Indigestion in young calves III. The influence of powders from heat-treated skim milk and whey.

Two experiments comprising 24 calves, lasting 44–46 days, have been carried out in order to examine the influence of powders from heat-treated skim milk and whey on indigestion in young calves. The frequency of diarrhoea increased much (P < 0.01) in the first experiment when feeding the heat-treated products, but little in the other. Possible reasons for this difference are discussed. Calves fed heat-treated products in the first experiment consumed 13.8 1 of electrolyte fluid per head per day 14–22 days after commencing the test, when both diarrhoea and fluid consumption reached peak values. It is postulated that some of the calves might have succumbed without electrolyte fluid.