Features of the formation of the immune status in calves with different methods of feeding with colostrum

¹ Samara State Agricultural University, Uchebnaya St., 2, Kinel, Samara region, 446442, Russia
² Orenburg State Agricultural University, Chelyuskintsev St., 18, Orenburg, 460795, Russia

^* Corresponding author: KaramaevSV@mail.ru

Abstract

The features of different methods of feeding calves with colos-trum and their influence on the growth, development and health of young animals have been studied in a comparative aspect. The studies were car-ried out using newborn Holstein heifers at a modern dairy complex. De-pending on the method of feeding, the calves consumed different amounts of colostrum on the first day: with a suckler mother cow - 10.8 liters, when using a suckling bottle and a nipple pail - 8 liters, using the CalfDrencher system - 7 liters. Different volumes and rates of colostrum entry into the digestive system of newborns had a significant impact on its digestion in calf abomasum and the transition of immunoglobulins into blood serum. It was found that only with the sucking method, 6 hours after drinking the first portion of colostrum, the content of immunoglobulins in the blood se-rum of calves was more than 10 mg/ml, which corresponds to the physio-logical norm. In accordance with the intensity of the transfer of immuno-globulins from colostrum to blood serum, cases of disease in calves were distributed in the first month of life, which affected their further growth and development. As a result, the live weight required for the first insemi-nation (at least 420 kg) was achieved by the Holstein heifers in group I at the age of 16 months, in group II - 18 months, in group III - 17 months, in group IV - 19 months.