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Effects of Supplementing a Calf Ration with Trace Minerals, Aureomycin,1 and Other Dietary Constituents as Measured by Growth and Feed Consumption2
EFFECTS
OF S U P P L E M E N T I N G A C A L F R A T I O N W I T H T R A C E
MINERALS, AUREOMYCIN, ~ AND O T H E R D I E T A R Y CONSTITUENTS AS M E A S U R E D BY G R O W T H A N D F E ' E D C O N S U M P T I O N -~ W. G.
JONES,:' E. E. BARTLEY, M. J. SWENSON, G. K. L. UNDERBJERG, F. W. ATKESON, AND H. C. FRYER
Departme~ts of Dairy H~lsbandry, Veterinary Medicine, and Statistical Laboratory Kansas A qric~dtltral Experiment Station, Ma~d~attal~
Because of the interest in aureomycin for feeding dairy calves (13), it seemed advisable to determine what effect this antibiotic would have oll hematopoiesis and ndcroscopie anatomy of calves. In a preliminary experiment tile blood characteristics of two calves (3 months old) were studied prior to aureomycin feeding. I t was found that the values obtained for several of the blood characteristics were below those commonly reported for calves. Feeding trace minerals to these calves produced hematological changes which appeared beneficial. Although there have been a few reports (14) on the effect of the addition of trace mineral elements to calf rations known to be deficient in these minerals, there is a paucity of information on the effect of fortifyiug common calf rations with trace minerals. This experiment was initiated to study the effects of supplelnentary trace minerals only and a combination of tra(,e minerals together with m a j o r minerals, vitamins, and aureomycin upon certain physiological responses of the calf. Data pertaining to the growth and %ed consumption of the calves are presented in this paper. Those related to the hematology, histology, chemical composition of the meat, and weight of certain body organs will be reported later. E X P E R I M E N T A L PROCEDURE
Twenty-seven IIolstein and Ayrshire calves were used. Three test rations were assigned at random within breed-sex groups. Each group contained two Holstein females, two IIolstein nmles, three Ayrshire females, and two Ayrshire males. Calves in Group I (basal) were removed from their dams at birth, placed in individual pens, and fed their mothers' colostrum for the first 3 days at the daily rate of 1 lb. per 10 lb. body weight. Beginning with the fourth day, they were fed whole milk at approximately 1 0 ~ of body weight daily for the next 4 weeks. A f t e r the f o u r t h week the rate of milk feeding was gradually reduced until a total of 350 lb. had been consumed. Milk feeding ceased between 6 and 8 weeks of age. Good quality alfalfa hay and a calf starter were fed ad libitum, Received for publication July 9, 1955. ' The trademark of Lederle Laboratories Div., American Cyanamid Co., Pearl River, N. Y., for the antibiotic chlortetracycline. -~Contribution No. 237, Dept. of Dairy Husbandry, No. 144, Dept. of Veterinary Medicine, and No. 24, Statistical Laboratory, Kansas Agricultural Experiment Station. A portion of a dissertation presented by the senior author as partial fulfillment of the requirements for the degree Doctor of Philosophy in Animal ~utrition at Kansas State College. Present address: Houston, Texas. 188
EFFECTS
OF TRACE MINERALS
IN CALF RATIONS
189
beginning at 1 week of age. The starter was calculated (9) to contain 22% crude protein and consisted of 195 parts by weight of cracked yellow corn, 200 of oats, 150 of wheat bran, 50 of dried skimmilk, 240 of soybean oil meal, 50 of molasses, 70 of dehydrated alfalfa chops, 30 of brewers' yeast, 5 of limestone, 5 of steamed bone meal, 5 of salt, and 1.25 of irradiated yeast. Beginning at the ]9th week of age, the calves were changed from the starter to a grower ration consisting of 200 parts by weight of corn, 200 of oats, 200 of wheat bran, 175 of soybean oil meal, 6 of salt, and 6 of steamed bone meal. This ration was calculated (9) to contain 18% crude protein. Intakes of starter and grower rations were limited to a maximum of 5 lb. per calf per day. Calves in Group II received, in addition to the above basal ration, iron, copper, cobalt, iodine, manganese, and zinc (trace minerals). Calves in Group I I I received the basal ration plus these trace minerals, and in addition major minerals (calcium, phosphorus, magnesium chloride), vitamins (A, B-complex, C, D, E, K ) , and aureomycin. The nutritive value of the basal ration was considered to be approximately optimal, based upon present National Research Council recommended nutrient allowances (10). Therefore, any additions, as indicated for C~roups II and III, were arbitrarily selectecl and presumed to be in excess of the accepted daily requirements. The supplementation of the ration for calves in Group I I I with major minerals, aureomycin, and vitamins, in addition to trace minerals, was made in an attempt to prevent any possible deficiency of the basal ration. The number of blood and tissue analyses required obviated the feasibility of dividing this group according to the respective types of supplements. The trace minerals were at first administered daily by capsule from birth. When the starter consnmption was great enough to provide a carrier, the supplement was furnished in the starter and capsule feeding was discontinued. The quantities of trace minerals in elemental form supplied daily in milligrams per 100 lb. body weight were 200 of iron. 20 of copper, 20 of manganese, 10 of cobalt, 10 of zinc, and 0.19 of iodine. Iron, copper, manganese, and zinc were supplied as sulfates, cobalt as a chloride, and iodine as potassium iodide in stabilized iodized salt. These quantities supplied approximately 2.5 times the amount of iron, copper, and manganese as fed by IIerman (5) to prevent anemia in calves on milk alone, and twice the amount of iron that Thomas et al. (16) found would increase the hemoglobin values of somewhat anemic calves. The quantity of supplementary cobalt was similar to that fed by Duncan et al.. (3) to alleviate symptoms of cobalt deficiency in dairy cattle. The major minerals were administered in a manner similar to that employed with the trace minerals. The quantities of major minerals in elemental form supplied daily in grams per 100 lb. body weight were 3 of calcium, 2.32 of phosphorus, 0.3 of magnesium, and 2.5 of sodium chloride. Calcium and phosphorus were supplied as dicalcium phosphate, sodium and chlorine as sodium chloride, and magnesium as heavy nmgnesimn oxide. The above amounts of calcium, phosphorus, and magnesium including that present in the basal ration slightly exceeded the National Research Council's recommended calcium and phosphorus allowances (10) and the magnesium requirement suggested by Huffman et al. (7).
