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The study was carried out to evaluate the growth performance and nutrient utilization of Friesian x Bunaji calves fed different ratios of soy:cow milk. Soybean was sourced, cleaned and soaked in clean water for 72 hours. The water was changed twice after every 24 hours of soaking. Thereafter, the soybean was rinsed, sun-dried for 8 days, milled, sieved and then taken to the laboratory for chemical analyses. Results showed that soymilk produced from the 72 hours soaked soybean contained 87.11% moisture, 12.89% total solid (TS), 3.30% fat, 9.59% solid-non-fat (SNF), 5.55% protein and 0.82% ash. While the milk obtained from Friesian x Bunaji cows had moisture, TS, fat, SNF, protein and ash content of 88.30%, 11.70%, 2.69%, 9.01%, 3.29% and 0.67%, respectively. The protein content of the different ratios of soy:cow milk diets increased with increase levels of soymilk and varies from 3.29% in 0:100 to 5.23% in 75:25 ratio of soy:cow milk. The TS, fat, SNF and ash contents also followed similar pattern. Sixteen Friesian x Bunaji dairy calves with body weight of 34.8±0.7kg were randomly assigned to four dietary treatments (which consisted of 0:100, 25:75, 50:50 and 75:25 ratios of soy:cow milk) with four calves per treatment in a Completely Randomized Design (CRD). Each calf received two litres of the mixture of soy:cow milk daily. Results from the growth trial showed significant (P>0.05) difference in total feed intake among calves fed the different ratios of soy:cow milk. Calves fed diet containing 25:75 ratio of soy:cow milk had the lowest total feed intake (409.64 kg), average daily feed intake (4.18 kg/day) and better (P<0.05) total weight gain (74.25 kg), average daily weight gain (0.76 kg/day) and feed conversion ratio (5.52) as against (416.29 kg), (4.25 kg/day), (66.00 kg), (0.67 kg/day) and (6.31), respectively in calves fed cow milk alone (control). Digestibility of dry matter, organic matter, crude protein, neutral detergent fibre and acid detergent fibre were significantly (P<0.05) influenced by the inclusion of soymilk at different ratios. Nitrogen retained were similar (P>0.05) in calves fed 75:25, 50:50 and 25:75 ratios of soy:cow milk. However, calves fed 25:75 and 75:25 ratios of soy:cow milk had better nutrient digestibility and nitrogen balance, respectively. It was concluded that feeding 25:75 soy:cow milk gave higher live weight gain of 0.76 kg/day as against 0.67kg/day in calves fed cow milk alone. Therefore, feeding calves with 25:75 ratio of soy:cow milk is recommended for better growth performance and feed conversion than feeding cow milk alone.
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- ISSN 0189-0514
J. Anim. Prod. Res. (2017) 29(2):96-111
96
FEED INTAKE, GROWTH PERFORMANCE AND NUTRIENT UTILIZATION IN
FRIESIAN X BUNAJI CALVES FED SOYMILK BASED MILK REPLACER
*1Gadzama, I. U., 2Yashim, S. M., 2Abdu, S. B., 1Makun, H. J., 1Barje, P. P. and 1Achi, N. P.
1National Animal Production Research Institute, Shika-Zaria, Nigeria
2Department of Animal Science, Ahmadu Bello University, Zaria, Nigeria
*Corresponding author’s e-mail: gadzamaiu@abu.edu.ng; Phone no: +2349055569839
ABSTRACT
The study was carried out to evaluate the growth performance and nutrient utilization of Friesian
x Bunaji calves fed different ratios of soy:cow milk. Soybean was sourced, cleaned and soaked
in clean water for 72 hours. The water was changed twice after every 24 hours of soaking.
Thereafter, the soybean was rinsed, sun-dried for 8 days, milled, sieved and then taken to the
laboratory for chemical analyses. Results showed that soymilk produced from the 72 hours
soaked soybean contained 87.11% moisture, 12.89% total solid (TS), 3.30% fat, 9.59% solid-
non-fat (SNF), 5.55% protein and 0.82% ash. While the milk obtained from Friesian x Bunaji
cows had moisture, TS, fat, SNF, protein and ash content of 88.30%, 11.70%, 2.69%, 9.01%,
3.29% and 0.67%, respectively. The protein content of the different ratios of soy:cow milk diets
increased with increase levels of soymilk and varies from 3.29% in 0:100 to 5.23% in 75:25 ratio
of soy:cow milk. The TS, fat, SNF and ash contents also followed similar pattern. Sixteen
Friesian x Bunaji dairy calves with body weight of 34.8±0.7kg were randomly assigned to four
dietary treatments (which consisted of 0:100, 25:75, 50:50 and 75:25 ratios of soy:cow milk)
with four calves per treatment in a Completely Randomized Design (CRD). Each calf received
two litres of the mixture of soy:cow milk daily. Results from the growth trial showed significant
(P>0.05) difference in total feed intake among calves fed the different ratios of soy:cow milk.
Calves fed diet containing 25:75 ratio of soy:cow milk had the lowest total feed intake (409.64
kg), average daily feed intake (4.18 kg/day) and better (P<0.05) total weight gain (74.25 kg),
average daily weight gain (0.76 kg/day) and feed conversion ratio (5.52) as against (416.29 kg),
(4.25 kg/day), (66.00 kg), (0.67 kg/day) and (6.31), respectively in calves fed cow milk alone
(control). Digestibility of dry matter, organic matter, crude protein, neutral detergent fibre and
acid detergent fibre were significantly (P<0.05) influenced by the inclusion of soymilk at
different ratios. Nitrogen retained were similar (P>0.05) in calves fed 75:25, 50:50 and 25:75
ratios of soy:cow milk. However, calves fed 25:75 and 75:25 ratios of soy:cow milk had better
nutrient digestibility and nitrogen balance, respectively. It was concluded that feeding 25:75
soy:cow milk gave higher live weight gain of 0.76 kg/day as against 0.67kg/day in calves fed
cow milk alone. Therefore, feeding calves with 25:75 ratio of soy:cow milk is recommended for
better growth performance and feed conversion than feeding cow milk alone.
Key Words: Intake, Soymilk Replacer, Performance, Nutrient Utilization, Calves
INTRODUCTION
Calves are the future producers of milk for
human consumption, but depend solely on milk
for their nutritional needs at the early stage of
life. Milk is a unique food for calves and
supplies a lot of nutrients essential for growth
and organ development (Ghorbani et al., 2007).
Post-natal feeding of dairy calves is very
important for better health and growth especially
in commercial as well as smallholder dairy
National Animal Production Research Institute
Ahmadu Bello University
P.M.B 1096, Shika-Zaria,
Kaduna State, Nigeria.
Email:japr@napri.gov.ng Url:journals.napri.gov.ng
Feed intake, growth performance and nutrient utilization in Friesian x Bunaji calves
97
farms (Khan et al., 2012). But the indigenous
breeds of cattle in Nigeria are naturally poor
milk producers. They do not produce enough
milk for optimum sustainability of their calves
talk less of having surplus milk for human
consumption. This results in underfeeding or
starvation of calves with a consequence of
stunted growth and mortality of calves. Shortage
of nutrients especially during the early stages of
life in calves reflects later in their whole life in
terms of productive and reproductive
performances (Roy et al., 2016). If suitable
substitutes for milk are made available, the
nutrition of infant pre-ruminants can be
improved and survivability can be increased
(Khan et al., 2012). The benefits of improved
nutritional status of calves in the first 2 3
months of life may include reaching maturity
age sooner, improved ability to withstand
infectious challenges and increased subsequent
milk production (Drackley, 1999).
