ARTICLE 66 FEED & ADDITIVE MAGAZINE March 2024 “In calves, the first months of life are critical for future production. Nutrition management is key to limiting the impact of early stresses on the digestive system and ensuring optimal rumen development. In addition to good management practices, producers can include beneficial nutritional tools to help maintain calf health, support starter intake and reinforce rumen papillae development for optimal adult performance.” Calf health management is crucial and will influence the performance of the adult cow. In pre-ruminants, particular attention should be drawn to the establishment of the digestive system and its inhabitants, the microbiota. The colonization of gastrointestinal is important at different levels, particularly for the maturation of the mucosal immune system. The gut plays an important role in the immune defense system as innate and acquired immunity are concentrated within the gastrointestinal lymphoid tissue (GALT). For the young calf, the objective is to strengthen gut immunity to help secure the fragile digestive system and limit diarrhea and respiratory diseases. Feeding and balancing the microbiota with probiotics and postbiotics during this delicate time can help ensure future health and performance. Calf management is crucial and will influence the performance of the adult cow (Figure 1). Research (Abuelo et al., 2021) shows heifers affected by diarrhea as calves showed lower average daily gain at weaning and a lower first lactation performance with -325 kg of milk when looking at the 305-day mature equivalent (ME) milk production standardized value. In addition, heifers diagnosed with diarrhea and bovine respiratory disease (BRD) tend to have increased difficulty at insemination and during calving. HOW PRO AND POSTBIOTICS CAN SUPPORT LOWER GUT HEALTH IN CALVES Marie-Valentine Glica Global Ruminant Marketing Manager Lallemand Animal Nutrition Diarrheas or other calf diseases -325 kg milk Figure 1. Short- and long-term consequences of unbalanced gut flora in pre-weaned calves
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