v(. G. JONES ET AL
190
TABLE 1
Supplemental vitav~ins f e d daily to calves in Group I I I Vitamin
Quantity/100 lb. body wt.
Vitamin
(~g.) Choline Inositol Ascorbic acid Ca-pantothenate Nicotinic acid Para-mnino benzoic acid Riboflavin
1300.0 130.0 65.0 40.0 15.0 13.0 7.0
Quantity/100 lb. body wt.
(rag.) Pyridoxine a-tocopherol Thiamine 2-methyl-I, 4-napthoquinone Folic acid V i t a m i n B~ Biotin
7.0 5.0 4.0 1.3 0.3 0.1 0.05
V i t a m i n A 10,000 U S P units Vitamin D 400 U S P units
The kind and amount of vitamins fed to the calves in Group I I I (Table 1) were based on the work of Wiese et aI. (17) and Johnson et al. (8), in which it was demonstrated that these amounts were optimal for calves on synthetic diets. Therefore, these amounts were adequate in themselves and were in addition to those contained in the basal ration. Vitamins A, E, and K (in liquid form) were given daily by capsule throughout the experiment. The other vitamins were in the form of a powder and were given daily by capsule until each animal had begun to consume the entire quantity of starter, at which time the vitamin mix was placed in the starter or grower ration. F i f t y rag. of crystalline aureomycin HC1 was fed daily to calves in Group I I I in a manner similar to that used for administering the trace mineral mix. The calves were weighed at weekly intervals. Records were kept of all feed consumed. The duration of the experiment was from birth to 24 weeks of age. RESULTS AND DISCUSSION
The calves involved varied in size because of differences in breed, sex, and birth weight. Therefore, all weight data were converted to a comparable basis by converting the weekly body weights of each calf into a percentage of original birth weight, the original birth weight being considered 100 for each calf, regardless of size. Graphical analysis of the average weights of the three groups of calves (Figure 1) indicates a tendency for the growth increase to be linear during the first 8 weeks and during the last 16 weeks, separately. This interpretation is supported by regression analysis for each group of calves during each of the two periods. During the first 7 weeks after birth the calves in Groups II and I I I grew at a significantly faster rate than those in Group I (Table 2), but it was not until the eighth week that the spread in average size among the groups was statistically significant. The cessation of milk feeding at about the eighth week seemed to occur at about the time that the calves fed trace minerals (Groups II and I I I ) showed highly significant differences in growth rate compared with calves not supplemented (Group I). The significance of these two occurrences can not be
191
EFFECTS OF TRACE MINERALS IN CALF RATIONS
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FIG. 1. Comparative growth responses of three groups of calves receiving a basal ration (Group I ) , the basal plus trace minerals (Group I I ) , or the basal plus trace minerals, m a j o r minerals, vitamins, and aureomycin (Group III).
determined from the data available. After 8 weeks, calves in Group II continued to average larger than those in Group I (basal), but comparatively there was a gradually diminishing growth rate of calves in Group I I (Table 2). At 24 weeks there was practically no difference in the size of the calves in these two groups. Calves in Group ] I I continued to grow at a significantly faster rate than those in either of the two other groups and at 24 weeks were decidedly larger than the calves in either Group I or II. The improvement in growth for calves in Groups II and I I I during the early weeks of life is supported by blood data (to be reported later) which show that the feeding of trace minerals to calves (Group II) and the feeding of trace minerals plus major minerals, vitamins, and aureomycin (Group I I I ) prevented, to a large extent, the drop of hemoglobin and red blood cell count that usually occurs during the first few weeks of a calf's life (16, 18). Of course, the trace minerals added were present in varying amounts in both the roughage and grain, and to what extent additional trace minerals would be justified will depend oll further research. The fact that the rate of growth of calves in Group II (trace
192
w.G.
