<p>The first four months of a dairy
calf’s life provide the foundation for future production and health. Therefore,
it is critical that calves are managed to optimize both health and growth, to
maximize their potential. Calf morbidity, which leads to less productive
animals and is an economic impact on producers, continue to be areas of
opportunity in the dairy industry. In addition, the animal agricultural
community is working to reduce the use of antibiotics, due to a growing concern
regarding antibiotic resistant bacteria. This provides researchers with the
challenge of identifying strategies to reduce calf morbidity and mortality,
while also decreasing reliance on antibiotics. The objective of this dissertation
was to evaluate nutritional strategies supplemented to calves as well as
maternal factors that impact colostrum. The studies focused on strategies to improve
the innate and adaptive immune responses and growth of the calf, ultimately
reducing reliance on antibiotics. Chapters 2 and 3 discuss feeding dairy calves
<i>Saccharomyces cerevisiae</i> fermentation products in milk replacer and
solid feeds until 4 months of age. This study concluded that feeding <i>Saccharomyces
cerevisiae</i> fermentation products to calves improves average daily gain and feed
efficiency post-weaning and reduces antibiotic treatment incidence for respiratory
disease. It also increases the evenness of the fecal microbiome and the acute innate
immune response, as determined by increased TNF-α, glucose, and respiration
rate during a lipopolysaccharide challenge. Chapter 4 evaluated the effects of
feeding dairy calves medium chain fatty acids (C8:0 and C10:0) in milk replacer
until 60 days of age. Feeding C8:0 and C10:0 to calves reduced plasma NEFA
concentrations around weaning, suggesting the mobilization of less adipose
tissue to meet the energy demands of the calf. This trial also determined that vaccinating
calves at 3 weeks of age with ovalbumin combined with an aluminum hydroxide
adjuvant, is an effective way to evaluate their adaptive immune responses. </p>
<p>Supplementing calves directly is
not the only way to impact calf growth and health, maternal factors also impact
calf nutrition through colostrum consumption. Last, chapter 5 explored maternal
factors that influence the lipidome of colostrum and therefore the lipid intake
of the newborn calf. This study concluded that the metabolic status of the cow affects
circulating lipids and the lipid content of colostrum. Also, the lipidome of colostrum
is distinct from the circulating lipidome of the calf, which is similar to the
circulating lipidome of the cow, except for phosphatidylglycerol, where it
appears that colostrum serves as the source for the phosphatidylglycerol present
in the circulation of the calf. There are many different nutritional strategies
that can impact the health and productivity of calves. Calves can be directly
supplemented with nutraceuticals like <i>Saccharomyces cerevisiae</i>
fermentation products or medium chain fatty acids, or calf nutrition can be
influenced by the maternal factors through the consumption of colostrum. </p>
| Identifer | oai:union.ndltd.org:purdue.edu/oai:figshare.com:article/17094995 |
| Date | 03 December 2021 |
| Creators | Rebecca N Klopp (11767772) |
| Source Sets | Purdue University |
| Detected Language | English |
| Type | Text, Thesis |
| Rights | CC BY 4.0 |
| Relation | https://figshare.com/articles/thesis/EARLY_LIFE_CALF_NUTRITION_AND_MANAGEMENT_AND_THEIR_IMPACTS_ON_HEALTH_AND_PRODUCTIVITY/17094995 |
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