Effects of supplementary feeding of milk replacer powder on growth performance of calving yaks in warm season

An Fuzhen; Zhang Zongyuan; Wang Li; An Tianwu; Luo Xiaolin

doi:10.20154/j.cnki.issn1672-9692.2025.01.008

Abstract：In order to regulate and balance the nutrient supply and improve the growth performance of calving yaks,the growth performance indexes of calving yaks were compared and analyzed under traditional grazing,full lactation and warm season supplemented with milk replacer powder.Fifty-four calves with similar body size and body weight(about 2 months of birth)were randomly divided into three groups with 18 calves(half male and half female)in each group.Group A calves were fed milk replacer,Group B calves were fed traditional grazing mode,and Group C calves were fed exclusively with breast milk.The experiment lasted for 45 days.The results showed as follows:After 15 days of supplementary feeding,the body height of Group A was extremely higher than that of Group C(P<0.01),and the tube circumference was significantly higher than that of Groups B and C(P<0.05).After 30 days of supplementation,body height in Group A was significantly higher than that in Group B(P<0.05),and extremely higher than that in Group C(P<0.01).The tube circumference of Group B was significantly lower than that of the other groups(P<0.05).After 45 days of supplementation,the body height and tube circumference of Groups A and C were higher than those of Group B(P<0.05).On the 15th day,the tube circumference of female calves in Group A was significantly higher than that in Group B(P<0.05).On the 45th day,the chest circumference and tube circumference of female calves in Group C were significantly higher than those in Group B(P<0.05).After 45 days of supplementary feeding,the increases of body weight,body height and body length of male calves in Group C were significantly higher than those in Groups A and B(P<0.05).The increase of chest circumference was significantly higher than that of Group A(P<0.05),and extremely higher than that of Group B(P<0.01).The increases in body weight,body height and chest girth of female calves in Groups A and C were extremely higher than those in Group B(P<0.01).The increase of tube circumference in Group C was significantly higher than that in Group A(P<0.05),and extremely higher than that in Group B(P<0.01).The research shows that the relatively low cost of milk replacer in warm season can effectively solve the adverse effects of artificial milking on calves,save fresh milk to a certain extent,and improve the growth performance of calves.