• Asian-Australasian Journal of Animal Sciences
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• v.22 no.5
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• pp.756-764
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• 2009

Provision of an optimal environment for the calf is critical to establishing the patterns of growth and development essential to allow the heifer to express its genetic potential for milk output and reproductive capacity during its productive life. Maternal nutrition during gestation is now recognised as a key to genetic programming in utero and this influence is extended through the complexity of hormones, growth factors and immunostimulants incorporated into colostrum and milk consumed by the neonatal calf. This natural process is most often disrupted as calves are weaned abruptly to maximise milk output for commercial exploitation. The key then is to accelerate the rate of maturation of the ruminal epithelium through the provision of concentrate starter rations and high quality forage, which promote VFA production. Management systems to promote these processes in Holstein Friesian cattle are well developed, however, little is known of these processes with buffalo and Bos indicus dairy cattle such as the Sahiwal. The development of methods to program the neonate to grow faster to puberty in these species will be important to improving their productivity for the dairy industries in tropical and sub-tropical environments in the future.

• Asian-Australasian Journal of Animal Sciences
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• v.24 no.7
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• pp.957-964
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• 2011

The present study was conducted to evaluate the effects of fermented soybean meal (FSBM) on the level of cortisol hormone and immune-related serum proteins in weaned calves after experimentally induced lipopolysaccharide (LPS) challenge. Holstein neonatal calves (n = 21; 8 males and 13 females, BW = $42.2{\pm}6.15$ kg) were randomly allocated to one of two dietary treatments: SBM (control calf starter having soybean meal (SBM) as a main protein source) and FSBM (substitute SBM in control diet with FSBM) groups. All calves were fed milk replacer using an automatic milk-feeder according to step-down milking method and weaned at 7 weeks old. Experimental diets were given to calves ad libitum throughout the experimental period. For LPS challenge, all calves except negative control animals given phosphate buffered saline (PBS), were injected subcutaneously with Salmonella typhimurium LPS on day 7 (D7) after weaning (D0). No significant difference in growth performance and milk intake was observed between SBM and FSBM calves. Feeding FSBM diet resulted in significantly (p<0.05) higher LPS-specific IgG at D12 and D19 and LPS-specific IgA at D19 in peripheral blood. Calves fed with FSBM diet also had significantly (p<0.05) higher concentration of serum haptoglobin (Hp) at D8. Overall concentration of cortisol in FSBM group was considerably lower than that of SBM group. Results from current study indicate that FSBM may provide beneficial effects in alleviating weaning stress and enhance immune status of weaned calves.

• Asian-Australasian Journal of Animal Sciences
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• v.5 no.3
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• pp.427-433
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• 1992

Reproduction and growth to weaning were compared for Brahman crossbred (BX) and a local strain of South-East Asian cattle, "Javanese Zebu" (JZ) and their reciprocal crosses at "Erap" in the humid equatorial lowlands of Papua New Guinea. Forty heifers of each breed were mated continuously, half to bulls of each breed, for five years. BX calved first at 35 months while JZ calved at 31 months. Subsequent calving intervals were very short, at 370 and 341 days. JZ cows weighed about two thirds of the BX cattle at each stage of reproduction. Birth weights and growth to weaning were : BX 35 kg and 0.68 kg/d ; BX male $\times$ JZ female 29.3 kg and 0.53 kg/d ; JZ male $\times$ BX female 30.8 kg and 0.61 kg/d ; JZ 25 kg and 0.50 kg/d. The combination of small cow size, short calving interval and rapid calf growth resulted in the BX male $\times$ JZ female being the most efficient producer, in kg of calf weaned per cow mated per year while the reciprocal cross was the least efficient ; both straight-breds were equal and intermediate. These data show that indigenous equatorial cattle may not be inferior under good grazing conditions. For all traits, breed interactions (heterosis) was small and non-significant.

