Effects of fermented mulberry leaves on growth performance,rumen fermentation parameters,and intestinal permeability of calves

GUO Zhiyong; ZHANG Xinzhen; FAN Jingchang; GONG Benzhi; ZHU Junli

doi:10.13557/j.cnki.issn1002-2813.2025.11.002

Abstract：This study aimed to investigate the effects of different levels of fermented mulberry leaves on the growth performance,rumen fermentation parameters,and intestinal permeability in calves,and to determine the feasibility of applying fermented mulberry leaves in calf breeding.Forty weaned Holstein calves at 120 days of age with a body weight of(104.55±4.52)kg were divided into four groups with 10 replicates per group and one calf per replicate according to the single-factor design.The calves were fed total mixed rations supplemented with 0,10％,20％,or 30％ fermented mulberry leaves,respectively.The pre-test lasted for 10 days and the formal test lasted for 60 days.The results showed that compared with the control group,feeding 20％ fermented mulberry leaves significantly increased the average daily gain of calves(P＜0.05),while supplementation with 10％,20％,and 30％ fermented mulberry leaves significantly reduced diarrhea scores and diarrhea incidence rate(P＜0.05).Compared to the control group,feeding 20％ fermented mulberry leaves significantly increased rumen microbial protein and propionate concentrations(P＜0.05)and decreased ammonia nitrogen content and the acetate-to-propionate ratio(P＜0.05).On day 30 of the test,calves fed 20％ fermented mulberry leaves exhibited significantly lower serum endotoxin content(P＜0.05).On day 60,calves fed 20％ and 30％ fermented mulberry leaves showed significantly reduced serum D-lactate content(P＜0.05),and those fed 20％ fermented mulberry leaves had significantly lower serum endotoxin content(P＜0.05).The study shows that fermented mulberry leaves improve growth performance,reduce diarrhea incidence,enhance rumen fermentation function,and promote the intestinal health of calves,with an optimal supplementation level of 20％.