JONES ET AL
TABLE 2 Regression analyses of the effect of supplementing a basal calf ration with trace minerals alone and in combination with ,major ~ninerals, vitamins, and aureomycin on the growth rate of calves from birth to 2g weeks of age
Slope of growth line Birth to 8 wk. Group
Treatment
9 to 24 wk. No. of calves
Regression Coefficientb~
Group
Regression Coefficientb
II
:Basal ration plus trace minerals
9
9.06 ~ ns
III
14.41 ~ ~
III
Basal ration plus trace minerals, major minerals, vitamins and aureomycin
9
8.99 ~ ÷:.4
I
13.53 <: ~
Basal ration
9~
6.80
II
12.67
I
Analysis of growth data employing the regression of weekly wt/lb of birth wt. on age. b One calf died of an impacted abomasum. ~ = Difference significant at the 0.01 level. ns = Difference not significant. minerals) tended to decrease gradually after 8 weeks compared with the calves on the basal ration raised the question as to the appropriate amount and length of time that additional minerals should be fed. F u r t h e r fortification of the basal ration b y the addition not only of the trace minerals but also of m a j o r minerals, vitamins, and aureomycin resulted in further improvement in rate of growth and greater average size for calves in this group than for either of the two other groups. I t was not possible to determine whether this improved growth of calves in Group I I I should be ascribed to trace minerals plus any one of the other supplements or a combination of several. The fact that in previous experiments at this station (1, 2) accelerated growth of similar magnitude has been obtained by the addition of aureomycin alone would tend to cast some doubt on the beneficial effects of some of the supplements used in the ration for Group I I I , other than trace minerals. Also, several investigators (4, 6, 11, 12, 15) have f o u n d that supplementing calves with vitamins does not increase growth above that obtained when calves are fed colostrum and standard rations. Additional experiments in which the influence of the other supplements are measured separately seem advisable. The a p p a r e n t t h r i f t of the calves in Groups I I and I I I would suggest no detrimental effects resulting from the supplements added to the basal ration within the limits of this feeding period. I t was assumed that some of the benefits derived from feeding a combination of vitamins, trace minerals, m a j o r minerals, a n d aureomycin might well be reflected by feed consumption and feed efficiency of each animal. The average weekly intake of h a y and grain (starter or grower) by the calves in each of the three groups is shown in Table 3. Since whole milk was fed on a body weight basis, the milk intake was not studied. The calves in Groups I and I I I consumed similar amounts of h a y and grain. Calves in Group I I receiving trace minerals consumed less h a y but more grain than the calves in the two other groups. A n
193
EFFECTS OF TRACE MINERALS IN CALF RATIONS
TABLE 3 Effect of s~lpple~ne'~ting a basal calf ration with trace qnineraIs alone and in co~bination w~th ~najor ~inerals, vita~ins, and aureo~mycin on feed intake and e~c~e~cy of gain of valves fron~ i to 24 weeks o f age ~
Group
Treatment
No. of calves
Av. weekly i n t a k e / c a l f /100 lb. body weight Hay
Grain
TDN /lb. gain
Dig. protein /lb. gain
(lb.) 9.3
(lb.) 14.5
(lb.) 2.95
(lb.) 0.68
I
Basal ration
9b
II
Basal ration phls trace minerals
9
8.8
15.3
3.02
0.69
III
Basal ration plus trace minerals, m a j o r minerals, vitamins, and ~ureomycin
9
9.3
14.3
2.79
0.64
None of these differences was statistically significant. b One calf died of an impacted abomasum.
analysis of variance of the data showed that none of these differences was statistically significant. The calves receiving the trace mineral supplement (Group II) required slightly more total digestible nutrients and digestible protein per pound of gain than the Group I control calves (Table 3) whereas the calves receiving the trace and major minerals, aureomycin, and vitamin supplement (Group I I I ) made the most efficient gains. However, an analysis of variance of these data showed that these differences were not significant. SUMMARY
Twenty-seven dairy calves were divided into three ration groups. Calves in Group I received a standard basal ration. Calves in Group II received the basal ration plus trace minerals (iron, copper, cobalt, iodine, manganese, and zinc). Calves in Group I I I received the basal ration plus these trace minerals, and, in addition, major minerals (calcium, phosphorus, magnesium, and sodium chloride), vitamins (A, B-complex, C, D, E, K), and aureomycin. The duration of the experiment was from birth to 24 weeks of age. During the first 7 weeks after birth the calves in Groups II and I I I grew at a significantly faster rate than those in Group I (basal), but it was not until the eighth week that the spread in average size among the groups was statistically significant. After 8 weeks, calves in Group II continued to average larger than those in Group I (basal) but comparatively there was a gradually dinlinishing growth rate of canes in Group II. At 24 weeks there was practically no difference in the size of the calves in these two groups. Calves in Group I I I continued to grow at a significantly faster rate than those in either of the two other groups and at 24 weeks were decidedly larger than the calves in Groups I and II. Thus the addition of selected trace minerals to the basal ration resulted in improved size, but there was a comparative trend to slow up in growth rate by calves in Group II after 8 weeks of life.