Milk replacers (MR) are very good sources of
liquid feed for calves (Roy et al., 2016). Khan et
al. (2012) defined milk replacers as those feed
ingredients or a mixture of such ingredients that
can be used as substitute for whole milk in the
diets of calves. They are made from by-products
of milk with the addition of some other
ingredients in such a way that the final product
is comparable to whole milk. A typical MR
comprises of skim milk powder, whey powder
and vegetable oils. Crude protein content is
usually 20%, and the fat content typically ranges
from 15 to 22% (DM basis) (Mete et al., 2000).
In developed countries, alternatives to whole
milk feeding to pre-ruminants are formulated
using by-products of milk processing industry
(Oliveira et al., 2015). Such practice is not
feasible in a developing country like Nigeria
where the demand for milk and milk products in
human nutrition is constantly increasing as a
result of the rapid increase in human population
(ATA, 2013). The aim of using milk replacer is
to cut down the cost of whole milk in calf
rearing programme and to improve their
performance (Mete et al., 2000). There are many
types of low cost, high quality plant protein viz,
soyflour, soymilk, soy protein concentrate and
wheat protein which could be used in the
formulation of milk replacers (Ghorbani et al.,
2007). However, Roy et al. (2016) showed that
soy protein is widely used in milk replacer
formulations because of its high-quality protein
content. Soybean contains up to 40% protein
compared with 1.0 to 5.6% protein content of
most animal milk (Ghorbani et al., 2007) and
has an acceptable amino acid profile (Gernah et
al., 2013). Soymilk not only provides protein but
is also a good source of carbohydrate, fat,
vitamins and minerals (Nitsan et al., 2005).
Soymilk, a novel milk replacer has been used for
artificial rearing of young animals (Ghorbani et
al., 2007). Few studies indicated that feeding
soymilk as milk replacer to calves resulted to
increased growth performance when compared
to whole milk feeding (Bartlett et al., 2006;
Ghorbani et al., 2007; Masum et al., 2009; Roy
et al., 2016). Despite soybean’s pivotal role in
animal nutrition, it cannot be fed unprocessed
because there are some anti-nutritional factors
(ANFs) which limits its utilization. These ANFs
include: protease inhibitors, tannins, phytates,
oxalates, saponins, etc. Fortunately, the levels of
these ANFs can be eliminated or reduced
through soaking, cooking, sprouting,
fermentation, toasting, etc (Soetan and Oyewole,
2009). In additon, soaking could reduce ANFs
such as protease enzyme inhibitor, phytates, etc
due to their partial or total solubilization and
removal with the discarded solution (Prodanov
et al., 2004). However, in calves with
completely functioning rumens, ANFs and
complex proteins are not as detrimental, and thus
processing is not as crucial (Liener, 1994).
MATERIALS AND METHODS
Location of the Study
The study was conducted at the National Animal
Production Research Institute (NAPRI),
Ahmadu Bello University, Shika-Zaria, Nigeria.
Shika is located within the Northern Guinea
Savanna ecological zone of Nigeria between
Gadzama, I. U. et al
98
latitude 10°11’N and longitude 7°8’E, at an
altitude of 650m above sea level (Ovimaps,
2016). The area receives a mean annual rainfall
of 1150mm which commences from May and
last till October. Following the wet season is a
period of dry cool weather known as ‘harmattan’
which marks the onset of the dry season. This
extends from mid-October to March when the
hot weather sets in. At this period, the mean
minimum and maximum temperatures range
from 12 28°C during the cold ‘harmattan’
season and 20 36°C in the hot season. The
mean relative humidity is 21% and 72% during
the ‘harmattan’ and the rainy seasons
respectively (IAR, 2016).
Source of Feed Materials
The soybean variety used for this study was
Samsoy II and was purchased from an open
market in Giwa Local Government Area of
Kaduna State. While the other feed materials
(Digitaria smutsii hay, concentrate diets and
Friesian x Bunaji milk) were obtained from
Dairy Research Programme of NAPRI, Shika-
Zaria, Nigeria.
Preparation of Soyflour
The collected soybean was cleaned by
winnowing and hand picking of stones and
debris. The cleaned soybean was soaked in
excess water in plastic containers for 72 hours.
The water was changed twice after every 24
hours during the soaking period. After which the
soybean was rinsed with clean tap water and
sun-dried for 8 days. The dried soybean was
milled into flour and sieved with the aid of
0.04mm sieve. The resultant soyflour was stored
in polythene bags and samples were taken to the
laboratory for chemical analyses. The flowchart
of the processing method is shown in figure 1.
Soybean Seeds
Cleaned/Sorted/Washed
Soaked in tap water for 72 hrs
Water was changed after every 24 hrs
Drained and Rinsed
Sun-dried (for 8 days)
Ground into flour
Sieved with 0.04mm sieve
Soyflour
Figure 3.1: Flowchart for Soybeans Processing
into Soyflour.
Source: Revised from Pele et al. (2016).
Experimental Diets
Ten (10) litres of Friesian x Bunaji milk from
the Dairy Research programme of NAPRI was
collected at 08:00am and used for the morning
feeding, while another 10 litres was collected at
04:00pm and used for the evening feeding,
respectively. The experimental diets were
prepared immediately after fresh milk collection.
Soymilk was prepared in batches according to
standard procedure. To formulate one litre of
soymilk, 125g of the 72 hrs soaked soyflour was
dissolved in 1000ml of clean tap water
according to methods described by Sarker et al.
(2015). Thereafter, 6 litres of soymilk was
prepared by dissolving 750g of the 72 hrs soaked
soyflour in 6000 ml of clean tap water. The
mixture was homogenized by constant stirring to
prevent coagulation.
The soymilk was added to fresh cow milk in a
stainless container at the ratio of 0:1000mls
(which served as the control); 250:750mls;
500:500mls and 750:250mls soymilk:cowmilk
respectively before feeding to the calves. The
different ratios of the soy:cow milk used are as
follows:
Experimental Diet 1 = 0% soymilk +
100% cow milk (control)
Experimental Diet 2 = 25% soymilk +
75% cow milk
Experimental Diet 3 = 50% soymilk +
50% cow milk
Feed intake, growth performance and nutrient utilization in Friesian x Bunaji calves
99
Experimental Diet 4 = 75% soymilk +
25% cow milk
Experimental Animals, Design and
Management
Sixteen (16) Friesian x Bunaji dairy calves of
mixed sexes (8 males and 8 females) aged
between 2 3 weeks, with live weight of
34.8±0.7kg from the Dairy Research Programme
of the National Animal Production Research
Institute (NAPRI), Ahmadu Bello University
(ABU), Shika-Zaria were used for the growth
trial. The calves were identified with ear tags,
weighed and randomly distributed into four (4)
dietary treatments consisting of 4 calves per
treatment in a Completely Randomized Design
(CRD). The calves were housed in an open-
sided, well-ventilated building (calf-pen) with a
concrete floor and equipped with both feeding
and watering troughs. Each animal received two
(2) litres of whole milk and mixture of soymilk
and cow milk daily (one litre of the liquid feed
was provided between 08:00 09:00am, and
another 1 litre was provided in the evening
between 04:00 05:00pm. In addition, the
experimental animals were given weighed
quantities of concentrate diet and Digitaria
smutsii hay to stimulate rumen development.
