Nutritional regulation of gut function in dairy calves: From colostrum to weaning
Published on 09/10/2019
Feeding sufficient amounts of colostrum in the first 24 hours of life is well-known to be vital for calf health. Less is known about transition milk feeding and the potential benefits. Feeding an elevated plane of milk nutrition results in increased ADG and, in some studies, increased future milk production. However, weaning calves from high volumes of milk represents massive changes in the structure and microbiology of the gastrointestinal tract. Weaning step-down strategies and post-weaning/growing phase nutrition is the next frontier in calf and heifer biological discoveries.
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