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Effects of roughage on the development of rumen volume in calves

Published online by Cambridge University Press:  22 November 2017

P. E. V. Williams ,
J. P. Magadi  and
G. M. Innes
P. E. V. Williams
Affiliation:
The Rowett Research Institute, Bucksburn, Aberdeen, AB2 9SB
J. P. Magadi
Affiliation:
The Rowett Research Institute, Bucksburn, Aberdeen, AB2 9SB
G. M. Innes
Affiliation:
The Rowett Research Institute, Bucksburn, Aberdeen, AB2 9SB
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Extract

When straw was included in a ration and given to calves from 14 up to 84 days of age, dry matter intake was increased by up to 30 per cent from 1.36 to 1.77 kg per day compared with calves given the diet without straw (Williams, unpublished data). The calves given straw apparently gained an extra 8 kg in weight by 84 days of age compared with calves given the diet without straw. In order to assess the effect of roughage inclusion on the live-weight gains of calves an estimate of the rumen volume of the calves was required. Further since the majority of measurements of the volume of the digestive tract of calves were made after slaughter no studies have described the relationship between diet and the development of rumen volume in individual calves. Differences in rumen volume may be responsible for the large coefficients of variation in intake reported in groups of calves.

Type
Calves
Information
Proceedings of the British Society of Animal Production (1972) , Volume 1984 , March 1984 , pp. 139
Copyright
Copyright © The British Society of Animal Production 1984

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