The effects of housing system and milk type on performance and some blood parameters in young dairy calves

The aim of this study was to investigate the effects of housing system and milk type on performance and some blood parameters in Holstein calves.Sixty four calves (<3 d of age at the initiation of the experiment) were allocated to 4 treatments for 60 days: (1) housed singly and fed with whole milk (2) housed singly and fed with milk replacers; (3) housed in pairs and fed with whole milk; or (4) housed in pairs and fed with milk replacers. Body weight (BW) was measured biweekly and dry matter intake (DMI) was recorded weekly. Blood samples were collected at 30, 45 and 60 days of trial. There was significant interaction between housing system with milk type on the serum contents of glucose and blood nitrogen urea (BUN) at day 30(P<0.05) and for β-hydroxybutyrate(BHBA) at days of 30, 45 and 60 (P<0.05). In conclusion, the present results demonstrate interaction between housing system and milk type on the performance and blood parameters of dairy calves.

کلیدواژه ها:

dairy calves ، Individual housing ، milk replacers