Abstract:
Proc. Aust. Soc. Anim. Prod. (1974) 10; 397 DIGESTION IN THE STOMACH OF YOUNG CALVES JANE LEIBHOLZ* An experiment was designed to follow the development of the forestomachs in calves. Four male Friesian calves were fitted with re-entrant duodenal cannulae within one week of birth., They were fed milk to five weeks of age and then they were weaned over two days. The diet offered from five weeks of age contained wheat chaff 15%, barley 60.8%, soyabean meal 20.3%, molasses 3%, chromic oxide l%, and vitamins and minerals. The flow of digesta to the duodenum was measured for 12 h periods at weekly intervals for eight weeks (Leibholz and Hartmann 1972). Microbial protein was estimated by the method of Leibholz (1972). As shown in the table, the mean flow of digesta increased significantly from the first to the fourth week after weaning and was correlated with the feed intake (r = 0.65). The flow of dry matter to the duodenum, expressed as a percentage of feed intake, decreased throughout the eight week period. By the second week after weaning, 51% of the total digestion of dry matter occurred in the stomach. Sutton and McGilliard (1962) showed that although the rumen of the young calf had considerable ability to absorb volatile fatty acids at four weeks of age, it did increase to 13 weeks of age. Within three weeks of offering milk-fed calves concentrates they could absorb volatile fatty acids from the rumen in similar amounts to mature animals (Sutton, McGilliard and Jacobson 1963). This agrees with the rapid increase in digestion of dry matter in the stomachs of calves after weaning shown in the present experiment. This information is of importance in the formulation of early weaning rations. TABLE1 . REFERENCES Aust. J. agric. Res. 22: 1059. LEIBHOLZ, JANE, and HARTMANN, P.E. (1972). Aust. J. agric. Res. 21: 1073. LEIBHOLZ, JANE (1972). J. Dairy Sci. SUTTON, J.D., MCGILLIARD, A.D., and JACOBSON, N.L. (1962). $2: 1357. J. Dairy Sci. SUTTON, J-D., MCGILLIARD, A.D., and JACOBSON, N.L. (1963). 25: 426. * MC. Franklin Laboratory, University of Sydney Farms, Camden, N.S.W., 2570. 397