Research Summary - 3
Spiking Colostrum Replacement Powder Directly into Maternal Colostrum II: Impacts on Behavior and Wellbeing of Neonatal Dairy Calves
| Date/Time: |
9/14/2024
08:00
|
| Author: |
Erika M Oosterheert |
| Clinic: |
University of Minnesota |
| City, State, ZIP: |
Saint Paul, MN 55108 |
E.M. Oosterheert , BS
1
;
M.A. Brown , BS
1
;
S.M. Godden, DVM, DVSc
1
;
R. Schell , DVM
2
;
W.A. Knauer , VMD, PhD
1
;
1Department of Veterinary Population Medicine, University of Minnesota. St. Paul, MN
2CalfStart, LLC. Altura, MN
Introduction:
Mixing unreconstituted (dry) colostrum replacer (CR) powder directly into maternal
colostrum (MC) prior to feeding could be problematic if the final mixture has an excessively
high osmolality, resulting in a decreased abomasal emptying rate. A possibly safer alternative
may be to first reconstitute CR powder in water according to label directions, prior to feeding
with MC, though this would result in having to deliver a larger volume. Our objective was to
describe the effect of first reconstituting CR with water before feeding with MC, as compared to
spiking unreconstituted CR powder directly into MC, on measures of calf wellbeing and appetite.
We hypothesized that neither a larger volume nor an increase in osmolality of a CR-MC mixture
would result in changes to calf behavior or appetite during or following colostrum feeding.
Materials and methods:
This study was conducted on a MN dairy in summer, 2023. Eligible newborn calves were
removed from the dam within 45 min of birth and weighed. Calves in both small (60-85 lb) and
large (85.1-115 lb) birth weight categories were randomly assigned to one of four treatment
groups (MC60, MC90, CR-MC60, CR-H20-MC60), where MC60 was moderate quality MC (60
g/L IgG; 349 Mosm/kg)), MC90 was high quality MC (90 g/L IgG; 361 Mosm/kg), CR-MC60
was dry CR powder mixed directly into MC60 (540 Mosm/kg), and CR-H2O-MC60 was CR
reconstituted in water and then mixed into MC60 (372 Mosm/kg). CR-H20-MC60 was fed at
approximately 12.5% birth weight (BW), while MC60, MC90, and CRMC60 were fed at
approximately 10% BW. The CR used was Premolac® (Zinpro Corp., Eden Valley, MN). The
assigned colostrum mixture was delivered via esophageal tube within 2 hrs of birth.
Of 132 calves enrolled (33 per group), a convenience sample subset of calves were
videotaped to evaluate behavior both during tubing and in the one hour post colostrum feeding.
A trained observer evaluated the video using an ethogram to describe the behaviors during
(vocalize, chew, time spent chewing, stand, lay, fall down, stand up, vocalize, regurgitate,
struggle and defecate) and during the one hour after colostrum feeding (time standing, time
lying, vocalize, headbutt, reposition, standing bouts, laying bouts, oral explore bouts). Appetite
at the next milk feeding, and at subsequent morning milk feeding for 3 days, was evaluated for
all 132 calves (0 - 3 scale, scores of 2 and 3 indicated some refusal of milk). Univariable models
accounting for multiple comparisons were used to evaluate differences in behaviors and calf
appetite by treatment group.
Results:
Forty-seven calves were videotaped (MC60 n=12; MC90 n=15; CR-MC60 n=11; CR-
H20-MC60, n=7). The mean time to tube feed was 123, 122, 172, and 166s for the MC60,
MC90, CR-H2O-MC60 and CR-MC60 groups, respectively (P=0.004). As a result, calves in the
CR-H2O-MC60 and CR-MC60 groups spent more absolute time (s), but no difference in
proportion of time (%), chewing the tube while feeding, as compared to the MC60 and MC90
groups (P=0.005). We observed no effect of treatment on any other behavioral outcome
evaluated. However, there were numerically fewer leg repositions in the MC60 group versus the
other three groups. A novel finding, we observed two calves hiccupping (MC90 n=1; MC60
n=1) post feeding. Numerical, but not statistical, differences existed in appetite, with 21.9, 16.3,
40.4, and 30.5% refusing some portion of the milk offered at the first milk feeding in the MC60,
MC90, CR-H2O-MC60 and CR-MC60 groups, respectively (P=0.17). Only two calves
(MC90=1; CR-H2O-MC60=1) refused some portion of milk on the second morning.
Significance:
Under the conditions of this study, we conclude that feeding neither a larger volume (CR-
H2O-MC60), nor a higher osmolality (CR-MC60) CR-colostrum mixture, impacted behavior or
appetite of newborn calves. However, results should not be generalized to other CR products,
and future studies should aim to evaluate calf behavior on a larger scale.
