Abstract
The body weight of calves in the earliest period of their life (age from 0 to 7 days) is under the greatest influence of the farm and the season of birth. The farm manifests its influence most often through the conditions of nutrition and housing and the organization of the technological production process, while the influence of the birth season is manifested through microclimatic and nutritional conditions, as well. The most common deficiencies related to the nutrition of newborn calves are related to: inadequate colostrum supply in terms of quality, quantity and time of colostrum intake, which is closely related to the organization of the technological production process on the farm. Dietary deficiencies affect the body weight of calves at birth and at 8 days of age. In a study conducted over a year (4 seasons), the colostrum diet of newborn calves of the HF breed on two farms (A and B) with a tied housing system was analyzed. Calves were fed colostrum on both farms at intervals, usually up to 2 hours, less often up to 4 hours after birth. The colostrum consumed came from the mother, most often, and less often from the other cow, while on one of the farms it was also used frozen. However, the amount of colostrum consumed was deficient, it was 1-2 l on farm A, and 2.5 to 3 l on farm B. The occurence of a deficient diet or other deficiencies in the diet of calves was indicated by the average body weight, measured at birth and at the age of 8 days. On farm A, a lower average body weight of calves (37.95 and 39.68 kg) was recorded than on farm B (40.00 and 41.80 kg) by age categories, respectively. The average body weight of calves was statistically significantly (p <0.01) influenced by the farm and the season of birth, as well as their mutual interaction, but the effect of the farm was more pronounced.
Highlights
There are numerous factors that affect the body weight of calves in intensive farming conditions
The most common deficiencies related to the nutrition of newborn calves are related to: inadequate colostrum supply in terms of quality, quantity and time of colostrum intake, which is closely related to the organization of the technological production process on the farm
On farm B, in addition to fresh colostrum, there was a possibility of freezing excess quality colostrum, so that, in the absence of fresh, calves received colostrum which was thawed and heated to a temperature of about 39-40°C, and whose quality prior to its use was checked only by visual inspection
Summary
There are numerous factors that affect the body weight of calves in intensive farming conditions. Yang et al (2015) state that the best gain values are achieved by calves that consume full colostrum immediately after birth, in contrast to those that consume some type of whole milk instead of colostrum. Calves fed different diets, according to Oververst et al (2015), consume different amounts of dry matter from meals, spend more or less time in feeding and achieve different gain values in the period before and after weaning, depending on the type of meal. The correlation between the body weight of calves and the ability to consume a certain amount of milk in the first 2-4 days of life is pointed out by de Passile et al (2015). The correlation coefficient between body weight at birth and the amount of milk consumed is 0.33
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