194
w . G . JONES ET .kL Further
fortification of the basal ration by the addition not only of the trace
minerals but also major improvement
minerals, vitamins, and aureomycin
in rate of growth
than for either of the two other groups. Small differences resulted among the groups ciency of gain.
resulted in further
a n d g r e a t e r a v e r a g e size f o r c a l v e s i n t h i s g r o u p in feed consumption
and
effi-
However, none of these differences was statistically significant. ACKNOWLEDGMENT
The authors wish to t h a n k the following companies for products used: Lederle Laboratories, Pearl River, N. Y., for the aureomycin, thiamine, riboflavin, pyridoxine, calcium pantothenate, inositol, biotin, relic acid, choline, and tocopherol; Merck and Co., Rahway, N. J., for the vitamin B~; Borden Co., Elgin, Ill., for the vitamin A ; and S t a n d a r d Brands Inc., New York City, for the irradiated yeast. REFERENCES (1) BARTLEY~ E. E., ATKESON~ F. W., FRYER, ]:I. C., AND FOUNTAINE, F. C. Antibiotics ill Dairy Cattle Nutrition. I I I . Effects of Different Levels of Aureomycin Intake upon the Growth and Well-Being of Dairy Calves, and the Association of Differences with Changes in Environment. J. Dairy Sci., 37: 259. 1954. (2) BAI~TLEY, E. E., FOUNTAINE, F. C., ATKESON, F. W., AND FaYER, tI. C. Antibiotics in Dairy Cattle Nutrition. I. The Effect of an Aureomycin Product (Aurorae) on the Growth and Well-Being of Young Dairy Calves. J. Dairy Sei., 36: 103. 1953. (3) DUNCAN, C. W., HUlV~MAN, C. F., REID, J. W., AND KIbLHAM, B. J. Cohalt Studies with Dairy C'~ttle in Michigan. J. Dairy Sci., 26: 739. 1943. (4) GIL~IORE, L. O., JONES, L. M., KANEGIS, L. A., AND ROEP~E, M. It. The Prophylactic Administration of Vitamins to Dairy Calves. J. Am. Vet Med. Assoc., 110: 390. 1947. (5) HE~MAN, H. A. Growth and Development of Dairy Calves on a Milk Diet. Me. Agr. Expt. Sta., Research Bull. 245. 1936. (6) ItlBBS, J. W., AND KRAUSS, W. E. The Effect of Supplenmntary Vitamins on Blood Composition, Liver Storage, and Incidence of Scours in Calves. J. Dairy Sci., 30: 115. 1947. (7) HUFFMAN, C. F., CONLEY, C. L., LIGHTF00T~ C. C., ANI) DUNCAN, C. W. Magnesium Studies in Calves. II. The Effect of Magnesium Salts and V'lrious Natural Feeds upon the Magnesium Content of the Blood Plasma. J. N~ltritio~, 22: 609. 1941. (8) JOHNSON, B. C., MITOttELL, H. H., PINKOS, J. A., AND MOtCRILL, C. (~. {~holinc Deficiency in the Calf. J. N~trition, 43: 37. 1951. (9) MORRISON, F. B. Feeds and Feeding. 21st ed. Morrison Publ. Co., New York. 1948. (10) NATIONAL RESEAlt(:tt COUNCIL. Recommended N u t r i e n t Allowances for Domestic Animals. I I I . Recommended Nutrient Allowances for Dairy Cattle. National Research Council, Washington, D. C. 1950. (11) NEVENS,W. B., AND KENDALL, K. A. The Value of Supplement~ry Vitamin Feeding in the Rearing of Dairy Calves. J. Dab~! Sci., 30: 175. 1947. (12) NORT0.'% C. L., EATON, It. D., LOOSLI, J. K., AND SPI~L~[AN, A. A. Controlled Experiments on the Value of Supplementary Vitamins for Young Dairy Calves. J. Dairy Svi., 29: 231. 1946. (13) REID, J. T., WARNF-a~, R. G., AND LOOSLI, J. K. Antibiotics in the Nutrition of Ruminants, dgr. and Food Chem., 2: 186. 1954. (14) SAVAGE, E. S., AND McCAY, C. M. The Nutrition of Calves: A Review. J. Dairy Sci., 25: 595. 2942.
E F F E C T S OF T R A C E M I N E R A L S I N CALF R A T I O N S
195
(15) SKAOOS, S. R. Vitamin Supplements for Dairy Calves. New Mexico Agr. Expt. Sta., Bull. 376. 1953. (16) Tlt0~AS, J. W., OI~AMO'e0, M., JACOBSON, W. C., A]N~DMOORE, L. A. A Study of Hemoglobin Levels in the Blood of Young Dairy Calves and the Alleviation of Anemia by Iron. J. Dairy Sei., 37: 805. 1954. (17) WIES~, A. C., JOHNSON, ]3. C., MITCHELL, H. H., AND NEVENS, W. ]3. Synthetic Rations for the Dairy Calf. J. Dairy Sci., 30: 87. 1947. (18) WISE~ G. H., CALD~,¥ELL,M. J., PAKRISH, D. ]3., ~LIPSE~ R..]-., AND HUGI~ES, J. C. Changes in Cell Volume and in Concentration of Hemoglobin a n d of Several Inorganic Constituents of the Blood of Calves During Early P o s t n a t a l Development. J. Dairy Sci., 30: 983. 1947.
