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ARS Home » Midwest Area » Ames, Iowa » National Animal Disease Center » Ruminant Diseases and Immunology Research » Research » Publications at this Location » Publication #79253
Title: EFFECT OF VITAMIN A SUPPLEMENTATION IN WHOLE MILK ON HEALTH AND PLASMA VITAMIN CONCENTRATIONS OF HOLSTEIN CALVES THROUGH SIX WEEKS OF AGE

Author
item SORENSON, C - SOUTH DAKOTA STATE UNIV
item FRANKLIN, SHARON - SOUTH DAKOTA STATE UNIV
item HAMMELL, D - SOUTH DAKOTA STATE UNIV
item Horst, Ronald

Submitted to: American Dairy Science Association Proceedings
Publication Type: Abstract Only
Publication Acceptance Date: 6/23/1997
Publication Date: N/A
Citation: N/A

Interpretive Summary:

Technical Abstract: The objective of the study was to determine the effects of vitamin A supplementation on scour incidence, scour severity, weight gain, and plasma vitamin concentrations of calves fed whole milk. Holstein calves (n=77) were randomly assigned to vitamin A supplementation of 0, 15000, or 30000 IU daily. Calves were housed in individual hutches and fed 2.27 kg of milk twice daily. Fecal scores were obtained at each feeding. Blood samples were taken by jugular venipuncture at 0, 6 and 24 hours and once weekly thereafter for 6 weeks. Plasma vitamin A concentrations were not affected by supplementation (P>0.05). Vitamin E concentrations in plasma of calves at 6 weeks of age decreased as vitamin A supplementation increased (P=0.0118). Vitamin A supplementation of 0, 15000, and 30000 IU daily resulted in plasma vitamin E concentrations of 1414, 1105, and 1071 ng/ml, respectively. Gender tended to affect retinol concentrations in plasma of calves. The average concentration for male calves was 210 ng/ml compared with female calves at 177 ng/ml (P=0.1195). Incidence of scours was not affected by vitamin A supplementation, but average incidence was higher (P=0.0094) in summer (1.19) than winter (0.67).