Milk feeding and utilization of nutrients in clinically healthy calves and in calves with diarrhea

Digestibility of nutrients was determined in healthy calves and in those with diarrhoea at the age of two and three weeks. The total collection of feces and indigestible marker methods (with Cr2O3) were used. High equality of results and statistically non-significant differences between the method of a total collection of feces and indigestible marker one in the suckling calves (Tab. II) confirm the suitability of using these two methods to determine digestibility. Based on the composition and commercially recommended feeding guide of milk replacer, it is clear that it has lower digestible energy, Zn and Fe intake. Slightly higher digestible crude protein and Mg intake, optimum Ca and P intake, all these values were calculated for 1 kg of live weight (Tab. I). Nutrient contents is responsible for nutrient ratio which is unbalanced and for low contents of digestible energy (76.5 KJ per g of digestible crude protein) instead of recommended values of 100-110 KJ per of digestible crude protein in milk replacer in suckling calves. In six clinically healthy calves fed with milk replacer Laktavit twice a day, an apparent digestibility of organic matter was found to be 95.7 +/- 1.8%, crude protein 93.5 +/- 1.8%, fat 94.5 +/- 1.4%, carbohydrates 97.2 +/- 1.5%, Ca absorption was 86.5 +/- 2.8%, P 95.3 +/- 2.9%. There was a depressed absorption for Mg 43.4 +/- 6.8%, Fe 24.2 +/- 4.3% and Zn 36.8 +/- 3.5% (Tab. III).(ABSTRACT TRUNCATED AT 250 WORDS)