OF S U P P L E M E N T I N G A C A L F R A T I O N W I T H T R A C E
MINERALS, AUREOMYCIN, ~ AND O T H E R D I E T A R Y CONSTITUENTS AS M E A S U R E D BY G R O W T H A N D F E ' E D C O N S U M P T I O N -~ W. G.
JONES,:' E. E. BARTLEY, M. J. SWENSON, G. K. L. UNDERBJERG, F. W. ATKESON, AND H. C. FRYER
Departme~ts of Dairy H~lsbandry, Veterinary Medicine, and Statistical Laboratory Kansas A qric~dtltral Experiment Station, Ma~d~attal~
Because of the interest in aureomycin for feeding dairy calves (13), it seemed advisable to determine what effect this antibiotic would have oll hematopoiesis and ndcroscopie anatomy of calves. In a preliminary experiment tile blood characteristics of two calves (3 months old) were studied prior to aureomycin feeding. I t was found that the values obtained for several of the blood characteristics were below those commonly reported for calves. Feeding trace minerals to these calves produced hematological changes which appeared beneficial. Although there have been a few reports (14) on the effect of the addition of trace mineral elements to calf rations known to be deficient in these minerals, there is a paucity of information on the effect of fortifyiug common calf rations with trace minerals. This experiment was initiated to study the effects of supplelnentary trace minerals only and a combination of tra(,e minerals together with m a j o r minerals, vitamins, and aureomycin upon certain physiological responses of the calf. Data pertaining to the growth and %ed consumption of the calves are presented in this paper. Those related to the hematology, histology, chemical composition of the meat, and weight of certain body organs will be reported later. E X P E R I M E N T A L PROCEDURE
Twenty-seven IIolstein and Ayrshire calves were used. Three test rations were assigned at random within breed-sex groups. Each group contained two Holstein females, two IIolstein nmles, three Ayrshire females, and two Ayrshire males. Calves in Group I (basal) were removed from their dams at birth, placed in individual pens, and fed their mothers' colostrum for the first 3 days at the daily rate of 1 lb. per 10 lb. body weight. Beginning with the fourth day, they were fed whole milk at approximately 1 0 ~ of body weight daily for the next 4 weeks. A f t e r the f o u r t h week the rate of milk feeding was gradually reduced until a total of 350 lb. had been consumed. Milk feeding ceased between 6 and 8 weeks of age. Good quality alfalfa hay and a calf starter were fed ad libitum, Received for publication July 9, 1955. ' The trademark of Lederle Laboratories Div., American Cyanamid Co., Pearl River, N. Y., for the antibiotic chlortetracycline. -~Contribution No. 237, Dept. of Dairy Husbandry, No. 144, Dept. of Veterinary Medicine, and No. 24, Statistical Laboratory, Kansas Agricultural Experiment Station. A portion of a dissertation presented by the senior author as partial fulfillment of the requirements for the degree Doctor of Philosophy in Animal ~utrition at Kansas State College. Present address: Houston, Texas. 188
EFFECTS
OF TRACE MINERALS
IN CALF RATIONS
189
beginning at 1 week of age. The starter was calculated (9) to contain 22% crude protein and consisted of 195 parts by weight of cracked yellow corn, 200 of oats, 150 of wheat bran, 50 of dried skimmilk, 240 of soybean oil meal, 50 of molasses, 70 of dehydrated alfalfa chops, 30 of brewers' yeast, 5 of limestone, 5 of steamed bone meal, 5 of salt, and 1.25 of irradiated yeast. Beginning at the ]9th week of age, the calves were changed from the starter to a grower ration consisting of 200 parts by weight of corn, 200 of oats, 200 of wheat bran, 175 of soybean oil meal, 6 of salt, and 6 of steamed bone meal. This ration was calculated (9) to contain 18% crude protein. Intakes of starter and grower rations were limited to a maximum of 5 lb. per calf per day. Calves in Group II received, in addition to the above basal ration, iron, copper, cobalt, iodine, manganese, and zinc (trace minerals). Calves in Group I I I received the basal ration plus these trace minerals, and in addition major minerals (calcium, phosphorus, magnesium chloride), vitamins (A, B-complex, C, D, E, K ) , and aureomycin. The nutritive value of the basal ration was considered to be approximately optimal, based upon present National Research Council recommended nutrient allowances (10). Therefore, any additions, as indicated for C~roups II and III, were arbitrarily selectecl and presumed to be in excess of the accepted daily requirements. The supplementation of the ration for calves in Group I I I with major minerals, aureomycin, and vitamins, in addition to trace minerals, was made in an attempt to prevent any possible deficiency of the basal ration. The number of blood and tissue analyses required obviated the feasibility of dividing this group according to the respective types of supplements. The trace minerals were at first administered daily by capsule from birth. When the starter consnmption was great enough to provide a carrier, the supplement was furnished in the starter and capsule feeding was discontinued. The quantities of trace minerals in elemental form supplied daily in milligrams per 100 lb. body weight were 200 of iron. 20 of copper, 20 of manganese, 10 of cobalt, 10 of zinc, and 0.19 of iodine. Iron, copper, manganese, and zinc were supplied as sulfates, cobalt as a chloride, and iodine as potassium iodide in stabilized iodized salt. These quantities supplied approximately 2.5 times the amount of iron, copper, and manganese as fed by IIerman (5) to prevent anemia in calves on milk alone, and twice the amount of iron that Thomas et al. (16) found would increase the hemoglobin values of somewhat anemic calves. The quantity of supplementary cobalt was similar to that fed by Duncan et al.. (3) to alleviate symptoms of cobalt deficiency in dairy cattle. The major minerals were administered in a manner similar to that employed with the trace minerals. The quantities of major minerals in elemental form supplied daily in grams per 100 lb. body weight were 3 of calcium, 2.32 of phosphorus, 0.3 of magnesium, and 2.5 of sodium chloride. Calcium and phosphorus were supplied as dicalcium phosphate, sodium and chlorine as sodium chloride, and magnesium as heavy nmgnesimn oxide. The above amounts of calcium, phosphorus, and magnesium including that present in the basal ration slightly exceeded the National Research Council's recommended calcium and phosphorus allowances (10) and the magnesium requirement suggested by Huffman et al. (7).
