|
|
|
|
|
| Effects of different feeding methods and space allowance on the growth performance, individual and social behaviors of Holstein calves |
| DONG Li-feng*, XU Xian-cha*, ZHANG Nai-feng, TU Yan, DIAO Qi-yu |
Feed Research Institute, Chinese Academy of Agricultural Sciences/Key Laboratory of Feed Biotechnology, Ministry of Agriculture, Beijing 100081, P.R.China |
|
|
|
|
Abstract The importance of nutrient provisions and weaning methods for calves has been well established over the past few years, while as increasing interest has focused on contribution of animal behavior and their overall performance in production regimes. The present study investigated the effects of feeding methods and space allowance on growth performance, individual and social behaviors in Holstein calves. Twenty-four Chinese Holstein male and female calves were allocated to either an individual or group of 6 and fed either with a bucket or a teat. Milk replacer, calf starter, and Chinese wildrye were offered during the experiment. A fecal index used in the present study was defined as the total fecal scores/total number of calves in each treatment. The results showed that there was no significant difference among the 4 treatments in terms of feed intake, body weight, average daily gain, and fecal index. For the feeding behaviors, the ingesting milk time and ingesting milk rate were significantly affected by space allowance, while the feeding methods showed a significant influence on the bunting behavior of the calves. There was no significant difference among the 4 treatments in terms of licking fixtures, self-grooming, and lying down behaviors, irrespective of the feeding method or space allowance. However, sucking an empty bucket or the teat was significantly affected by the feeding method. Several selected group behaviors were examined in the present study, and similar values for sniffing the other calves, social grooming, and cross-sucking behaviors were observed. Overall, the present study demonstrated that different feeding methods and space allowances had a significant effect on the feeding behavior of calves, while the feed intake, growth performance, health condition, individual and group social behaviors were not significantly influenced. Furthermore, under intensified production systems, Holstein calves raised in a group may obtain a similar production performance, thus reducing management input and profitability compared with those kept individually. However, there may be competition during the feeding period.
|
|
Received: 24 May 2016
Accepted:
|
| Fund: This study was supported by the Earmarked Fund for Beijing Dairy Industry Innovation Consortium of Agriculture Research System (BAIC06-2016), the Beijing Key Laboratory for Dairy Cow Nutrition, the National Key Technology R&D Program of China (2012BAD12B06), and the Key Laboratory of Feed Biotechnology, the Ministry of Agriculture of the People’s Republic of China. |
|
Corresponding Authors:
DIAO Qi-yu, Tel: +86-10-82106055, Fax: +86-10-62169105, E-mail: diaoqiyu@caas.cn
|
| About author: DONG Li-feng, E-mail: donglifeng@caas.cn |
Cite this article:
DONG Li-feng, XU Xian-cha, ZHANG Nai-feng, TU Yan, DIAO Qi-yu.
2017.
Effects of different feeding methods and space allowance on the growth performance, individual and social behaviors of Holstein calves. Journal of Integrative Agriculture, 16(06): 1375-1382.
|
| Babu L K, Pandey H N, Sahoo A. 2004. Effect of individual versus group rearing on ethological and physiological responses of crossbred calves. Applied Animal Behaviour Science, 87, 177–191.Babu L K, Pandey H, Patra R C, Sahoo A. 2009. Hematobiochemical changes, disease incidence and live weight gain in individual versus group reared calves fed on different levels of milk and skim milk. Animal Science Journal, 80, 149–156.Chua B, Coenen E, van Delen J, Weary D M. 2002. Effect of pair versus individual housing on the behavior and performance of dairy calves. Journal of Dairy Science, 85, 360–364.Council Directive 97/2/EC. 1997. Laying Down Minimum Standards for the Protection of Calves. Of?cial Journal L025, EU. pp. 24–25.Duve L R, Jensen M B. 2012. Social behavior of young dairy calves housed with limited or full social contact with a peer. Journal of Dairy Science, 95, 5936–5945.Færevik G, Jensen M B, Bøe K E. 2006. Dairy calves social preferences and the significance of a companion animal during separation from the group. Applied Animal Behaviour Science, 99, 205–221.Færevik