Effects of Dietary Forage and Calf Starter Diet on Ruminal pH and Bacteria in Holstein Calves during Weaning Transition

This study demonstrated that feeding dietary forage alleviates subacute ruminal acidosis due to diurnal changes in ruminal pH. Furthermore, changes in ruminal pH affect the ruminal bacterial diversity and relative abundance, and these changes might have influenced the establishment of fermentative ruminal functions during weaning transition.

By Yo-Han Kim, Rie Nagata, Natsuki Ohtani, Toshihiro Ichijo, Kentaro Ikuta, and Shigeru Sato.