v(. G. JONES ET AL
190
TABLE 1
Supplemental vitav~ins f e d daily to calves in Group I I I Vitamin
Quantity/100 lb. body wt.
Vitamin
(~g.) Choline Inositol Ascorbic acid Ca-pantothenate Nicotinic acid Para-mnino benzoic acid Riboflavin
1300.0 130.0 65.0 40.0 15.0 13.0 7.0
Quantity/100 lb. body wt.
(rag.) Pyridoxine a-tocopherol Thiamine 2-methyl-I, 4-napthoquinone Folic acid V i t a m i n B~ Biotin
7.0 5.0 4.0 1.3 0.3 0.1 0.05
V i t a m i n A 10,000 U S P units Vitamin D 400 U S P units
The kind and amount of vitamins fed to the calves in Group I I I (Table 1) were based on the work of Wiese et aI. (17) and Johnson et al. (8), in which it was demonstrated that these amounts were optimal for calves on synthetic diets. Therefore, these amounts were adequate in themselves and were in addition to those contained in the basal ration. Vitamins A, E, and K (in liquid form) were given daily by capsule throughout the experiment. The other vitamins were in the form of a powder and were given daily by capsule until each animal had begun to consume the entire quantity of starter, at which time the vitamin mix was placed in the starter or grower ration. F i f t y rag. of crystalline aureomycin HC1 was fed daily to calves in Group I I I in a manner similar to that used for administering the trace mineral mix. The calves were weighed at weekly intervals. Records were kept of all feed consumed. The duration of the experiment was from birth to 24 weeks of age. RESULTS AND DISCUSSION
The calves involved varied in size because of differences in breed, sex, and birth weight. Therefore, all weight data were converted to a comparable basis by converting the weekly body weights of each calf into a percentage of original birth weight, the original birth weight being considered 100 for each calf, regardless of size. Graphical analysis of the average weights of the three groups of calves (Figure 1) indicates a tendency for the growth increase to be linear during the first 8 weeks and during the last 16 weeks, separately. This interpretation is supported by regression analysis for each group of calves during each of the two periods. During the first 7 weeks after birth the calves in Groups II and I I I grew at a significantly faster rate than those in Group I (Table 2), but it was not until the eighth week that the spread in average size among the groups was statistically significant. The cessation of milk feeding at about the eighth week seemed to occur at about the time that the calves fed trace minerals (Groups II and I I I ) showed highly significant differences in growth rate compared with calves not supplemented (Group I). The significance of these two occurrences can not be
191
EFFECTS OF TRACE MINERALS IN CALF RATIONS
"590 ........ 370 350
~¢ ~-
/ GROUP I. BASALRATION / GROUPII. BASALa TRACE MINERALS /i , GROUP ill BASAL8= TRACE "I~ MINERALS, MAJOR / MINERALS, V I T A M I N ? / ~ AUREOMYCIN '
//
:530
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290
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./
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.i /
>,
.1
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w 190
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~#./
150
130
2f
jc. 'f
IlO J 9
0
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~ AGE IN WEEKS
4
FIG. 1. Comparative growth responses of three groups of calves receiving a basal ration (Group I ) , the basal plus trace minerals (Group I I ) , or the basal plus trace minerals, m a j o r minerals, vitamins, and aureomycin (Group III).
determined from the data available. After 8 weeks, calves in Group II continued to average larger than those in Group I (basal), but comparatively there was a gradually diminishing growth rate of calves in Group I I (Table 2). At 24 weeks there was practically no difference in the size of the calves in these two groups. Calves in Group ] I I continued to grow at a significantly faster rate than those in either of the two other groups and at 24 weeks were decidedly larger than the calves in either Group I or II. The improvement in growth for calves in Groups II and I I I during the early weeks of life is supported by blood data (to be reported later) which show that the feeding of trace minerals to calves (Group II) and the feeding of trace minerals plus major minerals, vitamins, and aureomycin (Group I I I ) prevented, to a large extent, the drop of hemoglobin and red blood cell count that usually occurs during the first few weeks of a calf's life (16, 18). Of course, the trace minerals added were present in varying amounts in both the roughage and grain, and to what extent additional trace minerals would be justified will depend oll further research. The fact that the rate of growth of calves in Group II (trace
192
w.G.
