Creep Feed Research Articles

On the kinematics of creep feed grinding

We consider kinematic dependences of creep feed grinding. We give an analytical model of this process and formulas that relate the area of a nominal section removed during one turn of the grinding disk and the arc length of the contact during grinding stages. Using the obtained relations, we perform a kinematic analysis of the process and derive functional dependences of the nominal section area and thickness, the run, and the cutting ability on the contact arc length and time for different grinding stages and modes. These functional dependences are polynomials of the first to third degrees.

Creep feed grinding of gamma titanium aluminide and burn resistant titanium alloys using SiC abrasive

Following a brief introduction to titanium alloys and their machinability, the cutting performance of a gamma titanium aluminide intermetallic ( γ-TiAl) alloy: Ti–45Al–8Nb–0.2C wt% and a burn resistant titanium (BuRTi) alloy: Ti–25V–15Cr–2Al–0.2C wt%, is compared with creep feed grinding using SiC abrasive. The work utilised 2 separate L9 Taguchi fractional factorial arrays. Typically G-ratios were a factor of ∼10× greater for γ-TiAl than BuRTi, with on average ∼10% lower maximum power and ∼25% lower maximum specific energy for the γ-TiAl alloy. A combination of a moderately high wheel speed: 35 m/s, low depth of cut: 1.25 mm and low feed rate: 150 mm/min, produced the lowest average workpiece surface roughness (Ra∼1.4 μm). Workpiece surface integrity evaluation indicated that with lower operating parameter levels, in particular a wheel speed of 15 m/s, surfaces free of burn and cracks could be produced, while at higher wheel speeds: 35 m/s, extensive workpiece surface burn was evident, with the γ-TiAl alloy suffering extensive cracking. Microhardness measurements showed in some instances slightly increased workpiece surface hardness of around 50–60HK 0.025 for the BuRTi alloy and 200HK 0.025 for the γ-TiAl material over respective bulk hardness values of 375HK 0.025 and 400HK 0.025.

Experimental Research on the Ground Surface Quality of Creep Feed Ultrasonic Grinding Ceramics (Al2O3)

In order to grind the ceramic blade surface with the Numerical Control contour evolution ultrasonic grinding method using the simple shape grinding wheel, primary comparative experiments of creep feed grinding with and without ultrasonic vibration were carried out to grind Al2O3 ceramics so as to implore the effects of different process parameters on the machined surface quality. It can be concluded that when the direction of ultrasonic vibration is parallel to the direction of creep feed, the value of the surface roughness will be decreased; otherwise the surface quality will become worse. With the ultrasonic grinding method, the slower feed-rate, the smaller grinding depth, the higher grinding speed and the compound feed grinding method should be applied in order to improve the surface quality. The creep feed grinding mechanisms with and without ultrasonic vibration were analyzed theoretically from the experimental results. With the selected grinding parameters resulted from the experiments, the feasibility experiment of ultrasonic grinding ceramic blade surface was carried out.

Weaning strategies to improve the performance of sows and their progeny under smallholder farming conditions

The effect of restricted suckling and split weaning on the reproductive performance of dams and subsequent performance of their litters was studied in an experiment involving 48 Landrace x Large White sows of second and third parity. The sows and their litters were allocated to four treatments as follows: separation to allow either one or two 30 minute periods of suckling per day, reduction of litter size by weaning all piglets attaining 6 kg body weight and a control in which suckling was not restricted. Treatments commenced when piglets attained four weeks of age and were weaned at eight weeks of age. Restricted suckling resulted in an increased creep feed intake by the piglets. Piglets that were suckled once a day consumed 8.76 kg creep feed during the experimental period compared to 8.49, 8.35 and 8.21 kg for split weaning, twice a day suckling and the control, respectively. All intakes were significantly different. No differences were observed between treatments in total weight gain over the four week period. Sows in the control treatment had an average wean to oestrus interval (WOI) of 17 days. Restricting piglets to suckling once or twice a day, or split weaning had a positive effect of significantly reducing the WOI compared to the control. A number of sows exhibited oestrus during lactation, with the sows in the twice a day suckling treatment having a larger percentage than those in the other treatments. Restricting suckling and split weaning have an advantage of improving the reproductive performance of the sows without compromising piglet survival or growth. We recommend restricting piglet suckling to twice a day, and weaning of all piglets attaining six kg live weight.

