The development and function of the rumen in milk-fed calves II. Effect of wood shavings in the diet

Abstract

1. Unmuzzled milk-fed calves which ate considerable amounts of wood shavings after they were a few weeks old showed a much bigger increase with age in volume of rumen fluid and in flow rate of fluid out of the reticulo rumen than did muzzled milk-fed calves. It is suggested that these differences were due mainly to increased saliva production in the calves eating shavings.2. Milk leaked into the rumen at feeding in eight out of twenty-four experiments. There was no indication that shavings ingestion increased the incidence of leakage nor that age up to 16 weeks had any marked effect. The leakage appeared to be a consistent characteristic of certain calves rather than a random occurrence and did not appear to affect adversely growth or health.