[Milk substitutes with high ash and macro mineral contents--of importance in loose feces of young calves?].

In 3 feeding experiments with 23 calves (age: 5-18 days at trials' start) the effects of high ash and mineral contents in the diet on feces composition (dry matter, pH, concentrations of lactic and volatile fatty acids, mineral contents) and digestibility rates of organic matter, nutrients and minerals as well as on some parenteral parameters (electrolytes in serum, renal excretion) were tested. In all feeding experiments a change-over-design was used, during 10 days each of all calves was fed the control and experimental diet, respectively. In the first trial (8 calves) high ash and mineral contents in the milk replacer were caused by use of a special whey product (25% in the diet), in the second experiment (n = 7) comparable ash and macromineral concentrations were achieved by adding minerals to the basic diet, in the third trial (n = 8) the whey product was used in a lower proportion (15% of the diet). Ash concentrations in diet (g/kg dry matter): 68 versus 138 (trial 1), 75 versus 135 (trial 2), 75 versus 93 (trial 3). The differences in the ash contents were based mainly on differences in the sodium and potassium concentrations.