Effects of season and inclusion of corn distillers dried grains with solubles in creep feed on intake, microbial protein synthesis and efficiency, ruminal fermentation, digestion, and performance of nursing calves grazing native range in southeastern North Dakota1

Nine ruminally and duodenally cannulated (145 +/- 21 kg of initial BW; Exp. 1) and sixteen intact (181 +/- 36 kg of initial BW; Exp. 2), commercial, Angus, nursing, steer calves were used to evaluate the effects of advancing season and corn distillers dried grains with solubles in creep feed on intake, digestion, microbial efficiency, ruminal fermentation, and performance while grazing native rangeland. Calves were assigned to 1 of 2 treatments: a supplement containing 41% soybean meal, 26.25% wheat middlings, 26.25% soybean hulls, 5% molasses, and 1.5% limestone (control) or a supplement containing 50% corn distillers dried grains with solubles, 14.25% wheat middlings, 14.25% soybean hulls, 14% soybean meal, 5% molasses, and 1.5% limestone (CDDGS). Calves were offered supplement individually (0.45% of BW) once daily. Three 15-d collection periods occurred in June, July, and August. In Exp. 1, there were no differences in OM intake, or OM, N, NDF, or ADF digestion between control calves and those fed CDDGS. Forage and total OM intake increased (P < 0.03), whereas OM digestion decreased (P < 0.01), with advancing season. Duodenal microbial N flow (g/d) was not affected (P = 0.50) by treatment and increased linearly (P = 0.003) as season progressed. Calves consuming CDDGS had decreased (P < 0.01) ruminal acetate:propionate ratio, increased (P < 0.01) molar proportion of butyrate, and decreased (P < 0.001) molar proportions of isobutyrate and isovalerate. In Exp. 2, supplement OM intake (% of BW) was less for CDDGS compared with control calves, but there were no differences in performance or subsequent carcass composition between treatments. Inclusion of 50% corn distillers dried grains with solubles in a creep supplement for nursing calves produced similar results compared with a control creep feed based on soybean meal, soybean hulls, and wheat middlings.

It's a grind [grinding technology

VIPER grinding was developed by Rolls Royce in collaboration with the Grinding Division of Makino-NCMT as a replacement for creep feed grinding of Inconel and other nickel-based alloys using CBN wheels. Using inexpensive vitrified aluminum oxide wheels of small diameter mounted in the spindle of a horizontal machining center (HMC), VIPER grinding has been shown to be 10 times faster at removing metal than milling. To fully understand the potential of the VIPER technology, the paper describes the features of several machining centers including the Makino A55, the Makino A99, and the Makino A100.

A wavelet-based methodology for grinding wheel condition monitoring

Grinding wheel surface condition changes as more material is removed. This paper presents a wavelet-based methodology for grinding wheel condition monitoring based on acoustic emission (AE) signals. Grinding experiments in creep feed mode were conducted to grind alumina specimens with a resinoid-bonded diamond wheel using two different conditions. During the experiments, AE signals were collected when the wheel was ‘sharp’ and when the wheel was ‘dull’. Discriminant features were then extracted from each raw AE signal segment using the discrete wavelet decomposition procedure. An adaptive genetic clustering algorithm was finally applied to the extracted features in order to distinguish different states of grinding wheel condition. The test results indicate that the proposed methodology can achieve 97% clustering accuracy for the high material removal rate condition, 86.7% for the low material removal rate condition, and 76.7% for the combined grinding conditions if the base wavelet, the decomposition level, and the GA parameters are properly selected.

Creep Feed Surface Grinding NC Technology by Cup Wheel in Radome Machining

The radome made of special ceramic is a workpiece needed to be machined precisely. The machining precision of the exterior contour of the workpiece effects the performance of the radome directly. Around improving on machining technology of the traditional radome’s exterior-surface, the creep feed surface grinding by cup wheel based on line enveloping is presented in this paper. Due to combining the advantages such as large material removal rate, high machining precision and high efficiency of creep feed grinding and the superiority of cup wheel, the workpiece with perfect surface quality can be reached. Furthermore, the mathematics model of the geometric locus of grinding wheel head rotating center is established by using the linear interpolation algorithm, with a combination of the equal-space and equal-error method. The existing NC grinding machine with 2-axis simultaneous motion is transformed into 3-axis simultaneous motion (adding an axis of rotation B) and its feasibility applied to the exterior contour machining has been verified.

