Indigestion in young calves. II. The influence of ground barley, coarse and fine hay
Laksesvela, B.; Slagsvold, P.; Krogh, N.; Ommundsen, A.; Landsverk, T.
Acta Veterinaria Scandinavica 18(3): 416-425
1977
ISSN/ISBN: 0044-605X PMID: 910660 Document Number: 112792
For part 1 see NAR/B 48, 603.2. Four experiments with 86 calves were to study the influence of ground barley, coarse and fine hay for calves on a high-lactose milk replacer causing diarrhoea. The frequency of diarrhoea decreased with barley or fine hay but increased with coarse hay. Barley increased liveweight gain and carcass weight, reduced rumen pH, favoured gram-positive cocci and rods in the rumen, caused hyperkeratosis and increased empty reticulorumen weight, the last perhaps because of the hyperkeratosis. The calves ate more fine than coarse hay and fine hay was better in promoting growth of the rumen. All hay maintained a predominantly gram-negative rumen flora, but somewhat different from that on the milk replacer, and counteracted low pH in the rumen and apparently also hyperkeratosis from barley. The results indicated no relation between diarrhoea and hyperkeratosis.