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Acceptability and Nutritional Response Comparisons between Calf Starters¹

Department of Dairy Science, The University of Arizona, Tucson

ABSTRACT

Forty-eight Holstein calves were assigned at birth to one of three calf starter treatments to 1) compare the acceptability (palatability) and nutritive value of starters containing principally barley and cottonseed oil meal, prepared as pellets or mash, and a pelleted commercial starter containing a complexity of protein sources, vitamins, and minerals; 2) observe growth rate and feed utilization on the different starters; 3) determine daily feed consumption when starters and hay are fed ad libitum; and 4) compare the TDN values of the starters as well as utilization of absorbed nitrogen.

Calves consuming the simple starter, as either mash or pellets, consumed more starter (P < .01) daily than calves offered the complex starter and, accordingly, made more rapid gains (P < .05) than calves fed the complex starter. Those calves fed the complex starter consumed more hay (P < –.05) per day than calves fed the simple starter. Pelleting the simple starter was not advantageous except for preventing feed wastage. TDN content and nitrogen utilization values of the different starters were approximately equal. Factors affecting palatability are discussed.

¹ Arizona Agricultural Experiment Station, Technical Paper no. 1094.

² Present address: Department of Animal Science, Brigham Young University, Provo, Utah.