Ruminal in situ disappearance and whole-tract digestion of starter feeds in calves before, during, and after weaning.

Limited data are available on nutrient digestibility in baby calves. This study looks at the impact of different presentations of starter feed (pellet or texturized) on the evolution of total tract and rumen digestibility of DM, NDF, starch, and nitrogen. One key finding is the total tract nutrient disappearance decreases over time (especially with dry matter).

By S. L. Gelsinger, W. K. Coblentz, G. I. Zanton, R. K. Ogden, and M. S. Akins