Response of Young Dairy Calves Fed a Simple versus a Complex Starter with Various Kinds of Hay

Forty-seven Jersey calves were randomly assigned at four days of age to receive either a complex or a simple starter limited to 3 lb.daily per calf.Whole milk was fed in limited amounts through 35 days of age and either Coastal Bermuda or oat hay was fed from eight through 112 days in Trial I; whereas, alfalfa or crabgrass hay was fed from 15 through 112 days in Trial II.No significant differences were observed in milk, starter, or hay consumption, or in weight gains or feed efficiency between starter groups.Calves fed the Coastal Bermuda hay exhibited significantly greater weight gains than those getting the oat hay, irrespective of type of starter fed, and were more efficient in their use of TDN for increased live weight.Although alfalfa hay-fed calves consumed significantly more hay than the crabgrass hay-fed group, growth rates were similar for both.The less efficient use of TDN for gains shown by calves fed alfalfa hay is attributed to a poorer utilization of TDN from hay, which made up a larger portion of the total TDN intake for these calves.It is economically advantageous for dairymen to take full advantage of early rumen function in dairy calves, thus permitting the feeding of large quantities of roughage and a simple grain mixture.Research workers (6, 7) have shown, by the early feeding of large quantities of hay in relation to concentrate, that mature type rumen function can be established in young calves, making possible successful calf-raising on limited quantities of nfilk and on a high-roughage, low-cost ration.The kind and amount of concentrate needed to adequately supplement a high-roughage, limited-milk system of raising calves has not been investigated adequately.Ohio workers (4) found no advantage for feeding a complex 25% protein calf starter, compared to a simple 14.5% protein starter to calves receiving either alfalfa hay or an alfalfa-clover-timothy mixture with whole milk being fed through 7 wk. of age.Additional work on this problem appeared advisable especially when even more limited quantities of whole milk are fed through only 5 wk. of age (2).Even though alfalfa hay has been shown to be an excellent calf roughage (2, 3, 4), many dairymen prefer to feed a grass or mixed hay to young calves.The main purpose of this study was to determine the relative value of a simple and a more complex calf starter when calves are fed very limited amounts