• Journal of Practical Agriculture & Fisheries Research
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• v.13 no.1
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• pp.103-114
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• 2011

The present survey was conducted to investigate effects of weaning age on market weights of steers and calf mortality in Hanwoo. Eight hundred and sixty-two Hanwoo cow-calf operations from all nine provinces were surveyed via personal interviews. The number of farms categorized by herd (heifer plus cow) size were 188, 364, 227 and 83 for <20 heads, 20~49 heads, 50~99 heads and >100 heads, respectively. Approximate 40% of farms surveyed weaned calves at three months of age. The percentages of farms weaning calves over three months of age were 53.5%, 37.5%, 43.7% and 39.0% for <20 heads, 20~49 heads, 50~99 heads and >100 heads, respectively. The herd size did not affect market weights of Hanwoo steers. However weaning age was negatively correlated to carcass weight of Hanwoo steers, showing that as weaning age decreased, carcass weights of Hanwoo steers increased. The average calf mortality was 5.6% and the herd size did not affect calf mortality. But weaning age was shown to be positively correlated to calf mortality and the rate of diarrhea that caused calf death, suggesting that as weaning age decreased, calf mortality and the rate of diarrhea decreased. Overall, the results of present study suggest that a decrease of calf weaning age in Hanwoo can increase the profit of Hanwoo cow-calf operations by increasing carcass weight of Hanwoo steers and by decreasing calf mortality.

• Asian-Australasian Journal of Animal Sciences
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• v.12 no.5
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• pp.728-734
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• 1999

Thirty new born crossbred (Bos taurus${\times}$Bos indicus) calves, divided randomly in a $3{\times}2$ factorial design, were fed calf starters containing one of three protein sources i.e., groundnut cake (GN), cottonseed meal (CS) and meat and bone meal (MB) along with either raw (M) or gelatinized maize (MG) for 90d. Milk was fed upto 56d of age. Green oats and respective calf starters were offered from 14d of age onwards ad lib. Clinical profile of serum suggested significantly (p<0.05) higher albumin and lower alanine aminotransferase activity due to CS feeding. Alklaine phosphatase activity varied significantly (p<0.05) among dietary treatments showing interaction between protein and starch sources. Inclusion of gelatinized maize resulted in significantly higher concentration of serum globulin (p<0.05) and alkaline phosphatase activity (p<0.01). reduced (p<0.05) ruminal pH was accompanied by a significant decrease (p<0.01) in $NH_3-N$ concentration in the strained rumen liquor (SRL) of MG fed calves. Ruminal amylase activity was lower (p<0.05) on MG diets. Alanine aminotransferase activity in the rumen exhibited a significant (p<0.01) interaction between protein and starch sources. While feeding of CS significantly (p<0.01) reduced alanine aminotransferase activity, inclusion of thermally processed maize reduced (p<0.01) both aspartate and alanine aminotransferase activities in the rumen. The overall blood picture was similar among treatments, whereas rumen metabolites especially enzyme activities, seems to be altered with source of degradable protein an starch.

• Journal of The Korean Society of Grassland and Forage Science
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• v.36 no.2
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• pp.159-166
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• 2016

This study was conducted to examine the effect of IgY supplementation on growth performance, blood metabolism, and disease occurrence in the weaned calves at 3 or 4 month of age. Average daily gain (ADG) and feed intakes were not affected by IgY supplementation, regardless of weaning months. White blood cell (WBC) count of the control group was higher in the final stage than in the initial stage (p<0.05), while that of the IgY supplemented group was lower in the final stage compared to the initial stage (p<0.05). regardless of treatments. Hematocrit (HCT) and red blood cell (RBC) counts were lower in the final stage than in the initial stage (p<0.05), but mean corpuscular volume (MCV) and mean corpuscular hemoglobin (MCH) counts were higher in the final stage than in the initial stage, regardless of treatments. In the control group, concentrations of albumin and globulin were higher in the final stage compared to the initial stage in the weaned calves at 3 month of age (p<0.05), and concentration of blood urea nitrogen (BUN) was increased in the IgY supplemented group. In the control group, concentrations of aspartate aminotransferase (AST) and gamma (${\gamma}$)-glutamyl transferase (GGT) were higher in the final stage compared to the initial stage (p<0.05). In contrast, concentrations of aspartate aminotransferase (AST) and gamma(${\gamma}$)-glutamyl transferase (GGT) were lower in the final stage compared to the initial stage for the IgY supplemented group. A diarrhea calf was only found in the control group. Manure score was higher in the control group compared to IgY supplemented group (p<0.05). Thus, these results indicates that IgY supplementation had positive effects on some blood metabolites, fecal condition score and diarrhea without negative effect on growth performance of the weaned Hanwoo calves.

