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Evaluation of a Feed Preference Agent for Dairy Calves1
TECHNICAL NOTES Evaluation of a Feed Preference Agent for Dairy Calves 1 J. D. SCHUH and T. N. WEGNER Department of Animal Sciences University of Arizona Tucson 85721
ppm in the diet of lactating sows and pig starters enhanced starter intake in baby pigs by association of milk and starter. Accordingly, Morrill and Dayton (5) suggested that incorporation of flavoring compounds in milk and starter ration might stimulate starter intake in dairy calves. However, addition of a feed flavor condiment to milk and calf starter had no associative effect on starter intake. In this study Firanor-24, a feed preference agent with a pungent cinnamon aroma (4), was added to whole milk and calf starter to determine its effect on starter intake, milk preference, and performance by dairy calves.
ABSTRACT
A feed preference agent, Firanor-242, was added (0, 50, or 100 ppm) to whole milk and starter ration to determine if association of it with milk would enhance starter intake and weaning performance in dairy calves. Thirty 1-day-old Holstein calves (six males, four females per treatment) each received 1.6 kg of milk twice daily to 30 days of age and starter ration from 7 to 40 days of age. There were no differences from treatments in daily feed intake or body weight gains. In a paired comparison preference test for Firanor-24 in milk, two groups of five unnursed newborn calves were preconditioned to 0 or 100 ppm Firanor-24 in colostrum at birth and in milk twice daily for 6 days. In the 5-day test period each calf was offered a choice of milk with 0 or 100 ppm randomized in two adjoining buckets. No differences in milk preference were observed.
M A T E R I A L S A N D METHODS Starter Intake Trial
INTRODUCTION
Dairymen frequently report that inadequate consumption of starter diet by dairy calves is a problem associated with early weaning. If calves could be motivated to eat more starter ration before weaning, this problem could be alleviated. Studies with lactating rats show that transfer of dietary agents or cues in milk can enable their young to recognize and ingest feedstuffs having gustatory or olfactory cues similar to those in the mother's diet (2, 3). Campbell (1) and Madsen (4) reported that inclusion o f a novel flavoring and aromatic substance at 50
Received August 2, 1979. t Arizona Agricultural Experiment Station Journal Paper No. 3042. 2Firanor-24 (generic name) supplied by Syntex Agribusiness Inc., Nutrition and Chemical Division, Springfield, MO 65805. 1979 J Dairy Sci 62:1951-1953
Thirty Holstein calves, 1 day of age, were allotted b y sex (six males, four females) to each treatment group: 1 ) c o n t r o l , 2) 50 ppm Firanor24 in whole milk and calf starter, and 3) 100 ppm Firanor-24 in whole milk and calf starter. All calves were penned individually during the 39-day trial. Each calf was fed 1.6 kg of whole milk warmed to approximately 32 C twice daily. Feeding was by nipple bottle the first 3 days and thereafter by open bucket. Nipple bottles and buckets were identified for use in feeding the control and treated milks to eliminate any possible carry-over. Calves were weaned abruptly at 30 days of age. A calf starter diet (Table 1) was offered ad libitum beginning at 7 days of age. Starter was placed in feeders twice daily and weighed back as needed to assure freshness, yet to minimize excessive accumulation of feed. Firanor-24 liquid concentrate dissolved in 3 ml of Tween 40 was added to whole milk to the desired concentration of 50 or 100 ppm at each feeding. Control calves received 3 ml of the Tween 40 carrier in whole milk. A dry premix containing 10% Firanor-24 was incorporated (.5 g and 1.0 g/kg) into the treatment starters. The starters were prepared in small batches of 25 kg
1951
1952
SCHUH AND WEGNER
TABLE 1. Composition of calf starter.a Sorghum grain, steam processed, % Soybean meal, % Molasses, % Dicalcium phosphate, % Limestone, % Salt, % Aureomycin premix (22 mg/kg), % Vitamin A, 1000 IU/kg
75.3 14.0 8.0 1.0 .7 .5 .5 8.8
Calculated analysis: Protein, % Calcium, % Phosphorus, %
13.60 .57 .47
aAir dry basis.