The concentrate diet was made up of maize,
maize offal, cotton seed cake (CSC), bone meal,
common salt (NaCl) and vitamin-mineral premix
(Table 1). Fresh and clean drinking water was
also provided daily ad libitum. Proper sanitary
measures were obeserved to protect the calves
against parasitic infestations and other
contagious diseases. The growth trial was
carried out for a period of 98 days (between
October, 2016 to February, 2017).
Feed Intake and Live Weight Changes
Feed offered and leftovers (orts) were recorded
daily. Concentrate diet and hay were offered in
the morning in separate feeding troughs;
remnants were weighed the following morning
and total feed intake was determined by
difference. Body weight changes of calves were
recorded fortnightly before the morning feeding.
Total weight gain was calculated from the
difference between initial body weight and final
body weight. Average daily weight gain
(ADWG) was determined by dividing the total
weight gain by the number of days of the
feeding trial (i.e. 98 days). Feed conversion ratio
(FCR) was calculated from the ratio of average
daily feed intake to average daily weight gain.
Metabolism Trial
The aim of this study was to determine the
nutrient digestibility and nitrogen balance of the
experimental diets. At the end of the growth
study, all the experimental animals were
carefully transferred to metabolism crates fitted
with facilities for separate collection of faeces
from urine according to methods of Osuji et al.
(1993). During the trial however, the animals
were maintained on the same treatment diets as
indicated in the growth trial. Clean drinking
water was provided ad libitum. An adjustment
period of 10 days was observed before a 7 day
collection period, during which feed offered, left
over (orts), urine and faeces collected were
weighed and recorded at 08.00hours every day.
Nitrogen loss from urine was prevented by
collecting urine for each animal into a plastic
container acidified with 100mls of 0.1N
tetraoxosulphate (VI) acid (H2SO4) placed under
the metabolism crate. Ten percent of the daily
urine output was taken from each animal and
bulked in well-labelled plastic bottles stored in a
refrigerator. At the end of the 7 day’s collection
period, 10% of the total urine bulked from each
of the experimental animal was sub-sampled and
kept in the refrigerator pending analysis (Osuji
et al., 1993). Daily total faecal output were also
collected, weighed and sample was taken for dry
matter determination. The representative
samples were bulked and sub-sampled, milled
and stored in polyethene bags pending analyses
(Osuji et al., 1993).
Laboratory Analyses
Milk sample was collected from Friesian x
Bunaji dairy cows that were kept on the Dairy
Research Programme farm of NAPRI, Shika,
Zaria. To avoid contaminations, the plastic
containers used for milk sample collection were
Gadzama, I. U. et al
100
cleaned by soaking them for 24 hours in 10%
HNO3, then in distilled water for another 24
hours after which the containers were rinsed
with more distilled water, and then dried before
used for collecting milk samples. The milk
samples in the cleaned plastics containers were
stored in ice packed cooler at 0±60C and quickly
transported to the laboratory and stored in a deep
freezer at 4oC pending analysis.
The chemical composition of feed samples
(milk from Friesain x Bunaji dairy cows,
soymilk, soy:cow milk mixtures, Digitaria
smutsii hay and concentrate diets) were
determined. Dry matter content of Digitaria
smutsii hay, concentrate diet and faecal samples
were determined by oven drying at 60oC for 48
hours. Crude protein content (Nitrogen x 6.25)
of the feed samples and urine were determined
using the Micro Kjeldahl procedure of the
Association of Official Analytical Chemists
(AOAC, 2005). Total ash was determined by
charring the samples in a muffle furnace at
500oC for about 3 hours. Ether extract (EE) and
crude fibre (CF) were determined according to
standard procedures (AOAC, 2005). While
nitrogen free extract (NFE) was determined by
subtraction (on DM basis): NFE = DM % CP +
% CF + % EE + % Ash. Neutral detergent fibre
(NDF), acid detergent fibre (ADF) and
hemicelluloses were determined by the method
of Van Soest et al. (1991). Cow milk and
soymilk samples were analyzed for gross
composition (moisture, total solids, solid-non-
fat, fat, protein and ash). The total solid (TS)
was determined according to the method
described by Bradley Jnr (2003) by drying 5g of
milk samples to a constant weight at 105oC for 3
hours. Fat content was estimated by the Gerber
method (AOAC, 2005). Solid-non-fat (SNF) was
calculated as the difference between TS and fat
content (SNF = TS fat). While milk protein
(Nitrogen x 6.38) was determined by semi-micro
distillation method using Kjeldahl and
Makhamps apparatus. All chemical analyses
were carried out according to standard
procedures at the Central Laboratory of the
National Animal Production Research Institute,
Ahmadu Bello University, Zaria, Nigeria.
Statistical Analyses
Data generated from this study were analyzed
using the General Linear Model (GLM)
procedure of Statistical Analysis System (SAS,
2002) to see the response of the experimental
animals to measured parameters. Significant
differences among treatment means were
compared using Dunnette’s Test in the SAS
package. The model used for the feeding trial
was:
Yij = μ + Ti + eij
Where:
Yij = jth observation of the ith ratios of soy:cow
milk;
μ = Overall mean;
Ti = effect of the ith ratio of soy: cow milk on
performance (i = 0:100, 25:75, 50:50 and
75:25%);
eij = random error.
Feed intake, growth performance and nutrient utilization in Friesian x Bunaji calves
101
RESULTS
Table 1: Ingredient Composition of Concentrate Diet fed to Friesian x Bunaji Calves.
Ingredients Percentage (%)
Maize
24.20
Maize Offal
8.10
Cotton Seed Cake
64.45
Bone Meal
2.00
Common Salt (NaCl)
1.00
Vitamin-Mineral Premix
0.25
Total
100.00
Calculated Analysis
% CP = 18.00
ME:kcal/kg =2592
Chemical Composition of Friesian x Bunaji
Milk and SoyMilk (on wet basis)
The result of the chemical composition of milk
from Friesian x Bunaji cows and soymilk is
presented in Table 2. The cow milk had a total
solid, fat, solid-non fat, protein and ash content
of 12.44, 2.90, 9.54, 3.29 and 0.75%,
respectively. While soymilk had a total solid, fat,
solid-non fat, protein and ash content of 87.11,
12.89, 3.30, 9.59, 5.55 and 0.82%, respectively.
Table 2: Chemical Composition of Friesian x Bunaji Milk and Soymilk (on wet basis).
Parameters (%)
Friesian x Bunaji Milk
Moisture
88.30
Total Solid
11.70
Fat
2.69
Solid-Non-Fat
9.01
Protein
3.29
Ash
0.67
Chemical Composition of Different Ratios of
Soy:Cow Milk fed to Dairy Calves (on wet
basis).
Table 3 shows the results of the chemical
composition of the different ratios of soy:cow
milk fed to Friesian x Bunaji calves. The
moisture content differed significantly (P<0.05)
and ranged from 81.98 in the diet containing
75:25 ratio to 88.30% in 0:100 ratio (the control
diet). There was a significant (P<0.05) increase
in total solids as the level of soymilk inceased in
the diet. The fat, solid-non fat, protein and ash
content also follow similar trend. Total solids,
fat and solid-non-fat were higher in diet
Gadzama, I. U. et al
102
containing 75:25 ratio (18.02, 4.75 and 13.27%)
but not significantly (P>0.05) different from
50:50 ratio (16.52, 3.75 and 12.77%),
respectively. However, protein and ash contents
in the diet containing 75:25 ratio of soy:cow
milk were higher (5.23 and 1.45%) compared
with (3.29 and 0.67%) of protein and ash in the
control diet.
Table 3: Chemical Composition of Different Ratios of Soy:Cow Milk fed to Calves (on wet
basis).
