Table 2 Preweaning intake, performance, and body measurements of calves receiving different colostrum and transition milk feeding protocols during the first 3d of age.

From: Enrichment of medium-quality colostrum by adding colostrum replacer, combined or not with transition milk in the feeding of dairy calves

Item

Treatments

SEM2

P-value3

Bovine colostrum

Enriched colostrum

FTM1

WM

FTM

WM

C

T

C × T

A

C × T × A

Intake, g DM/day

 Total

940.81

981.88

931.21

970.49

28.448

0.4971

0.1671

0.7231

0.0001

0.3998

 Calf starter

202.18

259.12

194.69

228.83

29.915

0.5046

0.1616

0.6465

0.0001

0.4149

 Intake at wk 8

567.35

644.74

610.91

633.57

111.492

0.7616

0.3599

0.6000

–

–

Body weight, kg

 At birth

34.46

34.55

34.12

33.87

0.437

0.2464

0.8693

0.6882

–

–

 At weaning

65.50

68.53

66.61

67.53

1.480

0.9696

0.1965

0.4656

–

–

 ADG4, g

556.10

607.50

569.30

603.50

0.027

0.8652

0.1267

0.7455

0.0001

0.5075

 FE5

0.589

0.598

0.612

0.615

0.026

0.4676

0.8390

0.8958

0.0001

0.5338

Corporal measures, cm

 Heart girth

85.62

85.69

85.69

85.04

0.525

0.6467

0.4733

0.3740

0.0001

0.4158

 Hip width

24.43

22.57

22.25

22.46

1.383

0.4755

0.5038

0.5959

0.0001

0.5182

 Withers height

83.56

82.58

83.50

83.80

0.781

0.4842

0.3723

0.6342

0.0001

0.8694

  1. 1Formulated transition milk, Whole milk; 2Standard error of the mean; 3C = effect of colostrum feeding protocol; T = effect of transition feeding protocol; C × T = effect of interaction between colostrum and transition feeding protocol; A = age effect; C × T × A = effect of interaction between colostrum, transition feeding protocol and age; 4Average daily gain; 5Feed efficiency.
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