Ruminant Nutrition: Dairy Cattle

Replacing dietary starch with sugar and sodium-propionate has been reported to improve performance in ruminant animals. This experiment was conducted to determine the effects of replacing different sources of energy with barley grain in dairy calves′ starter on weaning, dry matter intake, average daily gain (ADG), feed efficiency, skeletal growth, and fecal score. A total of 21 male calves (42 ± 4 kg; mean ± SD) were assigned randomly to one of 3 following treatments: 1) no replacing (Control); 2) replacing sugar at 5% of dietary DM with barley (Sugar); and 3) replacing sodium-propionate at 5% of dietary DM with barley (Propionate). These parameters were measured and reported during 3 time periods (d 1 to 42, 43 to 70 and 1 to 70). All data were analyzed as completely randomized design using the MIXED procedure of SAS (SAS, 2003). Each calf was housed in an individual box with unlimited access to water. All dietary treatments were provided ad-libitum in addition to milk (4 kg/head/day). The base of weaning was consumption of 1 kg solid feed during 3 consecutive days. Feeding Sugar significantly decreased age of weaning compared with Propionate (50 vs. 60 d), however, Propionate negatively affected this variable compared with Control (P < 0.02). Dry matter intake, ADG, feed efficiency, skeletal growth indices and fecal score were not affected by treatments. Results of current experiment showed that using sugar but not sodiumpropionate as an alternative for barley grain in dairy calves starter can be an option based on its cost and availability.