Ratios of Soy:Cow Milk (%)
Parameters (%)
0:100
25:75
50:50
75:25
SEM
Moisture
88.30a
84.80b
83.48c
81.98d
0.21
Total Solids
11.70b
15.20ab
16.52a
18.02a
0.83
Fat
2.69b
3.02ab
3.75a
4.75a
0.53
Solid-Non-Fat
9.01b
12.18ab
12.77a
13.27a
0.39
Protein
3.29b
4.35ab
4.40ab
5.23a
0.67
Ash
0.67c
0.99b
1.08b
1.45a
0.09
abcd means with different superscripts within the same row differed significantly (P <0.05).
SEM = Standard Error of Mean.
Chemical Composition of Concentrate Diet
and Digitaria smutsii Hay
The results of the chemical composition of
concentrate diet and Digitaria smutsii hay used
for the growth trial are presented in Table 4. The
dry matter and crude protein contents of the
concentrate diet and Digitaria smutsii hay were
91.65 and 13.85%, 95.54 and 7.76%,
respectively. While the crude fibre, ether extract,
ash, NFE, NDF, ADF and hemicellulose
contents of the concentrate diet were 14.70,
18.88, 11.94, 32.28, 23.43, 68.50 and 42.80%,
respectively. However, Digitaria smutsii hay
had 10.50% CF, 13.65% EE, 8.53% ash,
55.10%, NFE, 49.29% NDF, 63.73% ADF and
9.88% hemicellulose as shown in Table 4.
Table 4: Chemical Composition of Concentrate Diet and Digitaria smutsii Hay.
Parameters (%)
Feed Materials
DM
CP
CF
EE
Ash
NFE
NDF
ADF
Hemi
Concentrate Diet
91.65
13.85
14.70
18.88
11.94
32.28
23.43
68.50
42.80
Digitaria smutsii Hay
95.54
7.76
10.50
13.65
8.53
55.10
49.29
63.73
9.88
DM = Dry Matter; CP = Crude Protein; CF = Crude Fibre; EE = Ether Extract; NFE = Nitrogen Free Extract;
NDF = Neutral Detergent Fibre; ADF = Acid Detergent Fibre; Hemi = Hemicellulose.
Feed intake, growth performance and nutrient utilization in Friesian x Bunaji calves
103
Effect of Feeding Different Ratios of Soy:Cow
Milk on Intake and Live Weight Changes of
Friesian x Bunaji Calves
The results of feed intake (dry and liquid feeds)
and weight changes of calves fed different ratios
of soy:cow milk are presented in Table 5. The
average total dry matter intake of calves on
0:100 ratio of soy:cow milk (i.e. the control) was
significantly (P<0.05) higher (2.25kg/day)
compared to 2.18kg/day in calves fed 25:75 ratio
of soy:cow milk and 2.22 kg/day in 50:50 ratio
of soy:cow milk. Average total DM intake of
calves on 50:50 SCM diet (2.22kg/day) was not
different from calves on 75:25 ratio of soy:cow
milk. Total feed intake (kg) and average daily
feed intake (kg/day) also followed similar
pattern.
The results of the weight changes of the
experimental animals in Table 5, showed that
there were significant differences (P<0.05) in the
final body weight (kg) of calves across the
treatments. Calves fed 25:75 ratio of soy:cow
milk had higher final weight gain (109.75kg)
though not significantly (P>0.05) different from
calves fed 50:50 ratio of soy:cow milk
(106.6kg). similar pattern was also observed in
total weight gain (kg), average daily weight gain
(kg/day) and feed conversition ratio (FCR). The
results of this study revealed that calves fed
25:75 ratio of soy:cow milk had significantly
(P<0.05) better live weight gain (0.76 kg/day)
and feed conversion ratio of (5.52) indicating
better convertion of feed to body tissues
compared with 0.67kg/day with FCR of 6.31 in
calves fed the control diet and 0.59kg/day with
FCR of 7.11 in calves fed 75:25 ratios of
soy:cow milk, respectively.
Table 5: Feed Intake and Growth Performance of Friesian x Bunaji Calves fed Different
Ratios of Soy:Cow Milk
Ratios of Soy to Cow Milk (%)
Parameters
0:100
25:75
50:50
75:25
SEM
Dry Matter Intake (Kg/day)
Average Concentrate Intake
1.96a
1.92b
1.95a
1.96a
0.01
Average Hay Intake
0.28
0.26
0.27
0.27
0.01
Average Total DMI
2.25a
2.18c
2.22b
2.22b
0.01
Liquid Feed Intake
ALFI (L/h/day)
2.00
2.00
2.00
2.00
0.00
Total Feed Intake (Kg)
416.29a
409.64c
413.14b
413.91b
0.93
ADFI (Kg/day)
4.25a
4.18c
4.22b
4.22b
0.01
Live Weight Changes
Initial Weight (Kg)
34.50
35.50
34.00
35.25
2.43
Final Weight (Kg)
100.50ab
109.75a
106.00a
93.50b
3.83
Total Weight Gain (Kg)
66.00b
74.25a
72.00a
58.25c
2.64
ADWG (Kg/day)
0.67b
0.76a
0.73ab
0.59c
0.03
Feed Conversion Ratio
6.31b
5.52a
5.74ab
7.11c
0.29
abcd means with different superscripts within the same row differed significantly (P <0.05).
DMI = Dry matter intake; ALFI = Average Liquid Feed Intake; ADFI = Average Daily Feed Intake;
L/h/day = Litre Per Head Per Day; ADWG = Average Daily Weight Gain;
SEM = Standard Error of Mean.
Gadzama, I. U. et al
104
Nutrient Digestibility and Nitrogen Balance
in Friesian x Bunaji Calves fed Different
Ratios of Soy:Cow Milk
The result of the nutrient digestibility and
nitrogen balance in Friesian x Bunaji calves fed
different ratios of soy:cow milk is presented in
Table 6. Dry matter (DM) digestibility was
higher in calves fed soy:cow milk at 25:75
(49.74%) and 50:50 (48.07%). The lowest DM
digestibility was observed in calves fed 75:25
(45.34%) ratio of soy:cow milk. Organic matter
(OM) digestibility were significantly (P<0.05)
higher in calves fed 75:25, 50:50 and 25:75
ratios of soy:cow milk, while calves on 0:100
ratio of soy:cow milk had significantly (P<0.05)
lowest OM digestibility (58.13%) compared to
calves on the other dietary treatments. Crude
protein (CP) digestibility was significantly
(P<0.05) higher (69.70%) in calves fed 25:75
ratio of soy:cow milk. Calves on the control diet
had the lowest CP digestibility (62.94%).
The digestibility of neutral detergent fibre
(NDF) and acid detergent fibre (ADF) followed
similar trend. The results of nitrogen intake
showed significant (P<0.05) difference across
treatments. Calves fed 25:75 and 50:50 ratios of
soy:cow milk had significantly (P<0.05) higher
and similar nitrogen intake. While those fed
75:25 and 0:100 (control) were similar and
lower. Urinary nitrogen output did not show any
significant (P>0.05) difference across
treatments. Faecal nitrogen and total nitrogen
output decreased significantly (P<0.05) with
increased levels of soymilk in the diets. Calves
fed 50:50 and 25:75 ratios of soy:cow milk had
similar nitrogen retention with those fed 75:25
ratio of soy:cow milk which was higher (P<0.05)
than those fed 0:100 ratio of soy:cow milk
(control).
Table 6: Nutrient Digestibility and Nitrogen Balance in Friesian x Bunaji Calves
Fed Different Ratios of Soy:Cow Milk.