G, Tjentland K, Løvik S, Andersen I L, Bøe K E. 2008. Resting pattern and social behaviour of dairy calves housed in pens with different sized lying areas. Applied Animal Behaviour Science, 114, 54–64.Frizzo L S, Soto L P, Zbrun M V, Bertozzi E, Sequeira G, Armesto R R, Rosmini M R. 2010. Lactic acid bacteria to improve growth performance in young calves fed milk replacer and spray-dried whey powder. Animal Feed Science and Technology, 157, 157–167.Haley D B, Rushen J, Duncan I J H, Widowski T M, de Passillé A M. 1998. Effects of resistance to milk ?ow and the provision of hay on nonnutritive sucking by dairy calves. Journal of Dairy Science, 81, 2165–2172.Hepola H P, Hänninen L T, Raussi S M, Pursianinen P A, Aarnikoivu A M, Saloniemi H S. 2008. Effects of providing water from a bucket or a nipple on the performance and behavior of calves fed ad libitum volumes of acidified milk replacer. Journal of Dairy Science, 91, 1486–1496.Jensen M B, Budde M. 2006. The effects of milk feeding method and group size on feeding behavior and cross-sucking in group-housed dairy calves. Journal of Dairy Science, 89, 4778–4783.Jensen M B, Kyhn R. 2000. Play behaviour in group-housed dairy calves, the effect of space allowance. Applied Animal Behaviour Science, 67, 35–46.Jensen M B, Larsen L E. 2014. Effects of level of social contact on dairy calf behavior and health. Journal of Dairy Science, 97, 5035–5044.Jensen M B, Vestergaard K S, Krohn C C. 1998. Play behaviour in dairy calves kept in pens: The effect of social contact and space allowance. Applied Animal Behaviour Science, 56, 97–108.Jensen M B, Vestergaard K S, Krohn C C, Munksgaard L. 1997. Effect of single versus group housing and space allowance on responses of calves during open-field test. Applied Animal Behaviour Science, 54, 109–121.Jung J, Lidfors L. 2001. Effects of amount of milk, milk flow and access to a rubber teat on cross-sucking and non-nutritive sucking in dairy calves. Applied Animal Behaviour Science, 72, 201–213.Kerr S G C, Wood-Gush D G M. 1987. A comparison of an early behaviour of intensively and extensively reared calves. Animal Production, 45, 181–190.Keyserlingk M A G, Brusius L, Weary D M. 2004. Competition for teats and feeding behavior by group housed dairy calves. Journal of Dairy Science, 87, 4190–4194.Kondo S, Sekine J, Okubo M, Asahida Y. 1989. The effect of group size and space allowance on the agonistic and spacing behaviour of cattle. Applied Animal Behaviour Science, 24, 127–135.Lidfors L. 1993. Cross-sucking in group-housed dairy calves before and after weaning off milk. Applied Animal Behaviour Science, 38, 15–24.Margerison J K, Preston T R, Berry N, Phillips C J C. 2003. Cross-sucking and other oral behaviours in calves, and their relation to cow suckling and food provision. Applied Animal Behaviour Science, 80, 277–286.Le Neindre P. 1993. Evaluation housing systems for veal calves. Journal of Animal Science, 71, 1345–1354.Nielsen B L. 1999. On the interpretation of feeding behaviour measures and the use of feeding rate as an indicator of social constraint. Applied Animal Behaviour Science, 63, 79–91.de Passillé A M. 2001. Sucking motivation and related problems in calves. Applied Animal Behaviour Science, 72, 175–187.de Paula Vieira A, von Keyserlingk M A G, Weary D M. 2010. Effects of pair versus single housing on performance and behavior of dairy calves before and after weaning from milk. Journal of Dairy Science, 93, 3079–3085.de Paula Vieira A, von Keyserlingk M A G, Weary D M. 2012. Presence of an older weaned companion influences feeding behavior and improves performance of dairy calves before and after weaning from milk. Journal of Dairy Science, 95, 3218–3224.Roth B A, Keil N M, Gygax L, Hillmann E. 2009. Influence of weaning method on health status and rumen development in dairy calves. Journal of Dairy Science, 92, 645–656.Siegel S, Castellan N J. 1988. Nonparametric Statistics for the Behavioral Sciences. 2nd ed. McGraw-Hill, New York, NY.Tapk? I, ?ahin A, Önal A G. 2006. Effect of space allowance on behaviour of newborn milk-fed dairy calves. Applied Animal Behaviour Science, 99, 12–20.Terré M, Devant M, Bach A. 2007. Effect of level of milk replacer fed to Holstein calves on performance during the preweaning period and starter digestibility at weaning. Livestock Science, 110, 82–88. |
| No Suggested Reading articles found! |
|
|
Viewed |
|
|
|
Full text
|
|
|
|
|
Abstract
|
|
|
|
|
Cited |
|
|
|
|
| |
Shared |
|
|
|
|
| |
Discussed |
|
|
|
|