Impacts of a modified farrowing pen design on sow and litter performances and air quality during two seasons

The impacts of using a modified farrowing pen (MOD) on the performance of sows and their litters and on ambient air quality over a hot and a cool season were evaluated. Primiparous Yorkshire × Landrace sows farrowed either during the months of February and March (thermoneutralily, TN) or June and July (heat-stress, HS). Temperatures within each season were controlled to 21 and 29 °C, respectively, for TN and HS. Animals from each group were assigned to a standard farrowing crate (STD; TN, n = 17; HS, n = 16) or a MOD pen (TN, n = 19; HS, n = 19). The MOD pen consisted of a STD crate with a 1.5 × 1.6-m comfort zone in the back, equipped with rubber floor mats, a feeder and a nipple waterer. Litter size was standardized to 10 or 11. No creep feed was provided and piglets were weighed weekly. Sows were weighed on days 2 and 22. Feed intake of sows was monitored daily, a milk sample was obtained on day 21 for compositional analyses and jugular blood samples were collected on days 2 and 21 to measure prolactin, IGF-I and urea. Sows consumed less feed (3.4 vs. 4.7 ± 0.1 kg/day, P < 0.001) in a hot than in a cool season and, at 29 °C, sows in MOD pens consumed more feed (3.9 vs. 3.0 ± 0.2 kg/day, P < 0.01) than sows in STD pens. Sow lactation weight loss was greater (− 26.4 vs. − 19.1 ± 1.9 kg, P < 0.05) for sows in STD than MOD pens in a hot season. The reduction in prolactin concentrations from days 2 to 22 of lactation tended to be greater ( P = 0.08) in a hot season for sows in STD pens. Concentrations of urea and IGF-I increased as lactation advanced ( P < 0.01) and IGF-I was lower for HS compared to TN sows on both days ( P < 0.01), whereas urea was greater for HS sows on day 2 only ( P < 0.01). Milk DM was less in a hot than in a cool season ( P < 0.01). Average piglet weight gain was reduced in a hot compared to a cool season during the second week of lactation ( P < 0.05) and this reduction was less in MOD than STD pens during the third week of lactation ( P < 0.01). During a hot season, even though not significant, average weight gain of piglets from days 2 to 21 of lactation was reduced by 6.0% in MOD pens compared to 9.7% in STD pens.

Use of the in vitro cumulative gas production technique for pigs: An examination of alterations in fermentation products and substrate losses at various time points1

An experiment was conducted to examine changes in VFA and ammonia concentrations at different time points using 4 fermentable carbohydrate-rich feed ingredients as substrates and feces of unweaned piglets as inoculum. Fecal inoculum was collected, pooled, and mixed from 9 specially raised (no creep feed or antibiotics) crossbred piglets at 3 wk of age. Inulin, lactulose, molasses-free sugar beet pulp, and wheat starch were used as substrates and were fermented in vitro for 72 h (3 replicates per substrate). Cumulative gas production was measured as an indicator of the kinetics of fermentation. In addition, 3 bottles of substrate per time point with similar contents (amounts of substrate, inoculum, and media) were incubated but were allowed to release their gas throughout incubation. For these latter bottles, fermentation fluid was sampled at incubation time points including every hour between 1 and 24 h and at 48 h, and fermentation end products (VFA, lactate, and ammonia) and OM disappearance were measured. Dry matter and ash were analyzed from the postfermentative samples. The pH of the contents from these bottles was also recorded. The correlation in time between fermentation end products and cumulative gas produced was determined. The results showed that the prolongation of fermentation to 72 h, especially in the case of fast-fermenting inulin and lactulose, may lead to a different end product profile (P < 0.001) compared with the profile observed at the time at which most of the substrate has disappeared. Therefore, we concluded that the fermentation product profile at the end of in vitro fermentation at a specific time point cannot be used to compare fermentability of carbohydrate sources with different fermentation kinetics in terms of gas production.

Effect of creep feed supplementation and season on intake, microbial protein synthesis and efficiency, ruminal fermentation, digestion, and performance in nursing calves grazing native range in southeastern North Dakota1