Ratios of Soy to Cow Milk (%)
Digestibility Coefficient (%)
0:100
25:75
50:50
75:25
SEM
Dry Matter
46.35ab
49.74a
48.07a
45.34b
1.82
Organic Matter
58.13b
64.27a
66.93a
68.01a
1.90
Crude Protein
62.94c
69.70a
65.65b
67.05b
1.22
NDF
57.81b
59.61a
54.43c
55.78c
0.74
ADF
60.62c
63.15a
61.55b
59.27d
0.42
Nitrogen Balance (g/day)
Nitrogen Intake
74.36b
78.90a
76.32ab
75.89b
1.35
Urinary Nitrogen
5.49
5.24
4.86
3.42
1.98
Faecal Nitrogen
35.20a
32.82b
28.93c
24.68d
0.59
Total Nitrogen Output
40.69a
38.06b
33.79c
28.10d
1.29
Nitrogen Retained
33.67b
40.84a
42.53a
47.79a
3.49
Nitrogen Retained (% N-Intake)
45.28b
51.76b
55.73ab
62.97a
4.44
abcd means with different superscripts within the same row differed significantly (P <0.05).
NDF = Neutral Detergent Fibre; ADF = Acid Detergent Fibre; g =gram; N = Nitrogen;
SEM = Standard Error of Mean.
Feed intake, growth performance and nutrient utilization in Friesian x Bunaji calves
105
DISCUSSION
Chemical Composition of Friesian x Bunaji
Milk and SoyMilk (on wet basis)
Milk is a complex mixture of fat, proteins,
carbohydrate, minerals, vitamins and other
miscellaneous constituents dispersed in water
(Harding, 1999). Milk composition including
moisture, protein, fat, total solid and solid-non
fat are an important indicators of milk quality
(Alabi, 2005). The percentage of total solid
obtained for Friesian x Bunaji milk was lower
than the value reported in Holstein Friesian cow
milk (Ahmed et al., 2002). A similar result to
this study was obtained in White Fulani cow
milk (Ibeawuchi and Dalyop, 1995). The low
value recorded for total solid content in this
study when compared with other researchers
may be due to low nutrition and other
management practices adopted. The milk protein
content of Friesian x Bunaji milk obtained in this
study was comparable with values reported by
(Ndubueze et al., 2006) for grazing White Fulani
cows, and Friesian x Bunaji cattle in Nigeria
(Ibeawuchi and Umoh, 1990).
The total solids of cow milk obtained in this
study was slightly below the value reported by
(Sarker et al., 2015) which might be due to the
difference in breed and feed. The milk fat
content obtained in this study was slighlty lower
than the value reported by Roy et al. (2016).
Higher milk fat was also reported by Sarker et
al. (2015). The low milk fat content observed in
this study might be attributed to age of cows
from which the milk was collected, breed of the
cows, stage of lactation and nutrition. The breed
of cow whose milk were used were a crosses
between Bunaji and Holstein Friesian, so the
milk fat will not be as high as those from pure
breeds of Friesian or other dairy cattle like
Jersey. Fayeye et al. (2013) reported that Jersey
breed of dairy cattle had higher milk fat than
Holstein Friesian breed. Egbowon (2004)
reported that milk fat content decreases at mid-
lactation and continue to decrease until the end
of lactation.
Also, underfeeding can cause lower proportion
of milk components. Similarly, Nickerson
(1999) reported that genetic factor, nutrition,
environment and milking management practices
have important effect on milk composition and
quality. The protein content of the 72 hours
soaked soymilk observed in this study on wet
basis (5.55%) was slightly above the value
(4.0%) reported by Sarker et al. (2015) for
soymilk obtained by boiling soybeans at 100 oC
for 15 minutes, but similar to the values of
(4.5%) reported by Odumodu (2010) for
soybeans soaked for 18 hours. The total solids
(12.89%), fat (3.30%) and ash (0.82%) obtained
in this study for soymilk were slightly higher
than (10.70%), (2.70%) and (0.60%) reported by
Sarker et al. (2015). This study found that
soaking increased the protein content of the
soybeans. This is consistent with the report of
Pele et al. (2016) who found that soaking
increased the CP content of soybeans soaked for
12 and 24 hours.
Chemical Composition of Different Ratios of
Soy:Cow Milk fed to Dairy Calves
The mixture of soy:cow at different ratios
showed significant (P<0.05) increase in
nutritional content as compared with cow milk
or soymilk alone. The similar fat content in the
diets containing different ratios of soymilk might
be attributed to the low fat content in cow milk
which had little effect on the total fat content in
the mixture. However, the protein content of the
mixture of soymilk and cow milk were higher
than those of cow milk alone. The non-
significant (P>0.05) difference observed in the
protein contents of the diet containing soymilk
in addition to cow milk might be due to the low
protein content of cow milk used. Other authors
(Sarker et al., 2015; Roy et al., 2016) reported
higher fat and protein contents in cow milk but
the low levels obtained in this study may be
attributed to breed of cow, feeding and stage of
lactation.
Gadzama, I. U. et al
106
Chemical Composition of Concentrate Diet
and Digitaria smutsii Hay
The dry matter (95.54%) content of Digitaria
smutsii hay observed in this study was higher
than (90.40%) reported by Yashim (2014) but
slightly higher than (94.29%) reported by Yusuf
(2016). The high DM content observed in this
study could be attributed to the season of harvest
and the curing process and storage. The crude
protein content (7.76%) observed in this study
for Digitaria smutsii hay was higher than
(5.36%) reported by Yashim (2014) but slightly
lower than (9.63%) reported by Yusuf (2016).
Crude protein content of hay is dependent on the
stage at which the hay was harvested, duration
of curing and also the leaf to stem ratio (Yashim,
2014). The neutral detergent fibre (49.29%) was
lower than (69.23%) reported by Yashim (2014).
However, the acid detergent fibre (63.73%)
observed for Digitaria smutsii hay in this study
was higher than the (33.88%) reported by
Yashim (2014). The differences in the chemical
composition of the Digitaria smutsii hay could
be attributed to variation in the nutrient content
of the soil, weather, stage of maturity, method of
harvest, curing and also storage. The crude
protein content (13.85%) of the concentrate diet
in this study was similar to 13.88% reported by
Iriso et al. (2016) for Friesian x Bunaji crossbred
heifers. While the NDF (23.43%) was lower
than (35.13%) reported by Iriso et al. (2016) but
ADF (68.50%) reported in this study was higher
than 23.68% reported by Iriso et al. (2016). The
differences in NDF and ADF observed could be
attributed to differences in the ingredients used
in the ration formulation. And could also be as a
result of human error during the laboratory
analyses.
Effect of Feeding Different Ratios of Soymilk
and Cow milk on Intake and Live Weight
Changes of Friesian x Bunaji Calves.
The total dry matter intake observed in this study
was higher than those reported by Roy et al.
(2016) for calves fed soybeans based milk
replacer. The higher DMI observed in this study
could be attributed to the inclusion levels of
soymilk in the diets of the calves which might
have stimulated intake. Reducing milk feeding
had been reported to hasten intake of starter
feeds and promotes rumen development in
calves (Hussain et al., 2009). The similarities
observed in the total dry matter intake in this
study could be attributed to group housing of the
calves. Group housing was shown to influence
calf feed intake in comparison with individual
housing (Montoro et al., 2013).
