Effects of supplementation with a Pichia guilliermondii yeast cell product or essential oils on performance and health of dairy calves during an experimental coccidial infection

Effect of milk replacer carbohydrate source on performance and health of dairy calves

Summary Effects of lasalocid on coccidial infection and on calf growth were examined in 16 Holstein bull calves. Calves were assigned randomly to a 2 × 2 factorial arrangement of starter ration containing 0 or 40 mg of lasalocid/kg of starter, beginning when calves were 3 days old (se = 0.046), and single oral inoculation with 0 or 30,000 sporulated oocysts (Eimeria bovis) at 28 days. Pelleted calf starter was fed ad libitum from day 1; milk replacer was fed at a rate of 3.6 kg/d until day 28. Mean daily gain, dry-matter intake, and body weight were increased in calves fed lasalocid and decreased in those inoculated with coccidia. Addition of lasalocid to the feed improved gains by 8% in uninoculated calves and by 50% in inoculated calves. Fecal oocyst numbers were reduced when lasalocid was fed to inoculated calves. Feces were more abnormal in calves inoculated with coccidia. Respiration rates, rectal temperatures, pcv, and serum sodium and potassium concentrations were unaffected by treatment. On the basis of findings in this study, lasalocid minimized effects of coccidial challenge inoculation and increased growth of calves.

Effects of dose and adaptation time of a specific blend of essential oil compounds on rumen fermentation

The aim of the present study was to investigate the influence of a commercial probiotic and a commercial essential oil blend and their mixture, as a natural feed additive, on growth parameters live weight (LW), live weight gain (LWG), feed intake (FI), feed conversion ratio (FCR), carcass yield (CY) and small intestinal histomorphology of quails. A total of 200 1-day-old Japanese (Coturnix coturnix japonica) quails, including both males and females, were divided into four groups containing 50 quails and treated as follows: (1) a control treatment without medication (2) 18 g ton-1 probiotic; (3) 300 g ton-1 essential oil blend and (4) 18 g ton-1 probiotic plus 300 g ton-1 essential oil blend. The results of the research show that the additives added to quail diets do not have a significant effect (P > 0.05) on the performance parameters of LW, LWG, FI and FCR. However, significant differences (P < 0.05) were found in the CY, which is one of the performance parameters. A probiotic addition of 18 g ton -1 (treatment 1) to the quail diet resulted in a significant increase (P < 0.05) in carcass yield. Moreover, the addition of natural feed additives such as probiotics, essential oil blends and mixture to quail diets caused significant (P < 0.001) increases in villus heights and crypt depth in the duodenum and ileum segments. In addition, significant (P < 0.05) enlargements were found in the villus surface area in the experimental groups compared to the control group. In conclusion, in this study, it was determined that the addition of feed additives, which are developed as an alternative to antibiotics to the quail diet did not have a negative effect on performance and caused significant differences in the effective parameters in the evaluation of intestinal health.

Short communication: Use of fecal starch concentration as an indicator of dry feed digestion in preweaned dairy calves.

