Table 1 Ingredients, chemical compositions, and particle size distribution of the experimental diets.

From: Effects of group housing and incremental hay supplementation in calf starters at different ages on growth performance, behavior, and health

Item

Starter diets

7.5% hay

15% hay

Ingredient (% of DM)

Alfalfa hay

7.5

15.0

Corn grain

37.8

34.5

Barley grain

18.4

16.8

Soybean meal (45% CP)

30.4

27.8

Calcium carbonate

1.1

1.1

Wheat bran

1.5

1.5

Sodium bicarbonate

1.0

1.0

Magnesium oxid

0.3

0.3

Vitamin premixa

1.0

1.0

Mineral premixa

1.0

1.0

Chemical composition (% of DM)

DM

93.9 ± 0.05

93.6 ± 0.02

CP

20.4 ± 0.47

18.2 ± 0.23

NDF

18.3 ± 0.21

23.4 ± 0.13

Ether extract

2.32 ± 0.14

2.03 ± 0.42

Ash

8.13 ± 0.06

8.55 ± 0.15

Starch

35.7 ± 0.35

30.0 ± 0.14

MEb (Mcal/kg)

3.0

2.88

Particle size distribution

4.75 mm

5.35 ± 0.29

12.2 ± 0.33

2.36 mm

10.7 ± 1.08

9.33 ± 0.33

1.18 mm

21.6 ± 0.49

20.4 ± 0.59

0.6 mm

27.7 ± 1.17

29.5 ± 2.04

0.3 mm

26.6 ± 1.47

22.2 ± 3.18

0.15 mm

7.20 ± 1.69

5.72 ± 2.01

Pan

0.60 ± 0.28

0.52 ± 0.26

> 2.36

16.0 ± 1.85

21.5 ± 3.48

< 1.18

83.7 ± 1.88

78.4 ± 3.65

GMPL,c mm

0.93 ± 0.05

1.12 ± 0.06

  1. aContained per kilogram of supplement, 250,000 IU vitamin A, 50,000 IU vitamin D, 1500 IU vitamin E, 2.25 g Mn, 120 g Ca, 7.7 g Zn, 20 g P, 20.5 g Mg, 186 g Na, 1.25 g Fe, 3 g S, 14 mg Co, 1.25 g Cu, 56 mg I, and 10 mg Se.
  2. bCalculated according to NRC40.
  3. cGeometric mean particle length.
Back to article page