The total weight gain of 66.00kg and 58.25kg
obtained in this study for calves fed cow milk
alone and 75:25 ratio of soy:cow milk were
comparable with 69.50kg and 59.00kg reported
by Jasper and Weary (2002) for Holstein calves
fed cow milk ad libitum and conventional milk
replacer, respectively. The higher total weight
gain of 74.25kg and 72.00kg obtained in this
study for calves fed 25:75 and 50:50 ratios of
soymilk and cow milk could be attributed to
better feed utilization. The average daily weight
gain obtained in this study was higher than the
those reported by Roy et al. (2016). However,
the ADWG (0.76 kg/day and 0.59 kg/day)
obtained in this study for calves fed 25:75 and
75:25 ratios of soymilk and cow milk,
respectively were similar to 0.78 kg/day and
0.48 kg/day reported by Jasper and Weary
(2002) for Holstein calves fed cow milk ad
libitum and conventional milk replacer
respectively. This study showed that calves fed
25 and 50% soymilk gained weight much more
rapidly as compared with calves on cow milk
alone.
The significant drop in total weight gain (58.25
kg) and ADWG (0.59 kg/day) observed in calves
fed 75:25 soy:cow milk might be attributed to
the presence of some anti-nutritional factors
which must have inhibit nutrient utilization
when high levels of soymilk was fed to the
animals. Khorasani et al. (1989) also observed
similar pattern with the use of high levels of
soyflour in milk replacer which decreased
growth rates in calves. In addition, Nitsan et al.
(2005) reported that inclusion of soybean meal
up to 73% of the total protein in milk replacer
Feed intake, growth performance and nutrient utilization in Friesian x Bunaji calves
107
resulted in poor calf performance due to low
protein digestibility and decreased fat and ash
absorption. However, it was earlier shown that
the two main factors that influence calf
performance on soybean based milk replacers
are the proportion of the total protein replaced
with the soybeans and the age of the calf (Roy et
al. (2016).
Feed conversion (FCR), which explains the
transformation capacity of dietary nutrients in
body tissue, was lower for calves fed 25:75 ratio
of soymilk and cow milk though not statistically
different from calves on 50:50 soy:cow milk.
The FCR observed in this study was relatively
better in calves fed 25:75 ratio of soymilk and
cow milk than those fed cow milk alone. This
implies that calves fed 25:75 ratio of soymilk
and cow milk had better feed utilization
compared to calves on the other treatments.
Nutrient Digestibility and Nitrogen Balance
in Friesian x Bunaji Calves fed Different
Ratios of Soy:Cow Milk
Nutrient digestibility in animals is the classical
and direct method for estimating feed digestion
by ruminants; hence studies on digestibility of
ruminant feeds are very important as they allow
for the estimation of nutrients actually available
for ruminant nutrition (Yashim et al., 2016). The
results obtained in this study on dry matter,
organic matter and crude protein digestibility
were lower than the values reported by Azevedo
et al. (2016) for Holstein x Gyr crossbred calves
fed increasing amounts of milk replacer powder
in whole milk. Also, the dry matter and crude
protein digestibility obtained in this study for
calves fed 25:75 ratio of soymilk and cow milk
was lower than those reported by (Rahman et al.,
2016) in calves fed soybeans, shotti and skim
milk based milk replacers. This might be due to
the differences in the type, quantity and
chemical composition of the liquid feeds used.
Davis and Drackley (1998) reported that
digestibility varies depending on the overall
composition of the milk replacer, origin of the
ingredients and the animal’s age. Improvement
in the digestibility of dry matter and crude
protein by the calves fed 25:75 ratio of soymilk
and cow milk could be attributed to the additive
effects of soymilk and cow milk feeding as
compared to calves fed only cow milk. It could
also be as a result of soaking which reduced the
levels of ANFs in the soybean diets thereby
improving protein degradation in the rumen.
This agrees with earlier report of Njoku and
Evbuomwan (2014) that the presence of ANFs
lowers the solubility of proteins entering the
abomasum and small intestine for digestion.
However, decreased crude protein digestibility
was reported with increased soybean protein in
milk replacers for young calves (Erickson et al.,
1989). The significant difference in organic
matter digestibility observed in this study is
similar with the report of Rotger et al. (2006)
who stated that a change in feed ingredients
alters the amount of OM and its fermentation
rate in the rumen. The digestibility of feed was
reported to be influenced by the composition,
available energy and retention time in the
gastrointestinal tract (Abdu et al., 2012).
The digestibility of NDF and ADF were better in
calves fed soymilk and cow milk in the ratio of
25:75 compared with calves fed 100% cow milk.
The difference observed in NDF and ADF
digestibility could be due to microbial activity in
the rumen and the composition of the diets. The
improvement in calves performance and overall
increase in digestibility could be due to
nutritional additive effect. Although nitrogen
intake was significantly different across
treatments, positive nitrogen balance was
recorded in calves fed soymilk. Calves receiving
soymilk milk had highest nitrogen retention as
compared with calves fed only cow milk. This
finding differs from the report of Shakya et al.
(2016) who found that retention of digested
nitrogen is often lower for calves receiving non-
milk proteins not properly processed when
compared with calves fed milk protein which
suggests poor availability of essential amino
acids in the non-milk proteins.
Gadzama, I. U. et al
108
This indicates that the nitrogen obtained from
soymilk contributed to the total nitrogen balance
in the calves. Nitrogen retention obtained in this
study were lower than the values reported by
(Rahman et al., 2016) in calves fed soybeans,
shotti and skim milk based milk replacers.
Nitrogen retention is the major indicator used to
assess the protein nutrition status of ruminant
livestock (Abdu et al., 2012). The low nitrogen
retention observed in this study could be
attributed to the method of soybean processing
used and the CP content of the soymilk and cow
milk diets supplied to the calves. This supports
the findings of Sarwar et al. (2003) who
observed that nitrogen retention depends on
good digestibility and utilization of nutrients.
However, the values fall within the normal range
of (52.80 64.6%) reported by Azevedo et al.
(2016).
The positive nitrogen balance obtained in this
study signified that anti-nutrient contents of
soybeans did not depress their utilization by the
calves. This shows the significance of soaking as
a processing method. Conversely, relatively poor
growth, digestibility and nitrogen retention
resulted when cooked soybeans, soybean meal
or lightly cooked soybean flour were used in
feeding calves (Gorrill and Thomas, 1967).
CONCLUSION
From the results of this study, it was concluded
that feeding 25:75 ratio of soy:cow milk reduced
feed intake but had a positive influence on feed
utilization and growth performance of 0.76
kg/day against 0.67kg/day for 0% replacement.
Therefore, farmers could include soymilk upto
25% in the diets of calves for better performance
and feed conversion.
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... To enhance the survival and health of young pre-ruminants, alternative sources of milk can be provided (Khan et al., 2012;Dairy Australia, 2020). Soymilk is a plant-based alternative to cow's milk that is made from soybeans (Gadzama et al., 2017). It contains protein, fat, carbohydrates, vitamins and minerals, but it also has some anti-nutritional factors (ANFs) that can interfere with the digestion and absorption of nutrients by calves. ...
... It contains protein, fat, carbohydrates, vitamins and minerals, but it also has some anti-nutritional factors (ANFs) that can interfere with the digestion and absorption of nutrients by calves. However, adequate processing can inactivate ANFs in soymilk making it a promising alternative as a milk replacer (Gernah et al., 2013;Gadzama et al., 2017;Dairy Australia, 2020). This study evaluated the effect of substituting a portion of whole milk with soymilk on the preweaning growth performance of dairy calves. ...
