Bach A, Giménez A, Juaristi J L, Ahedo J
Institució Catalana de Recerca i Estudis Avançats, 08010 Barcelona, Spain.
J Dairy Sci. 2007 Jun;90(6):3028-33. doi: 10.3168/jds.2006-761.
One hundred six female Holstein calves [body weight (BW) = 41.5 +/- 0.37 kg and 11.2 +/- 0.3 d old] were used to evaluate the effects of physical form of a starter on animal performance and starter intake. Calves were randomly allocated to 2 treatments consisting of either a multiparticle or a pelleted starter. Both starters had exactly the same ingredient and nutrient composition but differed in their physical form. Calves received 4 L/d of the same milk replacer at a 150 g/kg dilution rate in 2 offers of 2 L each until they consumed an average of 300 g/d of starter (as fed) for 2 consecutive days; then the dilution rate was decreased to 120 g/kg until the age of 49 d when milk replacer was limited to 1 daily dose of 2 L until 57 d of age. Calves were kept in individual hutches for at least 1 wk after weaning. Body weight was measured at the beginning of the study and at 49 and 64 d of age. The median perimeters for the multiparticle and pelleted starters were 0.61 +/- 0.016 and 2.71 +/- 0.082 cm, respectively. Overall starter consumption was greater in calves receiving the multiparticle starter (944.8 +/- 30.01 g/d) than in those receiving the pelleted starter (863.9 +/- 32.04 g/d). There were no differences in the total milk replacer intake between the 2 treatments. Calf BW when leaving the individual hutches at the end of the study was similar between both treatments. Consequently, feed conversion efficiency was greater in calves consuming the pelleted than the multiparticle starter up to 64 d of age, mainly due to the greater conversion efficiency obtained with the pelleted than with the multiparticle starter after the preweaning period. It is concluded that pelleted starters may result in lower dry feed consumption compared with multiparticle starters, but because final BW was similar in both treatments, feed efficiency of calves consuming pelleted starters may be greater than that of calves consuming multiparticle starters. Therefore, when feeding a starter with similar nutrient composition to the one used in this study, there seems to be an economic advantage associated with feeding the starter in a pelleted form compared with a multiparticle form.
选用106头荷斯坦母犊牛（体重BW = 41.5±0.37千克，日龄11.2±0.3天）来评估开食料物理形态对动物生产性能和开食料采食量的影响。犊牛被随机分为2组处理，分别饲喂多颗粒开食料或颗粒开食料。两种开食料的成分和营养组成完全相同，但物理形态不同。犊牛每天以150克/千克的稀释率分两次各喂给2升相同的代乳粉，共4升，直到它们连续两天平均每天采食300克（按喂食状态计）开食料；然后稀释率降至120克/千克，直到49日龄，此时代乳粉限制为每天1次，每次2升，直至57日龄。断奶后，犊牛在个体饲养栏中至少饲养1周。在研究开始时以及49日龄和64日龄时测量体重。多颗粒开食料和颗粒开食料的中位周长分别为0.61±0.016厘米和2.71±0.082厘米。采食多颗粒开食料的犊牛总体开食料采食量（944.8±30.01克/天）高于采食颗粒开食料的犊牛（863.9±32.04克/天）。两种处理之间代乳粉的总采食量没有差异。在研究结束时离开个体饲养栏时，两种处理的犊牛体重相似。因此，在64日龄前，采食颗粒开食料的犊牛饲料转化效率高于采食多颗粒开食料的犊牛，这主要是因为断奶前期后颗粒开食料的转化效率高于多颗粒开食料。得出的结论是，与多颗粒开食料相比，颗粒开食料可能导致干饲料采食量较低，但由于两种处理的最终体重相似，采食颗粒开食料的犊牛的饲料效率可能高于采食多颗粒开食料的犊牛。因此，当饲喂与本研究中使用的营养成分相似的开食料时，与多颗粒形式相比，饲喂颗粒形式的开食料似乎具有经济优势。