and stored in covered containers. Starter intakes were recorded daily and body weights obtained at 1, 30, and 40 days of age. Milk Preference Trial
In a paired comparison preference test for taste and aroma of Firanor-24 in whole milk, 10 newborn, unnursed Holstein calves were divided into two groups. Five calves in each group were fed 100 ppm Firanor-24 or the Tween 40 carrier in a three stage conditioning sequence: 1) in a single feeding of colostrum immediately after birth, 2) in whole milk fed twice daily for 3 days by nipple bottle, and 3) in whole milk twice daily for 3 days with a choice of identical milk offered simultaneously in adjacent open buckets. In the 5-day paired test each calf was offered twice daily a choice of whole milk containing 0 or 100 ppm Firanor-24 randomized in two adjacent buckets. When a calf selected and
consumed the milk from one bucket, the unselected bucket was removed. Observations of preference included smelling, tasting, and persistency of ingestion of the selected medium. Analysis of variance and Duncan's new multiple range test (6) were used to evaluate effects of treatments. RESULTS A N D DISCUSSION Starter I ntake
One female calf, a control, developed anorexia prior to weaning and was removed from the study. All remaining calves readily consumed the whole milk, and no difficulties were encountered in weaning at 30 days of age. Birth weight and sex of calves did not affect significantly starter intake or body weight gain. Daily starter consumption and rate of gain were not different (P> .05) among treatment groups within trial periods or the entire trial (Table 2). Starter containing 100 ppm Firanor-24 was not accepted as readily between 7 and 20 days of age, and daily intake of treated starters was consistently lower over the 10 days postweaning. However, no trend could be established by linear regression analysis. These results reveal no definitive effect of adding Firanor-24 to milk and calf starter on rate of acceptance and consumption of the starter diet. This agrees with Morrill and Dayton (5), who were unable to show any benefit of including a feed flavoring agent in milk and starter on starter intake by dairy calves. The general acceptance of the treated milk and starter diets indicated a passive indifference by calves to the taste and aroma of Firanor-24.
TABLE 2. Average daily dry feed intake and body weight gains among calves fed Firanor-24 in whole milk and calf s t a r t e r , a
Treatment
7--20
Starter intake Days of age 21 --30 31-40
7--40
1- 30
Gains Days of age 31-40
1--40
Ckg) I Control II 50 ppm III 100 ppm
.26 .26 .22
.64 .67 .63
acalves per treatment: I, 9; II, 10; III, 10. Journal of Dairy Science Vol. 62, No. 12, 1979
1.62 1.40 1.29
.78 .70 .67
.24 .29 .24
.78 .49 .71
.38 .34 .36
TECHNICAL NOTE However, this could not be determined in the first experiment because calves were assigned to a control or treated diet and were not offered a choice. Work with rats suggests that initial recognition and response of animals to a dietary cue may be augmented by including the cue in the first food consumed (2). Subsequently, a paired comparison preference test was conducted to examine these possibilities. Milk Preference
No difference in preference was significant (P>.05) when calves were offered a choice of whole milk containing Tween 40 or Firanor-24. Calves selected and drank the control or treated milks without hesitation or regard for bucket position. Only one control and one treated calf showed evidence of preconditioning by consuming their respective milk 7 out of the 10 feedings offered. Total preference selections of the control and treated milks by the precondition control calves were 26 and 24 choices, respectively. Selections by the precondition treated calves were equal. CONCLUSIONS
In this study, Firanor-24 did not exert a measurable difference on starter intakes or milk preference in dairy calves. This lack of response may have occurred because 1) concentrations were too low for perceptive recognition, 2) calves perceived and ingested the sustance with indifference, 3) the compound was not perceived, or 4) the pervasive aroma of the treated milk may have masked the control milk.
1953
While flavor preferences for neonatal mammals are similar, it is probable that each species has a sense of taste oriented towards adult feed preferences. More information is needed to identify natural tastes and odors or novel dietary cues that may produce a stimulatory effect on food intake in dairy calves. ACKNOWLEDGMENTS
The authors acknowledge the assistance of Robert O. Kuehl in the statistical analysis and Robert F. Schoenberger and his staff for their care of the experimental animals. Appreciation is also extended to Monique Hunter for preparing this manuscript and to Syntex Agribusiness Inc. for supplying the Firanor-24. LITERATURE CITED
1 Campbell, R. G. 1976. A note on the use of a feed flavour to stimulate the feed intake of weaner pigs. Anita. Prod. 23:417. 2 Capretta, P. J., and L. H. Ravels. III. 1974. Establishment of a flavor preference in rats: Importance of nursing and weaning experience. J. Comp. Physiol. Psychol. 86:670. 3 Galef, B. G., Jr., and D. F. Sherry. 1973. Mother's milk: A medium for transmission of cues reflecting the flavor of mother's diet. J. Comp. Physiol. Psychol. 83 : 374. 4 Madsen, F. C. 1977. From sow to baby pigs: Flavoring agent transmits feed preference. Anim. Nutr. Health. 32:15. 5 Morrill, J. L., and A. D. Dayton. 1978. Effect of feed flavor in milk and calf starter on feed consumption and growth. J. Dairy Sci. 61:229. 6 Steel, R.G.D., and J. H. Torrie. 1960. Principles and procedures of statistics. McGraw-Hill Book Company, New York.