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The demand for milk and its importance in human nutrition limits its availability for neonatal dairy calves, especially in regions where the local breeds of dairy cows have low genetic potential for milk production. Calves are prone to stress during the preweaning period (2-3 months) and therefore need adequate nutritional management (Jenkins, 2021). The early life nutrition of calves has a lasting impact on their productivity and fertility throughout their lifespan (Drackley, 1999; Roy et al., 2016). To enhance the survival and health of young pre-ruminants, alternative sources of milk can be provided (Khan et al., 2012; Dairy Australia, 2020). Soymilk is a plant-based alternative to cow's milk that is made from soybeans (Gadzama et al., 2017). It contains protein, fat, carbohydrates, vitamins and minerals, but it also has some anti-nutritional factors (ANFs) that can interfere with the digestion and absorption of nutrients by calves. However, adequate processing can inactivate ANFs in soymilk making it a promising alternative as a milk replacer (Gernah et al., 2013; Gadzama et al., 2017; Dairy Australia, 2020). This study evaluated the effect of substituting a portion of whole milk with soymilk on the preweaning growth performance of dairy calves. We hypothesized that soymilk could partially replace whole milk without compromising the growth performance of preweaning calves. A total of 16 Holstein x Bunaji calves with an average initial live weight of 34.8 ± 0.7 kg (mean ± standard deviation) were randomly assigned to one of four dietary treatments: 1) control, without soymilk; 2) low, with 25% DM soymilk; 3) medium, with 50% DM soymilk; 4) high, with 75% DM soymilk in a completely randomized design. Each calf received 2 litres of liquid feed twice daily for 98 days and their body weight, average daily gain, feed intake, feed efficiency, and health status were monitored. To promote rumen development, the animals received a measured amount of concentrate feed. In addition, all calves had ad libitum access to Digitaria hay and clean fresh drinking water. All data were analysed in SAS using the General Linear (PROC GLM) procedure with repeated measures that adjusted for fixed and random effects. The results showed that replacing whole milk with 25% DM soymilk improved the feed conversion ratio and calf performance compared to the control group. Calves that received 25 and 50% DM soymilk had significantly (P<0.05) higher total weight gain than the control group. This suggests that soymilk replacer had a positive effect on the growth of the calves up to a certain point. Calves fed 25% DM of soymilk were more efficient with lower total dry matter intake and feed conversion ratio and higher average daily gain compared to the control group. The reason for the peak at 25% DM of soymilk may be related to the optimal balance between the protein and energy content of the diet, as well as the digestibility and palatability of the feed. However, as the proportion of soymilk increased beyond 25% DM, the performance of the calves declined. The calves that received 75% DM of soymilk had the lowest final live weight, total weight gain and average daily gain. This indicates that excessive inclusion of soymilk may have negative effects on the health and nutrition of calves. Therefore, this study indicates that partial replacement of whole milk with up to 25% DM soymilk in calves' diets can improve feed efficiency and growth performance. The findings suggest that soymilk can partially replace whole milk in preweaning calf feeding programs without compromising performance.
... The daily weight gain (0.67 kg/day) of calves fed on Rhodes hay + 65% wheat bran + 35% cotton seed cakes was higher than with the finding of Gadzama, I. U., et al [10] who reported the daily weight gain of 0.59 kg/day Friesian X Bunaji Calves Fed 75% soymilk and 25% but lower than Cholistani calves fed on cotton seed cake based diet (0.71 kg) and comparable by calves fed Anmol Vanda based diet (0.69 kg) [11]. ...
... Soaking as a processing method could be employed to improve the feeding value of soymilk. This technology can easily be adopted by farmers to enhance the survival of calves and have excess milk for sale [6]. ...
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Blood is particularly sensitive to changes in nutrition and environmental temperature. The study investigates the response of dairy calves to soymilk as replacement for cow milk. Soybean was sourced, cleaned and soaked in clean water for 72 hours. The water was changed twice after every 24 hours of soaking. Thereafter, the soybean was rinsed, sun-dried for 8 days, milled, sieved and then taken to the laboratory for chemical analyses. Results showed that the soymilk contained 87.11% moisture, 12.89% total solid (TS), 3.30% fat, 9.59% solid-non-fat (SNF), 5.55% protein and 0.82% ash. While the milk obtained from Friesian x Bunaji cows had moisture, TS, fat, SNF, protein and ash contents of 88.30%, 11.70%, 2.69%, 9.01%, 3.29% and 0.67%, respectively. The protein content of the different ratios of soy: cow milk diets increased with increased levels of soymilk and varies from 3.29% in 0:100 to 5.23% in 75:25 ratio of soy: cow milk. The TS, fat, SNF and ash contents also followed similar pattern. Sixteen Friesian x Bunaji dairy calves with body weight of 34.8±0.7kg were randomly assigned to four dietary treatments (which consisted of 0:100, 25:75, 50:50 and 75:25 ratios of soy: cow milk) with four calves per treatment in a Completely Randomized Design. Each calf received two litres of the mixture of soy: cow milk daily. Digitaria smutsii hay and clean drinking water were provided to the calves’ ad libitum. Results showed significant (P<0.05) difference in packed cell volume (PCV) across the treatments. Calves fed 75:25 ratio of soy: cow milk had higher (19.53) PCV percentage compared with those on the control diet which had the lowest (15.01%). While for white blood cell (WBC) calves fed diets containing 75:25 and 50:50 ratios of soy: cow milk had higher (11.65 and 12.46x109/l) WBC compared with those on 0:100 and 25:75 which had lower (10.28 and 10.66 x109/l) WBC values, respectively. Haemoglobin concentration also followed similar pattern. Serum total protein was significantly (P<0.05) higher (6.32g/dl) in calves fed 75:25 ratio of soy: cow milk though not statistically different from calves fed 50:50 (6.28g/dl) and 0:100 (6.1228g/dl). The lowest serum protein (5.51g/dl) was observed in calves fed 25:75 ratio of soy: cow milk. Albumin, glucose and creatinine also followed similar pattern. But the amount of globulin was significantly (P<0.05) higher (2.44g/dl) in calves fed 0:100 ratio of soy: cow milk (the control) compared with calves on the other treatments. Calves fed 50:50 ratio of soy: cow milk had the highest (9.79mg/dl) blood urea nitrogen (BUN) compared with calves on 25:75, which had the lowest (7.13mg/dl) concentration of BUN but statistically similar to those on 0:100 (7.60mg/dl). All the blood parameters measured were within the normal range for healthy calves. Therefore, it was concluded that soymilk can be used to replace cow milk in the diet of calf up to 75% inclusion level without any detrimental effect on health status of the animals.
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The aim of this study was to evaluate the effects on feed intake, calf performance, feed efficiency, fecal score, passage rate, apparent nutrient digestibility, development of rumen and other organs, and body composition of increasing the total solids content of liquid feed (whole milk) by adding increasing amounts of milk replacer powder during the preweaning period. Crossbred Holstein-Gyr calves (n = 32) were assigned to 1 of 4 treatments (n = 8 per group), which consisted of different total solids concentrations: 12.5, 15.0, 17.5, and 20.0% of liquid feed. Calves received 6 L of liquid per day, divided into 2 equal meals (0800 and 1600 h) and provided in buckets, from 5 to 55 d of age. Starter and water were provided ad libitum during the entire experiment. At 56 d of age, animals were killed. Laboratory analysis determined that the actual total solids contents of the liquid feed were 13.5, 16.1, 18.2, and 20.4%, for the proposed 12.5, 15.0, 17.5, and 20.0% total solids treatments, respectively. The osmolality of liquid feed treatments was 265 to 533 mOsm/L. Fe-cal score was similar among treatments, except for wk 2 and 7. Intake of liquid feed was similar among treatments from 6 wk of age. During wk 4, 5, and 6, we detected a linear decrease in starter intake. After wk 7, we observed greater starter intake for calves fed approximately 16.1% total solids. Water intake, feed efficiency, and withers height were similar among treatments. Increasing concentrations of total solids in liquid feed quadratically affected average daily gain, final body weight, and empty body weight. We observed a greater average daily gain for calves fed approximately 20.4% total solids. Passage rate, nutrient digestibility, development of pre-stomachs and intestine, and body composition were similar among treatments. Increasing the concentration of total solids in liquid feed up to 20.4% reduced starter intake between 4 and 6 wk of life, but increased average daily gain. It did not affect passage rate, nutrient digestibility, ruminal and organ development, or body composition in calves during the preweaning period, indicating that this strategy may be a viable alternative for feeding without increasing the total volume of liquid feed provided to dairy calves.