Nine ruminally and duodenally cannulated (172 +/- 23 kg of initial BW; Exp. 1) and 16 intact (153 +/- 28 kg of initial BW; Exp. 2) crossbred nursing steer calves were used to evaluate the effects of creep feed supplementation and advancing season on intake, digestion, microbial efficiency, ruminal fermentation, and performance while grazing native rangeland. Treatments in both experiments were no supplement or supplement fed at 0.45% of BW (DM basis) daily. Supplement consisted of 55% wheat middlings, 38.67% soyhulls, 5% molasses, and 1.33% limestone. Three 15-d collection periods occurred in June, July, and August. In Exp. 1, ruminal evacuations were performed and masticate samples were collected for diet quality analysis on d 1. Duodenal and fecal samples were collected from cannulated calves on d 7 to 12 at 0, 4, 8, and 12 h after supplementation. Ruminal fluid was drawn on d 9 and used as the inoculate for in vitro digestibility. On d 11, ruminal fluid was collected, and the pH was recorded at -1, 1, 2, 4, 8, 12, and 24 h postsupplementation. In Exp. 1 and 2, milk intake was estimated using weigh-suckle-weigh on d 15. Steers in Exp. 2 were fitted with fecal bags on d 6 to 11 to estimate forage intake. In Exp. 1, supplementation had no effect (P = 0.22 to 0.99) on grazed diet or milk composition. Apparent total tract OM disappearance increased (P = 0.03), and apparent total tract N disappearance tended (P = 0.11) to increase in supplemented calves. Microbial efficiency was not affected (P = 0.50) by supplementation. There were no differences in ruminal pH (P = 0.40) or total VFA concentration (P = 0.21) between treatments, whereas ruminal NH3 concentration increased (P = 0.03) in supplemented compared with control calves. In Exp. 2, supplementation decreased (P = 0.02) forage OM intake (OMI; % of BW) and increased (P = 0.06) total OMI (% of BW). Supplementation had no effect on ADG (P = 0.94) or G:F (P = 0.35). Supplementation with a wheat middlings and soybean hull-based creep feed reduced forage OMI but improved total tract OM and N digestion and had minimal effects on ruminal fermentation or performance. Supplementation with a wheat middlings and soybean hulls-based creep feed might improve OM and N digestion, but might not produce significantly greater BW gains compared with no supplementation.

Study on Forming Mechanism of Surface Hardening in Two-Pass Grinding 40Cr Steel

We had done the two-pass grind-hardening experiment on 40Cr steel using the conventional aluminum grinding wheel on a surface grinder, compared the structure and performance of the hardened layer of one-pass grinding with those of two-pass grinding and analyzed the forming mechanism of two-pass grinding hardened layers. The results show that there are a similar martensite structure and change rules of hardened layer of one-pass grinding and two-pass grinding in spite of the different of initial structures, for martensite has tempered by the action of the creep feed grinding temperature field. The depths of hardened layer, microhardness and wear resistance have further improved, but the maximal compressive residual stress and its influencing depth of hardened layer have decreased. The forming mechanism of the two-pass grinding hardened layer is the same as that of the grinding hardened layer of quenched steel.

Experimental Study on Creep Feed Deep Grinding Titanium Alloy with Slotted CBN Grinding Wheel

In order to improve the grindability of titanium alloys, the inhibition of chemical affinity between abrasives and titanium alloys and cooling enhancement in grinding zone are carried out in this paper. Slotted electroplated CBN grinding wheels with optimum topography are used, and different grinding fluid supply systems such as conventional tangential spraying coolant supply, inner chamber coolant jet impingement, radial high-pressure coolant jet impingment are employed in creep feed deep grinding experiments on titanium alloy (TC4). The experimental results show that high-pressure jet impingement has remarkable cooling effect. The temperature of the workpiece surface can be steadily kept below the critical film boiling temperature 120~130°C, while the workpiece surfaces is badly burnt with conventional coolant supply. The study will exploit an important research orientation that has great potential in high efficiency grinding. Further perfection of this study will not only enable us to increase the available material removal rate to a new level but also solve the workpiece burn problem of the difficult-to-machining materials in high efficiency grinding.In order to improve the grindability of titanium alloys, the inhibition of chemical affinity between abrasives and titanium alloys and cooling enhancement in grinding zone are carried out in this paper. Slotted electroplated CBN grinding wheels with optimum topography are used, and different grinding fluid supply systems such as conventional tangential spraying coolant supply, inner chamber coolant jet impingement, radial high-pressure coolant jet impingment are employed in creep feed deep grinding experiments on titanium alloy (TC4). The experimental results show that high-pressure jet impingement has remarkable cooling effect. The temperature of the workpiece surface can be steadily kept below the critical film boiling temperature 120~130°C, while the workpiece surfaces is badly burnt with conventional coolant supply. The study will exploit an important research orientation that has great potential in high efficiency grinding. Further perfection of this study will not only enable us to increase the available material removal rate to a new level but also solve the workpiece burn problem of the difficult-to-machining materials in high efficiency grinding.

