Studies on Substitute Milk Containing Dried Skimmilk with Tallow, Lecithin or Wheat Starch for Dairy Calves

Abstract

Four kinds of substitute milk containing spray-dried skimmilk were fed to eight Holstein male calves of about 1 wk. of age for 4 wk. In the skimmilk diet the growth rate and feed efficiency were the lowest. The addition of 4% crude soybean lecithin to the skimmilk diet was found to increase the growth rate and feed efficiency to a remark-able degree.
The apparent digestion coefficients of tallow were about 88% throughout three diges-tion periods and no age effect upon the digestibility was observed, whereas the digestibility of wheat starch showed a tendency to increase in accordance with the advanced age. The calves could not digest the starch to an appreciable extent for about 1 wk. after the starch-containing diet was offered. After a lag of about 1 or 2 wk. the adaptive mechanism to digest starch increased rapidly.