Performance of Friesian Holstein Cross Post Colostrums’ Calves
Reared Under Free Choice Feeding System
D. Diapari*, L. Khotijah, K. B. Satoto & R. Perdanayudha
Department of Nutrition and Feed Tecnology, Faculty of Animal Science Bogor Agricultural University, Bogor, 16680, Indonesia
*e-mail: [email protected]
Abstract
The aim of this experiment was to evaluate the free choice feeding technique on performance of Frisian Holstein Cross POST colostrums calves on early weaning programs. Six FH calves were divided into two feeding systems. Half of them were fed with mix diet and another half were subjected to free choice diet. Mix diet consists of 38.65% corn, 28.98% wheat brand, 28.98% soybean meal and 3.39% mineral mix. The free choice diets consisted of corn, wheat brand, soybean meal, coconut meal and mineral mix served in separate feeding buckets. The data obtained were analyzed using analysis of variance and any significant differences were subjected to T-Test. There were no significant different on dry matter intake, total digestible nutrient, fiber, Ca and P intakes, weight of weaning calves and feed efficiency between the treatment, but the treatment were significantly affected the protein intake, milk intake, weaning time and body weight gain. It was concluded that the free choice diets technique provide nutrients to support a good performance of FH calf on early weaning program.
Key words : free choice diet, Friesian Holstein, performance, rearing
Introducton
Although post colostrums calves rearng program by a large farm who have good records of producton hstory s one of busness opportunty to provde good qualtes of bulls and cows replacement stocks, but the program s hgh-rsk. Ths s caused by the fact that rasng calves from brth to weanng s one of the most dffcult perods of cattle husbandry. The greatest rsk n ths perod s dsease and mortalty factors. The mportant strategy to reduce the rsk s through feedng management. Management of feedng that approprate wth calf requrement before weanng wll affect ts producton performance later on.
prces wth ther economcal mpact to the farmer. To fnd a sutable feed formula n the feld, free choce feedng technque can be used.
Free choce feedng technque would provde a freedom for lvestock to choose. In ths case, pre-weanng calf wll choose feed usng ther nstnct. Kesken et al. (2004) stated that free choce feedng technque mproved anmal welfare through nutrents requrement fulfllment. Free choce feedng technque also provded the opportunty for calves to make ther own feed formula to support ther rumen development and make them comfort (Ncol, 1997).
Ths study was desgned to get the most proper starter raton formula for calves rearng program whch could satsfy calves requrements, enhance calves performance and mprove effcency of feed utlzaton.
Materal and Methods
Ths study used 6 male weanng calves of Frsan Holsten (FH) hybrd wth ntal body weght of 38.34 ± 2.34 kg. The calves were reared n ndvdual cage. Two feedng systems were employed as treatments, namely 1) the free choce feedng system (FCFS) and 2) the complete mx feedng system (CMFS). In both systems, smlar feed ngredents were offered. They were maze, pollard, Soybean meal, coconut meal, salt, CaCO3, premx and fresh mlk.
The calves were dvded nto two groups and eachgroup conssted of three calves (as replcatons). The frst group was subjected to the FCFS treatment, whle second group was gven the CMFS treatment. The calves were kept n ndvdual cages and observed for 46 days.. The feeds were offered ad lbtum every day from 6:00 am to 07:00 pm. Each calf was gven 4 ltres mlk, twce a day, 2 lters n the mornng and 2 lters n the afternoon. Drnkng water were provded ad lbtum.
Results and Dscusson
Dry Matter and Nutrient Intake
were lower (15% and 4%, respectvely) than the CMFS treated calves (38.65% and 28.98%, respectvely).
The calves fed wth FCFS had opportunty to choose ngredents wth hgh proten content such as soybean meal to satsfy ther proten requrement. The ngredent was consumed much more than corn, pollard, and coconut meal whch contan less proten. Although, maze, pollard, and coconut meal contaned less proten than soybean meal, ther ntrogen free extract (NFE) content was hgher. Forbes (1995) stated that hgh content of NFE n feed lowered ts consumpton. He also proved that soybean meal had better palatablty than other materals. Table 1 showed that CP consumpton of FCFS treated calves were sgnfcantly hgher (P < 0.05) than of the CMFS treated calves, but n both systems, consumpton of total of dgestble nutrents (TDN), crude fber (CF), Ca, and P were not sgnfcantly dfferent. Sutard (1981) stated that CP requrement of 1–4 months calves wth 30-64 kg BW were 120-210 g/head/day, whle accordng to NRC (2001), the CP requrement for calves wth 30 - 60 kg BW and 0.4-0.6 kg ADG were 141-217 g/head/ day. Raton consumed by the CMFS treated calves satsfed ther CP requrement based on Sutard (1981) and NRC (2001) recommendatons. The calves consumed 195.98 g CP/head/day. The FCFS treated calves however, consumed CP more than ther requrements (303.84 g/head/day).
