Effect of a milk byproduct-based calf starter feed on dairy calf nutrient consumption, rumen development, and performance when fed different milk levels

The objective of this study was to investigate the effects of a milk byproduct-based starter pellet, high in lactose, on feed intakes, growth, and rumen development when calves were fed either a high or low level of milk. This was done by using a 2 × 2 factorial design, with 120 Holstein heifer calves randomly assigned to 1 of 2 milk treatments and 1 of 2 feed treatments upon enrollment at birth. Calves were either assigned to a low (LM) or high (HM) level of milk replacer by an automated milk-feeding system for individually-housed calves. The LM treatment calves were offered 6 L/d (150 g/L; 1.2 L, 5×/d), whereas HM treatment calves were offered 15 L/d (150 g/L; 3 L, 5×/d) of milk replacer. Calves were also assigned to a milk byproduct- (whey) based starter feed treatment (WF), or a grain-based starter ration (95% concentrate starter pellet, 5% chopped wheat straw) feed treatment (GF). All calves were offered their treatment feed starting on d 5, with water offered ad libitum from d 0. The WF treatment calves were offered 150 g/d of the milk byproduct-based pellet until they consumed the entirety for 2 out of 3 consecutive days. At this point, WF treatment calves received 150 g of the milk byproduct-based pellet top dressed onto the grain-based ration to allow for ad libitum feed consumption until weaned, when they only received the grain-based ration postweaning (d 64-77). Calves on the GF feed treatment received only the grain-based ration. All calves were gradually weaned from d 43 to 63. By design, calves on the HM treatment consumed greater levels of milk than LM treatment calves for the majority of the days in the preweaning phase (8.9 ± 0.11 vs. 5.5 ± 0.11 L/d; SE). Calves on the GF and WF treatments consumed similar amounts of milk in the preweaning phase (7.2 ± 0.11 vs. 7.2 ± 0.11 L/d); however, there was a milk and feed treatment interaction detected for milk consumption in the weaning phase, with HM-GF calves drinking more milk than the other treatments and HM-WF calves drinking more milk than both LM-GF and LM-WF calves. The WF treatment calves had greater solid feed intake during the preweaning phase than GF treatment calves, with no feed intake differences in the weaning or postweaning phases. The WF calves drank more water in the preweaning phase than GF calves. Average daily gain was similar throughout the study between the GF and WF treatment calves. Rumen physiological measures were all similar by the end of the trial (d 77) regardless of feed or milk treatment, suggesting similar rumen development postweaning. Overall, regardless of the level of milk fed, offering the milk byproduct-based starter pellet may increase preweaning feed intake, along with water consumption. However, both feed and milk treatments had similar performance and rumen development measures by the end of the trial.