Journal of Dairy Science Vol. 62, No. 12, 1979
ppm in the diet of lactating sows and pig starters enhanced starter intake in baby pigs by association of milk and starter. Accordingly, Morrill and Dayton (5) suggested that incorporation of flavoring compounds in milk and starter ration might stimulate starter intake in dairy calves. However, addition of a feed flavor condiment to milk and calf starter had no associative effect on starter intake. In this study Firanor-24, a feed preference agent with a pungent cinnamon aroma (4), was added to whole milk and calf starter to determine its effect on starter intake, milk preference, and performance by dairy calves.
ABSTRACT
A feed preference agent, Firanor-242, was added (0, 50, or 100 ppm) to whole milk and starter ration to determine if association of it with milk would enhance starter intake and weaning performance in dairy calves. Thirty 1-day-old Holstein calves (six males, four females per treatment) each received 1.6 kg of milk twice daily to 30 days of age and starter ration from 7 to 40 days of age. There were no differences from treatments in daily feed intake or body weight gains. In a paired comparison preference test for Firanor-24 in milk, two groups of five unnursed newborn calves were preconditioned to 0 or 100 ppm Firanor-24 in colostrum at birth and in milk twice daily for 6 days. In the 5-day test period each calf was offered a choice of milk with 0 or 100 ppm randomized in two adjoining buckets. No differences in milk preference were observed.
M A T E R I A L S A N D METHODS Starter Intake Trial
INTRODUCTION
Dairymen frequently report that inadequate consumption of starter diet by dairy calves is a problem associated with early weaning. If calves could be motivated to eat more starter ration before weaning, this problem could be alleviated. Studies with lactating rats show that transfer of dietary agents or cues in milk can enable their young to recognize and ingest feedstuffs having gustatory or olfactory cues similar to those in the mother's diet (2, 3). Campbell (1) and Madsen (4) reported that inclusion o f a novel flavoring and aromatic substance at 50
Received August 2, 1979. t Arizona Agricultural Experiment Station Journal Paper No. 3042. 2Firanor-24 (generic name) supplied by Syntex Agribusiness Inc., Nutrition and Chemical Division, Springfield, MO 65805. 1979 J Dairy Sci 62:1951-1953
Thirty Holstein calves, 1 day of age, were allotted b y sex (six males, four females) to each treatment group: 1 ) c o n t r o l , 2) 50 ppm Firanor24 in whole milk and calf starter, and 3) 100 ppm Firanor-24 in whole milk and calf starter. All calves were penned individually during the 39-day trial. Each calf was fed 1.6 kg of whole milk warmed to approximately 32 C twice daily. Feeding was by nipple bottle the first 3 days and thereafter by open bucket. Nipple bottles and buckets were identified for use in feeding the control and treated milks to eliminate any possible carry-over. Calves were weaned abruptly at 30 days of age. A calf starter diet (Table 1) was offered ad libitum beginning at 7 days of age. Starter was placed in feeders twice daily and weighed back as needed to assure freshness, yet to minimize excessive accumulation of feed. Firanor-24 liquid concentrate dissolved in 3 ml of Tween 40 was added to whole milk to the desired concentration of 50 or 100 ppm at each feeding. Control calves received 3 ml of the Tween 40 carrier in whole milk. A dry premix containing 10% Firanor-24 was incorporated (.5 g and 1.0 g/kg) into the treatment starters. The starters were prepared in small batches of 25 kg
1951
1952
SCHUH AND WEGNER
TABLE 1. Composition of calf starter.a Sorghum grain, steam processed, % Soybean meal, % Molasses, % Dicalcium phosphate, % Limestone, % Salt, % Aureomycin premix (22 mg/kg), % Vitamin A, 1000 IU/kg
75.3 14.0 8.0 1.0 .7 .5 .5 8.8
Calculated analysis: Protein, % Calcium, % Phosphorus, %
13.60 .57 .47
aAir dry basis.
