journal of Nutrition 33: 277–289.CrossRefGoogle ScholarPubMed
Mitchell, C. D. and Broadbent, P. J. 1973. The effect of level and method of feeding milk substitute and housing environment on the performance of calves. Animal Production 17: 245–156.Google Scholar
Mylrea, P. J. 1966. Digestion of milk in young calves. II. The absorption of nutrients from the small intestine. Research in Veterinary Science 7: 394–406.CrossRefGoogle ScholarPubMed
Noble, R. C. 1980. Lipid metabolism in the neonatal ruminants. Progress in Lipid Research 18: 179–216.CrossRefGoogle Scholar
Randall, E. M. and Swannack, K. P. 1975. Once a day feeding for calves. Experimental Husbandry 28: 44–52.Google Scholar
Raven, A. M. 1970. Fat in milk replacers for calves. Journal of the Science of Food and Agriculture 21: 352–359.CrossRefGoogle Scholar
Roy, J. H. B. 1964. The nutrition of intensively-reared calves. Veterinary Record 76: 511–526.Google Scholar
Roy, J. H. B., Stobo, I. J. F., Gaston, H. J., Shotton, S. M. and Ganderton, P. 1973. The nutrition of the veal calf. 5. Comparison of two margarine fats. Animal Production 17: 97–107.Google Scholar
Thivend, P., Toullec, R. and Guilloteau, P. 1979. Digestive adaptation in the preruminant. In Digestive Physiology and Metabolism (ed. Ruckebusch, Y. and Thivend, P.), pp. 561–585. MTP Press Ltd, Lancaster.Google Scholar
Webster, A. J. F. 1983. UK trends in relation to calf housing, feeding and management. Proceedings of Irish Farm Buildings Association Annual Spring Conference, Kilkenny.Google Scholar
White, B. R. and Radcliffe, J. C. 1970. A comparison of once daily and twice daily feeding of milk replacers to dairy calves. Proceedings of the Australian Society of Animal Production 8: 247–251.Google Scholar