Effect of milk replacer feeding program on performance of Belgian Blue double-muscled rearing calves

• Main Authors: L. O. Fiems, J. L. De Boever, J. M. Vanacker
• Format: Article
• Language: English
• Published: Copernicus Publications 2013-12-01
• Series: Archives Animal Breeding
• Online Access: https://www.arch-anim-breed.net/56/1039/2013/aab-56-1039-2013.pdf

One hundred and four Belgian Blue double-muscled calves were divided into four groups to examine the effects of different milk replacer (MR) programs. Calves in treatment group 1 received a MR diet reconstituted at 125&thinsp;g/l, fed at 10&thinsp;% of their initial live weight in two meals daily. Weaning occurred abruptly at a concentrate intake of 0.5&thinsp;kg/d. Treatment 2 was similar to treatment 1, except that weaning occurred at a concentrate intake of 0.75&thinsp;kg/d. Treatment 3 was similar to treatment 2, except that MR was fed once daily at 5&thinsp;% of initial body weight from a concentrate intake of 0.5&thinsp;kg/d onwards. Treatment 4 was similar to treatment 3, except that MR at a concentration of 200 g/l was fed once daily from the third week until a concentrate intake of 0.5&thinsp;kg/d. Similar concentrates and grass hay were fed. Pre-weaning gain averaged 0.51, 0.57, 0.56 and 0.53&thinsp;kg/d, respectively (<i>P</i>&thinsp;&lt;&thinsp;0.05; SEM:&thinsp;0.01). Daily nutrient intake was lowest for treatment 1. No effect on diarrhoea was found. Post-weaning gain did not differ among treatments. Daily gain during the whole rearing period (20 weeks) averaged 0.83&thinsp;kg and was not affected by treatment. Calves assigned to treatment 1 had a lower daily intake of MR, while feed efficiency tended to be worse. Weaning can be successfully accelerated by skipping over a meal when concentrate intake exceeded 0.5&thinsp;kg/d, or by combining one MR meal daily with an increased concentration of 200&thinsp;g/l from an age of three weeks onwards.