JONES ET AL
TABLE 2 Regression analyses of the effect of supplementing a basal calf ration with trace minerals alone and in combination with ,major ~ninerals, vitamins, and aureomycin on the growth rate of calves from birth to 2g weeks of age
Slope of growth line Birth to 8 wk. Group
Treatment
9 to 24 wk. No. of calves
Regression Coefficientb~
Group
Regression Coefficientb
II
:Basal ration plus trace minerals
9
9.06 ~ ns
III
14.41 ~ ~
III
Basal ration plus trace minerals, major minerals, vitamins and aureomycin
9
8.99 ~ ÷:.4
I
13.53 <: ~
Basal ration
9~
6.80
II
12.67
I
Analysis of growth data employing the regression of weekly wt/lb of birth wt. on age. b One calf died of an impacted abomasum. ~ = Difference significant at the 0.01 level. ns = Difference not significant. minerals) tended to decrease gradually after 8 weeks compared with the calves on the basal ration raised the question as to the appropriate amount and length of time that additional minerals should be fed. F u r t h e r fortification of the basal ration b y the addition not only of the trace minerals but also of m a j o r minerals, vitamins, and aureomycin resulted in further improvement in rate of growth and greater average size for calves in this group than for either of the two other groups. I t was not possible to determine whether this improved growth of calves in Group I I I should be ascribed to trace minerals plus any one of the other supplements or a combination of several. The fact that in previous experiments at this station (1, 2) accelerated growth of similar magnitude has been obtained by the addition of aureomycin alone would tend to cast some doubt on the beneficial effects of some of the supplements used in the ration for Group I I I , other than trace minerals. Also, several investigators (4, 6, 11, 12, 15) have f o u n d that supplementing calves with vitamins does not increase growth above that obtained when calves are fed colostrum and standard rations. Additional experiments in which the influence of the other supplements are measured separately seem advisable. The a p p a r e n t t h r i f t of the calves in Groups I I and I I I would suggest no detrimental effects resulting from the supplements added to the basal ration within the limits of this feeding period. I t was assumed that some of the benefits derived from feeding a combination of vitamins, trace minerals, m a j o r minerals, a n d aureomycin might well be reflected by feed consumption and feed efficiency of each animal. The average weekly intake of h a y and grain (starter or grower) by the calves in each of the three groups is shown in Table 3. Since whole milk was fed on a body weight basis, the milk intake was not studied. The calves in Groups I and I I I consumed similar amounts of h a y and grain. Calves in Group I I receiving trace minerals consumed less h a y but more grain than the calves in the two other groups. A n
193
EFFECTS OF TRACE MINERALS IN CALF RATIONS
TABLE 3 Effect of s~lpple~ne'~ting a basal calf ration with trace qnineraIs alone and in co~bination w~th ~najor ~inerals, vita~ins, and aureo~mycin on feed intake and e~c~e~cy of gain of valves fron~ i to 24 weeks o f age ~
Group
Treatment
No. of calves
Av. weekly i n t a k e / c a l f /100 lb. body weight Hay
Grain
TDN /lb. gain
Dig. protein /lb. gain
(lb.) 9.3
(lb.) 14.5
(lb.) 2.95
(lb.) 0.68
I
Basal ration
9b
II
Basal ration phls trace minerals
9
8.8
15.3
3.02
0.69
III
Basal ration plus trace minerals, m a j o r minerals, vitamins, and ~ureomycin
9
9.3
14.3
2.79
0.64
None of these differences was statistically significant. b One calf died of an impacted abomasum.
analysis of variance of the data showed that none of these differences was statistically significant. The calves receiving the trace mineral supplement (Group II) required slightly more total digestible nutrients and digestible protein per pound of gain than the Group I control calves (Table 3) whereas the calves receiving the trace and major minerals, aureomycin, and vitamin supplement (Group I I I ) made the most efficient gains. However, an analysis of variance of these data showed that these differences were not significant. SUMMARY
Twenty-seven dairy calves were divided into three ration groups. Calves in Group I received a standard basal ration. Calves in Group II received the basal ration plus trace minerals (iron, copper, cobalt, iodine, manganese, and zinc). Calves in Group I I I received the basal ration plus these trace minerals, and, in addition, major minerals (calcium, phosphorus, magnesium, and sodium chloride), vitamins (A, B-complex, C, D, E, K), and aureomycin. The duration of the experiment was from birth to 24 weeks of age. During the first 7 weeks after birth the calves in Groups II and I I I grew at a significantly faster rate than those in Group I (basal), but it was not until the eighth week that the spread in average size among the groups was statistically significant. After 8 weeks, calves in Group II continued to average larger than those in Group I (basal) but comparatively there was a gradually dinlinishing growth rate of canes in Group II. At 24 weeks there was practically no difference in the size of the calves in these two groups. Calves in Group I I I continued to grow at a significantly faster rate than those in either of the two other groups and at 24 weeks were decidedly larger than the calves in Groups I and II. Thus the addition of selected trace minerals to the basal ration resulted in improved size, but there was a comparative trend to slow up in growth rate by calves in Group II after 8 weeks of life.