and stored in covered containers. Starter intakes were recorded daily and body weights obtained at 1, 30, and 40 days of age. Milk Preference Trial
In a paired comparison preference test for taste and aroma of Firanor-24 in whole milk, 10 newborn, unnursed Holstein calves were divided into two groups. Five calves in each group were fed 100 ppm Firanor-24 or the Tween 40 carrier in a three stage conditioning sequence: 1) in a single feeding of colostrum immediately after birth, 2) in whole milk fed twice daily for 3 days by nipple bottle, and 3) in whole milk twice daily for 3 days with a choice of identical milk offered simultaneously in adjacent open buckets. In the 5-day paired test each calf was offered twice daily a choice of whole milk containing 0 or 100 ppm Firanor-24 randomized in two adjacent buckets. When a calf selected and
consumed the milk from one bucket, the unselected bucket was removed. Observations of preference included smelling, tasting, and persistency of ingestion of the selected medium. Analysis of variance and Duncan's new multiple range test (6) were used to evaluate effects of treatments. RESULTS A N D DISCUSSION Starter I ntake
One female calf, a control, developed anorexia prior to weaning and was removed from the study. All remaining calves readily consumed the whole milk, and no difficulties were encountered in weaning at 30 days of age. Birth weight and sex of calves did not affect significantly starter intake or body weight gain. Daily starter consumption and rate of gain were not different (P> .05) among treatment groups within trial periods or the entire trial (Table 2). Starter containing 100 ppm Firanor-24 was not accepted as readily between 7 and 20 days of age, and daily intake of treated starters was consistently lower over the 10 days postweaning. However, no trend could be established by linear regression analysis. These results reveal no definitive effect of adding Firanor-24 to milk and calf starter on rate of acceptance and consumption of the starter diet. This agrees with Morrill and Dayton (5), who were unable to show any benefit of including a feed flavoring agent in milk and starter on starter intake by dairy calves. The general acceptance of the treated milk and starter diets indicated a passive indifference by calves to the taste and aroma of Firanor-24.
TABLE 2. Average daily dry feed intake and body weight gains among calves fed Firanor-24 in whole milk and calf s t a r t e r , a
Treatment
7--20
Starter intake Days of age 21 --30 31-40
7--40
1- 30
Gains Days of age 31-40
1--40
Ckg) I Control II 50 ppm III 100 ppm
.26 .26 .22
.64 .67 .63
acalves per treatment: I, 9; II, 10; III, 10. Journal of Dairy Science Vol. 62, No. 12, 1979
1.62 1.40 1.29
.78 .70 .67
.24 .29 .24
.78 .49 .71
.38 .34 .36
TECHNICAL NOTE However, this could not be determined in the first experiment because calves were assigned to a control or treated diet and were not offered a choice. Work with rats suggests that initial recognition and response of animals to a dietary cue may be augmented by including the cue in the first food consumed (2). Subsequently, a paired comparison preference test was conducted to examine these possibilities. Milk Preference
No difference in preference was significant (P>.05) when calves were offered a choice of whole milk containing Tween 40 or Firanor-24. Calves selected and drank the control or treated milks without hesitation or regard for bucket position. Only one control and one treated calf showed evidence of preconditioning by consuming their respective milk 7 out of the 10 feedings offered. Total preference selections of the control and treated milks by the precondition control calves were 26 and 24 choices, respectively. Selections by the precondition treated calves were equal. CONCLUSIONS
In this study, Firanor-24 did not exert a measurable difference on starter intakes or milk preference in dairy calves. This lack of response may have occurred because 1) concentrations were too low for perceptive recognition, 2) calves perceived and ingested the sustance with indifference, 3) the compound was not perceived, or 4) the pervasive aroma of the treated milk may have masked the control milk.
1953
While flavor preferences for neonatal mammals are similar, it is probable that each species has a sense of taste oriented towards adult feed preferences. More information is needed to identify natural tastes and odors or novel dietary cues that may produce a stimulatory effect on food intake in dairy calves. ACKNOWLEDGMENTS
The authors acknowledge the assistance of Robert O. Kuehl in the statistical analysis and Robert F. Schoenberger and his staff for their care of the experimental animals. Appreciation is also extended to Monique Hunter for preparing this manuscript and to Syntex Agribusiness Inc. for supplying the Firanor-24. LITERATURE CITED
1 Campbell, R. G. 1976. A note on the use of a feed flavour to stimulate the feed intake of weaner pigs. Anita. Prod. 23:417. 2 Capretta, P. J., and L. H. Ravels. III. 1974. Establishment of a flavor preference in rats: Importance of nursing and weaning experience. J. Comp. Physiol. Psychol. 86:670. 3 Galef, B. G., Jr., and D. F. Sherry. 1973. Mother's milk: A medium for transmission of cues reflecting the flavor of mother's diet. J. Comp. Physiol. Psychol. 83 : 374. 4 Madsen, F. C. 1977. From sow to baby pigs: Flavoring agent transmits feed preference. Anim. Nutr. Health. 32:15. 5 Morrill, J. L., and A. D. Dayton. 1978. Effect of feed flavor in milk and calf starter on feed consumption and growth. J. Dairy Sci. 61:229. 6 Steel, R.G.D., and J. H. Torrie. 1960. Principles and procedures of statistics. McGraw-Hill Book Company, New York.
Journal of Dairy Science Vol. 62, No. 12, 1979