Effects of a direct-fed microbial on digestive-tract morphology of Holstein bull calves and performance and carcass characteristics of Holstein steers11Appreciation is expressed to Nutrition Physiology Co. LLC (Guymon, OK) for partial financial support. Thanks to Elanco Animal Health, Ft. Dodge Animal Health, and DSM Nutrition for product support and Arizona Dairy Co. LLC for providing

K. J. Dick, G. C. Duff, S. W. Limesand, S. P. Cuneo, D. K. Knudson, C. P. McMurphy, L. W. Hall, J. C. Bernal-Rigoli, J. A. Marchello

Research output: Contribution to journalArticlepeer-review

10 Scopus citations

Abstract

Two experiments were conducted to evaluate the effects of live cultures of Lactobacillus acidophilus and Propionibacterium freudenreichii on digestivetract morphology of neonatal-transition Holstein bull calves and performance and carcass characteristics of calf-fed Holstein steers. In Exp. 1, forty-three 1-d-old Holstein bull calves (42 kg of BW) were supplemented with a directfed microbial (DFM) consisting of L. acidophilus and P. freudenreichii. Treatments consisted of a control (n = 21) and a treatment (n = 22) of direct-fed microbial (5 × 108 cfu) supplemented daily in a commercial milk replacer. At the conclusion of the milk-feeding stage (weaning), 11 calves from each treatment group were slaughtered at the University of Arizona Meats Laboratory for gastrointestinal-tract collection. The remaining calves were abruptly weaned and moved to concrete-floor pens for 14 d before slaughter (DFM treatments were mixed in the diet). Samples of the rumen and ileum were collected at the time of slaughter and examined for gastrointestinal- tract morphology. Before weaning, average ileal height, crypt depth, and total height (villus + crypt) were greater in DFM treatment (P < 0.03) compared with controls. After weaning, average ruminal papillae width was greater (P < 0.01) in calves receiving DFM versus controls. In Exp. 2, calves were fed control (no DFM) or 1 × 105 or 1 × 106 L. acidophilus strain NP 51 plus 1 × 109 P. freudenreichii strain NP24 from 1 to 3 d of age (d 0 of experiment) through finishing (average 462 d of age). No differences were noted in intake or G:F during the preweaning period. During the growing period, there were no statistical differences in BW, ADG, feed intake, or G:F. Average daily gain showed a trend for being greater (quadratic; P < 0.07) for Holstein steers receiving 1 × 105 L. acidophilus versus control steers and steers receiving 1 × 106 L. acidophilus during the finishing period. No differences (P > 0.10) were noted in daily intake or G:F between treatments during the finishing period. Overall, steers fed 1 × 105 L. acidophilus had no difference in final BW and ADG versus steers fed the control diet.

Original languageEnglish (US)
Pages (from-to)107-115
Number of pages9
JournalProfessional Animal Scientist
Volume29
Issue number2
DOIs
StatePublished - Apr 1 2013

ASJC Scopus subject areas

  • Food Science
  • Animal Science and Zoology

Fingerprint

Dive into the research topics of 'Effects of a direct-fed microbial on digestive-tract morphology of Holstein bull calves and performance and carcass characteristics of Holstein steers11Appreciation is expressed to Nutrition Physiology Co. LLC (Guymon, OK) for partial financial support. Thanks to Elanco Animal Health, Ft. Dodge Animal Health, and DSM Nutrition for product support and Arizona Dairy Co. LLC for providing'. Together they form a unique fingerprint.

Cite this