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A High Roughage System for Raising Calves Based on the Early Development of Rumen Function. I. Effect of Variations in the Ration on Growth, Feed Consumption, and Utilization

Ohio Agricultural Experiment Station, Wooster

ABSTRACT

Economy in feeding the ruminant is based fundamentally on taking full advantage of rumen function, with particular emphasis on the digestion of roughages and the synthesis of high quality proteins and vitamins. In efforts to apply this axiom to calf feeding, preliminary work indicated that mature type rumen function could be established in young calves much earlier than was generally thought feasible (9,10). Young calves receiving only limited quantities of milk were raised satisfactorily on a high-roughage, low-cost ration similar to that usually provided older cattle. The ration consisted of approximately two parts good quality mixed legume-grass hay and one part of a simple 14.5 per cent total protein grain concentrate mixture. In the preliminary experiments considerable attention was given to management factors which were observed to influence the health and the early development of rumen function of young calves, including rumen inoculations (11, 12, 13).

The purpose of the following experiments was to study some variations which could be made in this basic high-roughage feeding system in order to obtain maximum efficiency of feed utilization and low cost along with normal growth and health.