Ruminal in situ disappearance and whole-tract digestion of starter feeds in calves before, during, and after weaning

Ruminal in situ disappearance and whole-tract digestion of starter feeds in calves before, during, and after weaning

By S. L. Gelsinger, W. K. Coblentz, G. I. Zanton, R. K. Ogden, and M. S. Akins

Published on 10/01/2019

Limited data are available on nutrient digestibilityGlossaryView allDigestibility
Capacity to be digested (difference between intake and fecal output), in %
in baby calves. This study looks at the impact of different presentations of starter feed (pellet or texturized) on the evolution of total tract and rumen digestibility of DM, NDF, starch, and nitrogen. One key finding is the total tract nutrient disappearance decreases over time (especially with dry matter).

Based on this study, there is potential to design specific rations or feed processing methods for calves based on their ability to utilize nutrients.

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