194
w . G . JONES ET .kL Further
fortification of the basal ration by the addition not only of the trace
minerals but also major improvement
minerals, vitamins, and aureomycin
in rate of growth
than for either of the two other groups. Small differences resulted among the groups ciency of gain.
resulted in further
a n d g r e a t e r a v e r a g e size f o r c a l v e s i n t h i s g r o u p in feed consumption
and
effi-
However, none of these differences was statistically significant. ACKNOWLEDGMENT
The authors wish to t h a n k the following companies for products used: Lederle Laboratories, Pearl River, N. Y., for the aureomycin, thiamine, riboflavin, pyridoxine, calcium pantothenate, inositol, biotin, relic acid, choline, and tocopherol; Merck and Co., Rahway, N. J., for the vitamin B~; Borden Co., Elgin, Ill., for the vitamin A ; and S t a n d a r d Brands Inc., New York City, for the irradiated yeast. REFERENCES (1) BARTLEY~ E. E., ATKESON~ F. W., FRYER, ]:I. C., AND FOUNTAINE, F. C. Antibiotics ill Dairy Cattle Nutrition. I I I . Effects of Different Levels of Aureomycin Intake upon the Growth and Well-Being of Dairy Calves, and the Association of Differences with Changes in Environment. J. Dairy Sci., 37: 259. 1954. (2) BAI~TLEY, E. E., FOUNTAINE, F. C., ATKESON, F. W., AND FaYER, tI. C. Antibiotics in Dairy Cattle Nutrition. I. The Effect of an Aureomycin Product (Aurorae) on the Growth and Well-Being of Young Dairy Calves. J. Dairy Sei., 36: 103. 1953. (3) DUNCAN, C. W., HUlV~MAN, C. F., REID, J. W., AND KIbLHAM, B. J. Cohalt Studies with Dairy C'~ttle in Michigan. J. Dairy Sci., 26: 739. 1943. (4) GIL~IORE, L. O., JONES, L. M., KANEGIS, L. A., AND ROEP~E, M. It. The Prophylactic Administration of Vitamins to Dairy Calves. J. Am. Vet Med. Assoc., 110: 390. 1947. (5) HE~MAN, H. A. Growth and Development of Dairy Calves on a Milk Diet. Me. Agr. Expt. Sta., Research Bull. 245. 1936. (6) ItlBBS, J. W., AND KRAUSS, W. E. The Effect of Supplenmntary Vitamins on Blood Composition, Liver Storage, and Incidence of Scours in Calves. J. Dairy Sci., 30: 115. 1947. (7) HUFFMAN, C. F., CONLEY, C. L., LIGHTF00T~ C. C., ANI) DUNCAN, C. W. Magnesium Studies in Calves. II. The Effect of Magnesium Salts and V'lrious Natural Feeds upon the Magnesium Content of the Blood Plasma. J. N~ltritio~, 22: 609. 1941. (8) JOHNSON, B. C., MITOttELL, H. H., PINKOS, J. A., AND MOtCRILL, C. (~. {~holinc Deficiency in the Calf. J. N~trition, 43: 37. 1951. (9) MORRISON, F. B. Feeds and Feeding. 21st ed. Morrison Publ. Co., New York. 1948. (10) NATIONAL RESEAlt(:tt COUNCIL. Recommended N u t r i e n t Allowances for Domestic Animals. I I I . Recommended Nutrient Allowances for Dairy Cattle. National Research Council, Washington, D. C. 1950. (11) NEVENS,W. B., AND KENDALL, K. A. The Value of Supplement~ry Vitamin Feeding in the Rearing of Dairy Calves. J. Dab~! Sci., 30: 175. 1947. (12) NORT0.'% C. L., EATON, It. D., LOOSLI, J. K., AND SPI~L~[AN, A. A. Controlled Experiments on the Value of Supplementary Vitamins for Young Dairy Calves. J. Dairy Svi., 29: 231. 1946. (13) REID, J. T., WARNF-a~, R. G., AND LOOSLI, J. K. Antibiotics in the Nutrition of Ruminants, dgr. and Food Chem., 2: 186. 1954. (14) SAVAGE, E. S., AND McCAY, C. M. The Nutrition of Calves: A Review. J. Dairy Sci., 25: 595. 2942.
E F F E C T S OF T R A C E M I N E R A L S I N CALF R A T I O N S
195
(15) SKAOOS, S. R. Vitamin Supplements for Dairy Calves. New Mexico Agr. Expt. Sta., Bull. 376. 1953. (16) Tlt0~AS, J. W., OI~AMO'e0, M., JACOBSON, W. C., A]N~DMOORE, L. A. A Study of Hemoglobin Levels in the Blood of Young Dairy Calves and the Alleviation of Anemia by Iron. J. Dairy Sei., 37: 805. 1954. (17) WIES~, A. C., JOHNSON, ]3. C., MITCHELL, H. H., AND NEVENS, W. ]3. Synthetic Rations for the Dairy Calf. J. Dairy Sci., 30: 87. 1947. (18) WISE~ G. H., CALD~,¥ELL,M. J., PAKRISH, D. ]3., ~LIPSE~ R..]-., AND HUGI~ES, J. C. Changes in Cell Volume and in Concentration of Hemoglobin a n d of Several Inorganic Constituents of the Blood of Calves During Early P o s t n a t a l Development. J. Dairy Sci., 30: 983. 1947.