Milk Replacers and Bovine Spongiform Encephalopathy in Calves, Japan

A blend of essential oils (EO; carvacrol, caryophyllene, -cymene, cineole, terpinene, and thymol) and prebiotics (arabinogalactans; Stay Strong; Ralco, Inc., Marshall, MN) was designed to promote immunity and stimulate appetite to diminish health challenges and stresses experienced by newborn calves. It was hypothesized that calves supplemented with the medium dose (2.5 g/feeding) of the commercial EO would demonstrate the optimal response. The study objective was to determine the optimal feeding rate of EO when added to a milk replacer (MR) compared with feeding a control or a yeast cell wall additive (YCW). One hundred Holstein calves from a commercial dairy farm were blocked by birth date and randomly assigned to 1 of 5 treatments. Treatments were a control (CON), a 24:20% CP:fat (as-fed basis) MR (24:20 MR) without EO; EO mixed into the 24:20 MR at a rate of 1.25 g/feeding (EO-0.5), EO mixed into the 24:20 MR at a rate of 2.5 g/feeding (EO-1.0), or EO mixed into the 24:20 MR at a rate of 3.75 g/feeding (EO-1.5); or 24:20 MR with YCW mixed in at a rate of 2 g/calf at each feeding. The 24:20 MR was fed in a bucket 2 times/d at a rate of 0.28 kg/calf daily for 14 d, which was increased to 0.43 kg/calf at 2 times/d until d 35 and then reduced to 1 time/d at d 36 to facilitate weaning at d 42. Decoquinate was added to the MR at 41.6 mg/kg for coccidiosis control. Calves were housed in individual hutches bedded with straw with ad libitum access to a 20% CP pelleted calf starter and water. All data were analyzed using PROC MIXED as a completely random design. Calves fed EO-0.5 demonstrated greater ( < 0.05) ADG (0.65, 0.71, 0.64, 0.64, and 0.63 kg/d for the CON, EO-0.5, EO-1.0, EO-1.5, and YCW, respectively) through d 56 compared with calves fed EO-1.0 and YCW and tended ( < 0.10) to have greater ADG than calves fed the CON and EO-1.5. Total BW gains were greater ( < 0.05) for calves fed EO-0.5 compared with calves fed EO-1.0 and YCW, with calves fed the CON and EO-1.5 being intermediate and similar. Body length and wither height gains (final - initial) were greater ( < 0.05) for calves fed EO-0.5 compared with calves fed the other treatments. Hip width gains were similar ( < 0.10) among treatments. Hip height gains were increased ( < 0.05) for calves fed EO-0.5 compared with calves fed the CON, EO-1.0, EO-1.5, and YCW. These results demonstrate that supplementing EO-0.5 (1.25 g/calf daily) in a 24:20 MR may be the optimal feeding rate to enhance growth rates compared with feeding a 24:20 MR and a 24:20 MR containing YCW or other inclusion rates of EO.

Glucagon-like peptide 2 therapy reduces negative effects of diarrhea on calf gut

Growth performance and health of dairy calves given water treated with a reverse osmosis system compared with municipal city water

Fecal starch (FS) has been used as a tool to evaluate starch digestibility in lactating dairy cows and feedlot steers. Some on-farm advisors are also using FS in a similar way to evaluate solid feed digestibility in preweaned dairy calves. Our objective was to evaluate the relationship of FS with starter intake and starch digestibility in preweaned dairy calves. Male Holstein calves initially 43 ± 2.9 kg BW from a single farm (N = 35) were fed different amounts of milk replacer ranging from 0.66 to 1.1 kg DM daily (27% CP and 17% fat) and weaned by 7 wk of age. Starters contained 37% whole corn, 20% whole oats, 35% protein pellet, and 3% molasses and contained 43% starch (first set) and 38% starch (second set). Fecal grab samples were taken from calves at 3 (n = 20), 6 (n = 20), and 8 wk (n = 35) of age. Twelve fecal samples per calf were taken via rectal palpation over a 5-d period each week, frozen daily, combined on an equal wet-weight basis, and subsampled for analysis. Chromic oxide was used as an external digestibility marker at 3 and 6 wk, whereas AIA was used as an internal marker at 8 wk. Milk replacer and starter intakes (offered and refused) were recorded daily during collection. Linear regression analysis of starch digestibility (%) and dry feed intake (kg/d) vs. fecal starch (%) were determined using PROC REG of SAS. At 3 wk of age, starch digestibility increased (y = 0.69x + 40.80; R2 = 0.53, P < 0.01) and starter intake decreased (y = −0.01x + 1.32; R2 = 0.20, P = 0.05) with increasing FS. At 6 wk of age, starch digestibility (P = 0.11) and starter intake (P = 0.96) were not related to FS. At 8 wk of age after calves were weaned, starch digestibility decreased as FS increased (y = −0.62x + 99.7; R2 = 0.86, P < 0.01), whereas FS and starter intake were not related (P = 0.17), a relationship in contrast to the previously observed result in calves still consuming milk replacer. In the current study, results suggest that FS was not a good estimate of starch digestion or dry feed intake in the preweaned calf but has promise for evaluating starch digestibility in calves after weaning.