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p>An experiment was conducted with 15 Black Bengal kids of both sexes (in 3 groups) were fed two different milk replacer using ingredient shotti (T1), skim milk (T2) and no milk replacer- kids with mother, termed as control group (T0) at Southern agro trade, Subarnachar, Noakhali. The average total DM intake and milk dry matter intake were not significantly differed among the treatment group. Total dry matter intake was not affected by intake of liquid milk replacer or goat milk. The CP intake were ranged from 19.97 to 20.93 g/d. Total CP intake was not significantly differed among the group but T1 group was slightly higher(0.42 g/d) than T0 and T2. The amount of protein intake (g/d) was followed NRC (1985) recommendation. DMI from concentrate (g/d), DMI from green grass (g/d) and DMI from percent live weight were not significantly differed among the treatment groups. The average daily gain was not significantly (P>0.05) differed among the treatment group. The average growth rate (57.42 – 61.20 g/d) of all kid of Black Begal goat was lower than the Angora goats (115.00-125.00 g/d) and Alpine goats (153.00-258.00 g/d). Dry matter (DM) digestibility (%) was significantly (p<0.05) higher (74.45) in T1 group compare to other groups. CP digestibility was numerically higher in T1 group than other three groups. The digestibility of nutrient depends on physiology of kids, particularly the development and capacity of the digestive tract. The lower growth rate might be genetic characteristics of Black Bengal goat. Asian J. Med. Biol. Res. June 2016, 2(2): 357-360 </p
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The objective of this study was to evaluate milk replacer as substitute of whole milk in suckling calves, during early weaning at 60 days of life. Therefore, were used 24 Girolando breed calves, distributed in a randomized block design with six treatments and four replications. The treatments were: T1- Whole milk until weaning, T2- Milk replacer supplied from the 5thº day after birth, T3- Milk replacer supplied from the 10thº day after birth, T4- Milk replacer supplied from the 15thº day after birth, T5- Milk replacer supplied from the 20thº day after birth and T6- Milk replacer supplied from the 25thº day after birth. All animals also received concentrated ration and water ad libitum. Calves fed whole milk showed higher body growth (withers, croup and thorax) and daily weight gain and lower feed:gain ratio as to those fed milk replacer from 5 to 10 days old; however, there were no differences in the animals receiving milk replacer from the 15, 20 and 25 days old. The analysis of benefit/cost indicated that animals receiving whole milk are economically superior in ratio to those fed with milk replacer. It concludes that the calves receiving milk replacer from 15th day of life had a similar performance to the animals receiving whole milk.
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A study was conducted with objectives to determine the comparative growth performance of calves fed shoti, wheat and soybean based milk replacers and their economics. To achieve the objectives, a total of 24 local calves of about 6-10 days of age were selected and divided in four groups; having six (6) calves in each. A limited suckling with feeding whole milk considered as control (To), suckling along with feeding of wheat, shoti and soybean based milk replacer considered as treatments and denoted as T1, T2 and T3, respectively. Results obtained in the present study revealed that, the total DM, OM and CP intake did not differ significantly (p>0.05) among the treatment groups. However, calves in T2 group sucked significantly (p<0.01) higher milk or milk DM compared to milk sucked by calves in T0, T1 and T3, respectively. No significant differences (p>0.05) was observed in average daily weight gain (ADG) of calves among the treatment groups. The feed conversion efficiency (FCR) was relatively better (p>0.05) in calves those fed shoti and soybean based MR compared to calves fed wheat and control diets. The overall levels of both glucose and BUN did not differ significantly (p>0.05) in calves under different treatment groups. The total cost of per kg wheat (T1), shoti (T2) and Soybean (T3) based MR were Tk. 52.69, Tk. 94.45 and Tk. 51.11, respectively. The processing cost per kg MR was increased Tk. 41.00-43.00 in T2 group than that of T1 and T3 groups. The feeding cost per calf per day was reduced Tk. 88.93.00 Tk. 57.87 and Tk. 82.55 in T1, T2 and T3, respectively than that of T0 group. Results considering for both FCR and per day feeding cost, it indicates that T2 and T3 diets i.e, shoti and soybean based MR maintained growth of calves compared to wheat based MR and milk fed calves.Bangladesh J. of Livestock Res. 19(1-2): 33-43, Jan-Dec 2012
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The gross composition and quality of fresh cow milk purchased from Fulani milk vendors in three locations of Plateau State were investigated. Milk quality was assessed by the methylene blue reduction test while bacterial contamination was by the agar plate count and the direct microscopic count. The mean contents of total solids, butterfat, protein and ash of a total of 100 samples from Barkin Ladi, Jos and Bukuru markets were 12.45, 4.77, 3.90, 0.92; 12.85, 4.50, 3.68, 0.93; and 12.41, 5.26, 3.72, 0.91% respectively. The proximate constituents did not differ significantly between locations. The methylene blue test indicated that only 23.5% of the sample were of good quality while 41.2 and 35.3% were rated fair and poor respectively. No sample merited excellent rating. The agar plate count showed a range of 1.97 x 106 for Bukuru to 2.54 x 106 cells/ml for Jos market. The direct microscopic count showed the highest mean bacteria value for Barkin Ladi samples. The high bacterial counts as observed were probably indicative of poor milking hygiene and handling. It is suggested that such milk should be properly pasteurized before consumption and delivered/marketed early at source to reduce the time for microbial multiplication.
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The study was conducted to assess the economics of soymilk as partial milk replacer on Murrah buffalo calf rearing. The study was conducted at Livestock farm, Adhartal, College of Veterinary Science and Animal Husbandry, N.D.V.S.U., Jabalpur (M.P.) for three months period. Eighteen Murrah buffalo calves with similar body weight of either sex at the age of 5 days were selected and randomly distributed in three different groups (M, SM20 and SM40) with six calves in each group. Calves of the M group were reared on buffalo whole milk, SM20 group was offered buffalo whole milk and soymilk in the proportion of 80: 20, and SM40 group was offered buffalo whole milk and soymilk in the proportion of 80: 20. Calves were maintained under uniform managemental condition except milk feeding. Economic analysis indicated that the recurring cost of rearing of the buffalo calves was significantly decreased in SM20 and SM40 groups in comparison to the M group. Percent decrease of total recurring expenditure in comparison to M group was 11.57 and 19.47, respectively for the SM20 and SM40. Decrease of recurring expenditure (percent/kg body weight gain) in comparison to M group was 9.04 and 12.02, respectively for the SM20 and SM40. It can be concluded that soymilk can replace up to 40 percent whole buffalo milk to reduce the cost of buffalo calf rearing.