TDN content of feed ngredents ranged from 67.9% to 83.2% whle TDN of mlk was 129%. Accordng to NRC (2001), TDN requrement for calf wth 30–60 kg BW and 0.4–0.6 kg ADG was 0.82-1.21 kg. TDN consumptons n ths study were 669.29 g/head/day (CMFS treatment) and 742.29 g/head/day (FCFS treat-ment). These results ndcated that proten requrement for lvestock kept n tropcal regon was dfferent from lvestock n temperate regons.
Although rumnants have the ablty to dgest fber wth ther mcrobe’s help, but calves do not have such ablty because ther rumen functons have not fully developed. Therefore, ther ablty to dgest fber s stll low. Boga (2009) showed
Table 1. Average of nutrent consumpton of concentrate starter and mlk (g/head/day)
Consump-TDN 247.08 419.21 669.29 ± 21.78 323.08 419.21 742.29 ± 103.94
CF 24.05 0 24.01 ± 2.26 21.15 0 21.15 ± 6.87
Ca 0.68 4.34 6.96 ± 0.08 1.36 4.34 9.65 ± 0.45
P 2.36 3.53 5.98 ± 0.28 2.75 3.53 6.30 ± 1.03
that calves offered free choce feedng system formulated raton usng ther nstncts whch contaned hgh proten but low fber.
Accordng to Sutard (1981), Ca and P requrement for calf wth weght 30 - 64 kg was 6.14 - 10.8 g/head/day and 4.09 - 7.22 g/head/day, respectvely. In both treatments, Ca and P requrements were fulflled. Ca and P consumpton of CMFS treated calves were 6.96 g/head/day and 5.98 g/head/day, respectvely. Whle the FCFS treated calves consumed 9.65 g/head/day and 6.30 g/head/day of Ca and P, respectvely. Thompson (1978) recommended that level of Ca n growng male calf raton was 4.32 g/head/day at the frst stage of feedng and 2.16 g/head/day at the end. Whle levels of P n the raton was 3.33 g/head/day at the frst stage of feedng and 1.62 g/head/day at the end.
Weanings Time and Weight, Body Weight Gain, and Feed Efficiency
Weanngs tme and weght, body weght gan, and feed effcency of the calves were shown n Table 2. A calf can be weaned f the calf can consume 0.5-0.7 kg/head/ day of calf starter concentrate (Jones and Henrchs, 2007; Imran, 2009). Weanng n ths study was based on the consumpton of 750 g/d fresh weght of starter raton for 3 consecutve days. The free choce feedng system provdes a more rapd weanng tme than the complete mx feedng system (days 31st vs. 44th). The FCFS treatment
allowed the calves to select the preferable feed ngredents to be consumed accord-ng to ther needs.
Intal and weanng weghts n the CMFS treatment were 39 ± 3 and 57 ± 4 kg, respectvely. Whle, the FCFS were 38 ± 2 and 55 ± 1 kg. Boga (2009) stated that weght gan of calves fed under FCFS was hgher than the calves fed under the CMFS. The ADG of calves were affected by the feedng system (p <0.05), whch showed that the FCFS were hgher than CMFS (553.76 vs. 418.97 g/head/day). The hgher of calves ADG under FCFS than CMFS were caused by the hgher proporton of soybean meal consumed as a proten source (80% vs. 28.98%).
Table 2. The effect of treatment on the weanng tme and weght, weght gan, mlk
Body weght gan (g/head/day) 418.97 ± 0.06 a 553.76±0.05b
Feed effcency 0.60±0.01 0.61±0.09
CP consumptons were hgher n FCFS treatment than CMFS (303.84 vs. 195.98 g/head/day) that sgnfcantly nfluenced the calves ADG. It was n lne to the Parakkas (1999) statement that hgher proten content n raton resulted hgher ADG. In opposte, hgher content of CF n raton resulted lower ADG.
Feed effcency n both treatments showed no sgnfcant dfferent. The results were suspected from the ndfferent of corn and soybean meal dgestblty. Mlk consumpton of calves kept under FCFS was sgnfcantly less than CMFS (115 vs. 168 lters). These results were related to the shorter weanng tme for FCFS calves than the CMFS.
Concluson
Free choce feedng system produces a raton formula conssted of 15% maze, 4% pollard, 80% soybean meal, and 1% coconut meal whch contaned 85.66% DM, 37.45% CP, 4.62% CF and 82.17% TDN. Cafetera feedng system produces faster weanng tmes, and hgher body weght gan n compare to the complete mxed feedng system, but do not dfferent n feed effcency.
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