Heat flux distribution model by sequential algorithm of inverse heat transfer for determining workpiece temperature in creep feed grinding

The purpose of this study is to determine the heat flux distribution and to estimate the workpiece temperature in creep feed grinding. The sequential algorithm of the inverse heat transfer was used for determining the heat flux distribution. The amount of heat flux to the workpiece, the energy partition and the convective heat transfer coefficients both at the front and at the back of the heat flux were determined. Three heat source models using the determined amount of heat flux were applied to estimate the workpiece temperature. The workpiece temperatures estimated by the heat source models were compared with that measured by the embedded thermocouple. The scalene triangle model correlated best with measured and theoretical temperature profiles obtained for creep feed grinding.

Profile Grinding of Superalloys with Ultrafine-Crystalline cBN Wheels

This paper deals with the grinding characteristics of newly developed polycrystalline cBN (cBN-U) abrasives in creep feed profile grinding of nickel-based superalloys. Experiments for producing a V-shaped groove on a flat surface in one pass by creep feed grinding have been carried out using the new polycrystalline cBN-U and representative conventional cBN (cBN-B) grits. When grinding with cBN-U abrasives, both radial wear and profile wear are less, and hence the grinding ratio is around 10 times higher than that with the conventional cBN-B abrasives. Grinding forces in grinding with cBN-U abrasives are reduced by 20-30% compared with those in Grinding with cBN-B abrasives. The cBN-U abrasive is suitable for the applications with a high dimensional accuracy in creep feed profile grinding for nickel-based superalloys, because it gives less profile wear, and hence better form retention, than conventional cBN abrasive.

Performance of Suckling Rabbits Fed a Low Fibre Concentrate

The aim of this study was to evaluate the effect of two diets different in crude fibre content and ingredients on performance and on caecal characteristics of rabbits around weaning. Thirty litters from thirty New Zealand White does were divided at Day 18 in two groups fed, respectively, a low fibre concentrate (LFC, consisting mainly of soybean meal, delactated whey, barley) from Day 18-28 followed by a creep feed (CF, consisting mainly in alfalfa meal, barley and wheat bran) from Day 29-32, and a CF from Day 18-32. After weaning (32 days) both groups were fed the CF ad libitum for two weeks. During the pre-weaning period, mortality, milk intake and solid feed intake (from Day 20) were recorded daily, while the live weight of kits was recorded twice, at 18 and 32 days. At day 28, one rabbit/litter was slaughtered in order to obtain data on caecal content characteristics. After weaning, the rabbits were located in collective cages, feeding ad libitum CF; feed intake, live weight and mortality were recorded weekly for two weeks. During the pre- weaning period, there were no differences between the groups in milk and solid feed intake and, by consequence, in live weight at weaning; instead, the mortality was higher (12.5 vs 4.5%) for the group (A) that changed diet at 28 days. Group A showed also a higher caecal pH (6.12 vs. 5.72), propionate to butyrate ratio (0.73 vs. 0.46), ammonia content (9.3 vs. 7.1 mmol/l), but a lower total volatile fatty acid content (66.8 vs. 82.1 mmol/l) than B Group, probably due to the dried milk whey in the concentrate. After weaning, there were no significant differences between the two groups. The authors concluded that the use of a low fibre concentrate for suckling rabbits is not recommended. (Asian-Aust. J. Anim. Sci. 2005. Vol 18, No. 10 : 1421-1424)

Effects of feeding antibiotic-free creep feed supplemented with oligofructose, probiotics or synbiotics to suckling piglets increases the preweaning weight gain and composition of intestinal microbiota

The objective of this study was to determine whether feeding an antibiotic-free creep feed supplemented with either oligofructose, probiotics or synbiotics to suckling piglets influences growth performance, the gut microflora, gut morphology and hematological traits at weaning. Twenty sows with 10 piglets each were randomly assigned to one of four treatments. The treatments consisted of a control (antibiotic-free) diet, 0.2% oligofructose (OF), 0.3% probiotics or 0.5% synbiotics (mixture of 0.2% OF + 0.3% probiotics). Piglets were offered the diet ad libitum from 7 d after birth until one day after weaning (21 d of age). At the day after weaning, blood samples were collected from the jugular vein to determine the immune response. Digesta samples of the ileum and colon were collected to determine the microbial composition. Tissue segments from the duodenum and ileum were collected for morphometric measurements of the small intestine. The average daily weight gain was significantly higher for piglets fed the OF or synbiotics diet compared with the pigs fed the control diet. The hematological traits (the concentration of lymphocytes and neutrophils in whole blood) were not affected by the diet. Piglets fed the OF, probiotics or synbiotics diet had a significantly decreased number of total coliform bacteria in the colon. Feeding OF, probiotics or synbiotics significantly increased the population of bifidobacteria in the ileum compared to the control. In the colon, the probiotics and synbiotics diet significantly increased the number of bifidobacteria compared with the control diet. The results of this experiment showed that supplementation of oligofructose or synbiotics to an antibiotic-free creep feed during the preweaning period affected gut microbial population and performance of piglets.

