Effects of Oat Hay Supplementation at Different Weeks of Age on Growth and Development and Behavior of Calves
LI Tingting1,2, MA Jing1,2, LIU Shuai2, CHEN Tianyu2, SHEN Fei1, XIAO Fan1, CAO Zhijun2, SHAO Wei1
1. College of Animal Science and Technology, Xinjiang Agricultural University, Urumqi 830052, China;
2. State Key Laboratory of Animal Nutrition, College of Animal Science and Technology, China Agricultural University, Beijing 100193, China
Abstract：The objective of this experiment was to study the effects of oat hay supplementation at different weeks of age on growth and development and behavior of calves. Seventy-five healthy Holstein female calves with birth weight of (35.6±2.3) kg were randomly assigned into 3 groups with 5 replicates per group and 5 calves per replicate. The three groups were fed the same pasteurized waste milk+starter, the control group was fed diets without oat hay supplementation, and the experimental group was fed diets with oat hay supplementation at 2 (2wH group) and 4 weeks of age (4wH group). This experiment lasted for 70 days. The results showed as follows:1) the starter intake of calves in pre-weaning period (1 to 6 weeks of age) and weaning transition period (7 to 8 weeks of age) of 2wH group was significantly higher than that of the control group and 4wH group (P<0.05). The average daily gain (ADG) of calves in pre-weaning period, weaning transition period, post-weaning period (9 to 10 weeks of age) and whole period (1 to 10 weeks of age) of 2wH group and 4wH group was significantly higher than that of the control group (P<0.05), but there was no significant difference between 2wH group and 4wH group (P>0.05). The weaned body weight and final body weight of calves of 2wH group and 4wH group were significantly higher than those of the control group (P<0.05), but there were no significant differences between 2wH group and 4wH group (P>0.05). 2) At 70 days of age, the body oblique length abdominal circumference of calves were significantly higher than those of the control group (P<0.05). There were no significant differences on body height, body oblique length, chest circumference and abdominal circumference of calves at 1, 56 and 70 days of age between 2wH group and 4wH group (P>0.05). 3) The laying time of calves of 2wH group was significantly higher than that of the control group and 4wH group (P<0.05). The eating starter time of calves of the control group was significantly higher than that of 2wH group (P<0.05), but the total feeding time was significantly lower than that of 2wH group and 4wH group (P<0.05). The ruminating time of calves of 2wH group and 4wH group was significantly higher than that of the control group (P<0.05), and the non-nutritive oral behavior time was significantly lower than that of the control group (P<0.05). In summary, compared with oat hay supplementation at 4 weeks of age, oat hay supplementation at 2 weeks of age can effectively promote the growth and development of calves, reduce the non nutritional oral behaviors of calves, and improve the animal welfare.
李婷婷, 马静, 刘帅, 陈天宇, 沈菲, 肖凡, 曹志军, 邵伟. 不同周龄补饲燕麦干草对犊牛生长发育和行为的影响[J]. 动物营养学报, 2020, 32(7): 3246-3254.
LI Tingting, MA Jing, LIU Shuai, CHEN Tianyu, SHEN Fei, XIAO Fan, CAO Zhijun, SHAO Wei. Effects of Oat Hay Supplementation at Different Weeks of Age on Growth and Development and Behavior of Calves. Chinese Journal of Animal Nutrition, 2020, 32(7): 3246-3254.
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