Influence of milk feeding levels and calf housing on subsequent performance of Holstein heifers
The purpose of this study was to investigate the effects of increased milk feeding levels or social housing during the preweaning stage of Holstein dairy heifers on subsequent weight gain, health, and reproductive parameters over time. A total of 210 heifers were grouped by calving date in groups of...
| Main Authors: | , , , |
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| Format: | Article |
| Language: | English |
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Elsevier
2021-09-01
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| Series: | JDS Communications |
| Online Access: | http://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/pii/S2666910221000739 |
| _version_ | 1797788441029640192 |
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| author | M.E. Prado J. Wilkerson L.G. Schneider P.D. Krawczel |
| author_facet | M.E. Prado J. Wilkerson L.G. Schneider P.D. Krawczel |
| author_sort | M.E. Prado |
| collection | DOAJ |
| description | The purpose of this study was to investigate the effects of increased milk feeding levels or social housing during the preweaning stage of Holstein dairy heifers on subsequent weight gain, health, and reproductive parameters over time. A total of 210 heifers were grouped by calving date in groups of 10 and randomly assigned to one of 3 treatments: low-milk individual housing (LMI; 4 L of milk/d), high-milk individual housing (HMI; 8 L of milk/d), or low-milk social housing (LMS; 4 L of milk/d). Data collected included passive transfer status, disease events, weight gain at different time periods, age at first calving, calving intervals, and milk yield over the first 3 lactations. Passive transfer was successful in 189 calves, and, overall, disease events were low in this herd. The average daily gain for heifers in the HMI group (0.79 ± 0.05 kg/d) was significantly higher (F2, 9 = 4.76) during the preweaning treatment period compared with the other groups (LMI: 0.59 ± 0.05 kg/d; LMS: 0.68 ± 0.04 kg/d). Although treatment groups did not differ with respect to age at first calving, the LMS and HMI heifers calved (22 and 15 d, respectively) earlier than the LMI heifers. Milk yield over 3 lactations was similar among the treatment groups. This suggests that both nutrition and social dynamics can influence performance of preweaned calves. Further investigation is needed to understand the mechanisms driving increased weight gain in socially housed calves. |
| first_indexed | 2024-03-13T01:35:37Z |
| format | Article |
| id | doaj.art-1dd310f9702b44a7aca5af92259f0926 |
| institution | Directory Open Access Journal |
| issn | 2666-9102 |
| language | English |
| last_indexed | 2024-03-13T01:35:37Z |
| publishDate | 2021-09-01 |
| publisher | Elsevier |
| record_format | Article |
| series | JDS Communications |
| spelling | doaj.art-1dd310f9702b44a7aca5af92259f09262023-07-04T05:10:37ZengElsevierJDS Communications2666-91022021-09-0125277281Influence of milk feeding levels and calf housing on subsequent performance of Holstein heifersM.E. Prado0J. Wilkerson1L.G. Schneider2P.D. Krawczel3Department of Animal Science, University of Tennessee, Knoxville 37996Department of Biosystems Engineering and Soil Sciences, University of Tennessee, Knoxville 37996Department of Animal Science, University of Tennessee, Knoxville 37996Department of Animal Science, University of Tennessee, Knoxville 37996; Department of Agricultural Sciences, Faculty of Agricultural and Forestry, University of Helsinki, 00014, Helsinki, Finland; Research Centre for Animal Welfare, Department of Production Animal Medicine, Faculty of Veterinary Medicine, University of Helsinki, 00014, Helsinki, Finland; Helsinki One Health, University of Helsinki, 00014, Helsinki, Finland; Corresponding authorThe purpose of this study was to investigate the effects of increased milk feeding levels or social housing during the preweaning stage of Holstein dairy heifers on subsequent weight gain, health, and reproductive parameters over time. A total of 210 heifers were grouped by calving date in groups of 10 and randomly assigned to one of 3 treatments: low-milk individual housing (LMI; 4 L of milk/d), high-milk individual housing (HMI; 8 L of milk/d), or low-milk social housing (LMS; 4 L of milk/d). Data collected included passive transfer status, disease events, weight gain at different time periods, age at first calving, calving intervals, and milk yield over the first 3 lactations. Passive transfer was successful in 189 calves, and, overall, disease events were low in this herd. The average daily gain for heifers in the HMI group (0.79 ± 0.05 kg/d) was significantly higher (F2, 9 = 4.76) during the preweaning treatment period compared with the other groups (LMI: 0.59 ± 0.05 kg/d; LMS: 0.68 ± 0.04 kg/d). Although treatment groups did not differ with respect to age at first calving, the LMS and HMI heifers calved (22 and 15 d, respectively) earlier than the LMI heifers. Milk yield over 3 lactations was similar among the treatment groups. This suggests that both nutrition and social dynamics can influence performance of preweaned calves. Further investigation is needed to understand the mechanisms driving increased weight gain in socially housed calves.http://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/pii/S2666910221000739 |
| spellingShingle | M.E. Prado J. Wilkerson L.G. Schneider P.D. Krawczel Influence of milk feeding levels and calf housing on subsequent performance of Holstein heifers JDS Communications |
| title | Influence of milk feeding levels and calf housing on subsequent performance of Holstein heifers |
| title_full | Influence of milk feeding levels and calf housing on subsequent performance of Holstein heifers |
| title_fullStr | Influence of milk feeding levels and calf housing on subsequent performance of Holstein heifers |
| title_full_unstemmed | Influence of milk feeding levels and calf housing on subsequent performance of Holstein heifers |
| title_short | Influence of milk feeding levels and calf housing on subsequent performance of Holstein heifers |
| title_sort | influence of milk feeding levels and calf housing on subsequent performance of holstein heifers |
| url | http://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/pii/S2666910221000739 |
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