Long-term effects on heifer performance of an enhanced-growth feeding programme applied during the preweaning period

Abstract

Sixty female dairy calves (body weight, BW, 43·2±0·58 kg and age 9·8±0·61 d) were arranged in two groups to compare the short-term and long-term effects of an enhanced-growth feeding programme (EF) with those of a conventional-growth feeding programme (CF). After 1 week of adaptation to a milk replacer (MR), CF calves were fed 4 l/d of MR (25% crude protein, CP; 19·2% ether extract) at 12% dry matter (DM) from days 1 to 27 and 2 l/d at 12% DM from days 28 to 34, and the EF calves were offered the same MR at 18% DM: 4 l/d from days 1 to 6, 6 l/d from days 7 to 13, 7 l/d from days 14 to 20, 6 l/d from days 21 to 27 and 3 l/d from day 28 to weaning at day 34 of the study (50 d of age). Individual calf starter (20·7% CP) intake was recorded daily from the beginning until day 41 of study (57 d of age). Then, calves were placed in groups of six and they received a total mixed ration (TMR) containing 18·5% CP until day 56 d of study (72 d of age). Then, heifers were moved to larger pens and were fed the same TMR in both treatments at each subsequent stage of growth throughout the study. Calves were weighed weekly until day 56 of study and before every pen change (days 94, 149, 200, 387 of study). When heifers were 400 d old and weighed >380 kg, they were moved to a breeding pen where oestruses were checked three times a day. Heifers were inseminated 12 h after the detection of oestrus. One month before calving, heifers were returned to their original farm and milk yield at 305 days in milk was recorded from 28 cows. Starter intake was greater (Pv. 0·29±0·043 kg/d, respectively) during the preweaning period, but TMR consumption was similar in both treatments from days 42 to 56 of study. BW of EF calves was greater (Pv. 71·6±1·10 kg, respectively), but BW was not different at day 387 of study (405 d of age) (406·3 v. 401·3±4·05 kg, respectively). There were numerical differences in age at first breeding, fertility at first artificial insemination, age at pregnancy, and milk yield but some of these differences might have reached statistical significance with more replication.