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The effect of feeding Levucell SC™ rumen specific live yeast on feed intake and weight gain performance of calves during weaning

Published online by Cambridge University Press:  22 May 2017

A. Turney ,
A. Clay Open the ORCID record for A. Clay [Opens in a new window]  and
L. Waldron Open the ORCID record for L. Waldron [Opens in a new window]
A. Turney
Affiliation:
1Lallemand NZ, Te Rapa, Hamilton, New Zealand
A. Clay*
Affiliation:
1Lallemand NZ, Te Rapa, Hamilton, New Zealand
L. Waldron
Affiliation:
2LWT Animal Nutrition
*
*Corresponding author: [email protected]
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Summary

A trial was run to examine the influence of feeding a rumen specific live yeast, Levucell SC™ (Lallemand Animal Nutrition, Hamilton, New Zealand), on feed intakes and body weights of calves at weaning. Sixty male, Friesian cross calves, aged four days old, were randomly allocated to either a control (unsupplemented) creep feed diet or one containing Levucell SC™, a rumen specific strain of live yeast. All calves were fed a commercial milk replacer (CMR) and offered straw and creep feed ad libitum from entry, and intakes and weight gains were recorded. At six weeks of age, the calves were transferred to grazing with ad libitum access to creep feed and monitored for a further two weeks, covering the transition period from milk to grazing. The calves fed Levucell SC™ had higher feed intakes at weaning (1.105 kg/day versus 1.523 kg/day at seven weeks of age; P = 0.0434 and 1.179 kg/day versus 1.965 kg/day at eight weeks of age; P = 0.0272 for control and Levucell SC™ respectively). Correspondingly, average daily gain (ADG) was improved. At seven weeks of age, ADG was 0.659 kg versus 0.912 kg (P = 0.039), and at eight weeks of age ADG was 0.457 kg versus 0.707 kg (P = 0.0650) for control and Levucell SC™ respectively. It was concluded that supplying Levucell SC™ via creep feed prevented the drop off in calf performance at weaning, in terms of both feed intake and weight gain. This is important, as early rumen development and pre-weaning growth rates are related to a reduction in gastric upsets at weaning, future growth performance in calves and future lactation performance.

Keywords

Dairy calvestransition to grazing / grazing transitionlive yeastcalf growthrumen
Type
Original Research
Information
Journal of Applied Animal Nutrition , Volume 5 , 2017 , e9
Copyright
Copyright © Cambridge University Press and Journal of Applied Animal Nutrition Ltd. 2017 

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