Difference in in vitro fermentability of four carbohydrates and two diets, using ileal and faecal inocula from unweaned piglets

AbstractAn experiment was conducted to examine differences in the in vitro fermentability of four carbohydrate‐rich feed ingredients and two weaning piglet diets with and without these ingredients, using both the ileal contents and the faeces of unweaned piglets as inocula. In the first part of the experiment, cumulative gas production was measured over time, using faecal inocula mixed from nine specially raised crossbred piglets (no creep feed or antibiotics) at 3 weeks of age. Inulin, lactulose, unmolassed sugar beet pulp, wheat starch and the two diets were used as substrates and fermented in vitro for 72 h. Gas production was measured as an indicator of the kinetics of fermentation. Fermentation end‐products, including volatile fatty acids and ammonia, and organic matter loss, were also measured. For the fermentations of feed ingredients, samples were also collected for polymerase chain reaction/denaturing gradient gel electrophoresis analyses initially and after the fermentation process, to study changes in the composition of the bacterial community. This procedure was repeated 1 week later, using ileal contents from the same piglets as inoculum. There were significant differences between the inocula, in terms of both overall fermentation characteristics and composition and between the substrates. There was also a significant interaction between inocula and substrates, which suggests that there were potentially important differences in the microbial activity occurring in these two areas of the gastrointestinal tract (GIT). For the two diets, one with and one without addition of these fermentable ingredients, there were significant differences in terms of the kinetics, but less so in terms of the end‐products of fermentation. It was concluded that inocula from both the small and large intestine should be used to obtain a more accurate assessment of potential feed ingredients which will stimulate fermentation in the piglet GIT. Copyright © 2005 Society of Chemical Industry

Escherichia coli post-weaning diarrhoea occurrence in piglets with monitored exposure to creep feed

The objective of the study was to investigate the effect of offering supplementary creep feed to piglets during the suckling period on the faecal shedding of haemolytic Escherichia coli bacteria and occurrence of spontaneous post-weaning diarrhoea 0-5 days after weaning. Supplementary creep feed was offered to half of the piglets in 12 litters, from 2 weeks of age until weaning at 4 weeks, and the individual feed contact was recorded by direct observations. It was found that diarrhoea occurrence was associated with faecal shedding of haemolytic E. coli bacteria (p=0.003), specifically E. coli O149 (p=0.004). Occurrence of diarrhoea and faecal shedding of haemolytic E. coli was not associated with creep feeding per se. However, the faecal E. coli O149 shedding occurred significantly less often in piglets that were offered creep feed in the suckling period but only showed limited interest in the feed (i.e. contacted the feed less than or equal to the median level of contact) compared to piglets that had frequent creep feed contact or piglets that had not had access to creep feed at all (p=0.015). Correspondingly, the diarrhoea occurrence tended to be lower in these piglets (p=0.081). Piglets with low creep feed contact during the suckling period ate the same total amount of feed during the 5 days after weaning, however, they ate less feed on days 0-2 after weaning compared to the piglets with frequent creep feed contact and non-creep fed piglets. It is suggested that intestinal function associated with a voluntary low creep feed contact during the suckling period leads to decreased feed intake just after weaning, and thus reduces the intestinal proliferation of E. coli O149 in these piglets.

Individual free choice creep feed intake by suckling calves on range

A 51-d study was conducted to determine creep feed intake by suckling beef calves (N = 51) on range. Daily mean attendance at the creep feeder was 21 ± 10.3%, (range 2 to 43%) and mean intake was 1009 ± 634.4 g calf-1 d-1 (range from 67 to 3424g calf-1 d-1). Creep feed intake and attendance by calves on range may be too variable to be considered an effective method of delivering pharmaceuticals. Key words: Creep feed, intake, calf, feeding behavior