• Asian-Australasian Journal of Animal Sciences
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• v.11 no.4
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• pp.375-380
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• 1998

Six Holstein heifer calves weaned at 45 days-of-age were randomly allocated into high daily gain (1.1 kg/d, HDG) and low daily gain (0.56 kg/d, LDG) groups, and were slaughtered at 170 kg of live weight. Energy intake level in the feeding period was 2.4 $\times$ maintenance in 105 days for HDG and 1.4 $\times$ maintenance in 216 days for LDG calves. Total length of the small intestine was identical between groups, but both weights of the pancreas and of the small intestinal mucosa were greater (p < 0.01) for HDG calves. Alpha-amylase, lipase, proteinase, and trypsin activities of the whole pancreas were higher (p < 0.05) in HDG calves. Disaccharidase activity of the whole small intestinal mucosa was also higher (p < 0.10) for HDG than for LDG calves. However, the enzymatic activities, expressed as per gram or per protein of the pancreas and the small intestinal mucosa, were not affected (p > 0.10) by the plane of nutrition. These results suggest that the digestive enzyme activity in the small intestine varies primarily with the weight of tissues synthesizing the enzyme.

• Asian-Australasian Journal of Animal Sciences
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• v.15 no.5
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• pp.637-642
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• 2002

Thirty Holstein calves were used to determine effects of age, environment and sex on blood metabolite concentrations during 1 to 90 d of age. Calves were weaned at 75 d of age. Environmental effects are grouped by the difference in month at birth and site of feeding. Blood samples were obtained every 2 or 3 d. The mean metabolite concentration every 3 d was used for the statistical analysis. Dairy bodyweight gain was not affected by environmental group and sex effect. Concentrations of plasma glucose, nonesterified fatty acids (NEFA), triglyceride, total cholesterol and total ketone changed with growth. These developmental changes in metabolite levels would be caused by ruminal maturation with increment of grain intake. Levels of plasma urea nitrogen, glucose, NEFA, triglyceride and total cholesterol drastically changed during a few weeks after birth, indicating that the physiological state in calves greatly changed during that time. Effects of the environmental group and sex were significant in almost all metabolites. Temperature influenced plasma metabolite concentrations. The plasma metabolite concentrations were affected more intensely by heat stress in the infant period than in the neonatal period.

• Journal of Animal Science and Technology
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• v.53 no.5
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• pp.497-502
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• 2011

The present survey was conducted to provide basic information on Hanwoo calf weaning age and farmer's understanding of early weaning. Eight hundred and sixty-two Hanwoo breeding farms from all nine provinces were surveyed via personal interviews. The percentages of farms categorized by herd size were 30.5%, 32.8%, 26.0% and 10.7% for <50 heads, 51~100 heads, 101~200 heads and >200 heads, respectively. The percentage of farms weaning calves at three months of age were 39.2% and 12% of farms weaned calves less than two months of age. But the percentage of farms weaning at or over four months of age were still high, being 16.1% at four months of age and 16.6% over five months of age, respectively. The result of the present study showed that calf weaning age in Hanwoo was inconsistent and higher percentage of farms wean calves at three months of age among the surveyed farms. The improvement of cow reproductive performance was answered as the biggest merit of early weaning.

• Asian-Australasian Journal of Animal Sciences
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• v.31 no.3
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• pp.369-378
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• 2018

Objective: The impact of forage feeding strategy on growth performance, ruminal fermentation and nutrient digestibility in post-weaning calves was investigated. Methods: Forty-five female Holstein calves (body weight [BW] = $79.79{\pm}0.38kg$) were enrolled in the 35-d study at one week after weaning and randomly assigned to one of three dietary treatments. All diets were fed as total mixed ration containing 60% (dry matter [DM] basis) of basal starter feed and 40% (DM basis) of forage, but varied in composition of forage source including i) alfalfa (40% DM, AH); ii) alfalfa hay (26.7% DM)+oat hay (13.3% DM; OH); iii) alfalfa hay (26.7% DM)+corn silage (13.3% DM; WS). Results: Dry matter intake was not different among treatment groups (p>0.05). However, BW (p<0.05) and average daily gain (p<0.05) of calves fed AH and OH were greater than WS-fed calves, whereas heart girth was greater in OH-fed calves than those fed AH and WS (p<0.05). Ruminal fermentation parameters including proportion of butyric acid, acetated-to-propionate ratio, concentration of total volatile fatty acid, protozoal protein, bacterial protein, and microbial protein in rumen were the highest in OH (p<0.05) and the lowest in WS. Compared with the AH and WS, feeding oat hay to postweaning calves increased crude protein digestibility (p<0.05), and decreased duration of diarrhea (p<0.05) and fecal index (p<0.05). Conclusion: Our results suggested that partially replacing alfalfa hay with oat hay improved ruminal fermentation, nitrogen utilization, and reduced incidence of diarrhea in post-weaning dairy calves.