Essential oils for dairy calves: effects on performance, scours, rumen fermentation and intestinal fauna

Beneficial effects of dietary supplementation of Bacillus strains on growth performance and gut health in chickens with mixed coccidiosis infection

l-Glutamine supplementation improves gastrointestinal and immune function in dairy calves during controlled immune and stress challenges. However, it is unknown whether supplementing milk replacer (MR) with l-glutamine improves preweaning dairy calf health and welfare under production conditions. Therefore, the study objective was to evaluate the effects of supplementing MR with l-glutamine on gastrointestinal permeability, immune function, growth performance, postabsorptive metabolic biomarkers, and physiological stress response in preweaning dairy calves. In 3 repetitions, Holstein heifer calves (n = 30; 1.5 ± 0.5 d old; 37.1 ± 0.86 kg body weight) were blocked by serum total protein, body weight, and age, and provided MR (3.8 L/calf per d; 24% CP, 17% fat, 12.5% solids) supplemented with l-glutamine (GLN; 10g/kg MR powder; n = 5 calves/repetition) or nonsupplemented (NSMR; n = 5 calves/repetition). Calves were individually housed with ad libitum starter grain and water access until weaning (56.4 ± 0.5 d old). At 1 and 6 wk of age, urinary catheters were placed, and calves were orally dosed with 1 L of chromium (Cr)-EDTA. Urine samples were collected over a 24-h period for Cr output analysis as an in vivo biomarker of gastrointestinal permeability. Blood was collected on study d 1, 5, 7, 14, 21, 42, and 56 to measure white blood cell counts, cortisol, insulin, glucose, nonesterified fatty acids, serum amyloid A, haptoglobin, and neutrophil: lymphocytes. Two study intervals were used in the statistical analyses, representing greater (P1; wk 1-3) and reduced (P2; wk 4-8) enteric disease susceptibility. Data were analyzed using PROC GLIMMIX in SAS 9.4 (SAS Institute Inc.) with calf as the experimental unit. Overall, total urinary Cr output was reduced in GLN versus NSMR calves. Total Cr output was reduced at 1 wk of age in GLN versus NSMR calves, but no differences were detected at 6 wk of age. Neutrophil:lymphocyte was decreased both overall and during P2 in GLN versus NSMR calves, and neutrophil counts tended to be reduced in GLN versus NSMR calves during P2. No MR treatment differences were detected for average daily feed intake, average daily gain, body measurements, postabsorptive metabolic biomarkers, disease scores, and therapeutic treatments between GLN and NSMR calves. In summary, l-glutamine supplementation reduced gastrointestinal permeability and biomarkers of physiological stress in preweaning Holstein heifer calves.

The aim of the present experiment was to investigate the effects of oral administration of a live attenuated vaccine (VAC) and an essential oil blend (EOB), either alone or in combination, as a novel anticoccidial strategy for broiler chickens with a mixed Eimeria spp. infection. A total of 624 broiler chicks were randomly assigned to one of six treatments. Two of the groups, only one of which was challenged with coccidiosis, were given a basal diet and served as controls. The other two groups, also infected, were given a basal diet supplemented with monensin sodium (MON, 100 mg/kg) or the EOB (75 mg/kg). Of the remaining two groups, which were infected with coccidiosis, one was vaccinated against coccidiosis (VAC) and the other was both vaccinated and fed a diet with an EOB (VAC+EOB).Birds treated with VAC and VAC+EOB had comparable live performance to MON-fed birds challenged with coccidiosis. Conversely, EOB diet supplementation had negative effects on growth, feed intake and feed conversion ratio throughout the growth period. None of the coccidial control strategies kept pace with theuninfected procedure in terms of performance during the course of the infection. There was no significant difference in mortality among treatments. All of the anticoccidial procedures kept serum infectious bursal disease titers at high levels after coccidial infection and reduced fecal oocyst excretion, with the exception of the MON-based procedure.The results indicate that vaccination against coccidiosis, with or without EOB, demonstrated the same efficacy in promoting recovery from coccidial infection and in reducing oocyst shedding as MON.

CASE STUDY: Effect of feeding rate and weaning age of dairy calves fed a conventional milk replacer during warm summer months