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Mehdi Kazemi bonchenari

Mehdi Kazemi bonchenari

Academic rank: Professor
ORCID: https://orcid.org/0000-0002-4051-1097
Education: PhD.
ScopusId: 36935904700
HIndex:
Faculty: Agriculture and Environment
Address: Arak University
Phone:

Research

Title
Essential oils improved weight gain, growth and feed efficiency of young dairy calves fed 18 or 20% crude protein starter diets
Type
JournalPaper
Keywords
essential oils, starter protein content, rumen development, feed efficiency, dairy calves
Year
2018
Journal Journal of Animal Physiology and Animal Nutrition
DOI
Researchers Mehdi Kazemi bonchenari ، Reza Falahati ، Mehdi Poorhamdollah Kasin ، S. Rasool Heydari ، adel pezeshki

Abstract

The objective was to evaluate interactions between starter protein (180 vs 200 g kg-1, DM basis) and a mixture of essential oils (EO; containing thymol, eugenol, vanillin, limonene and guaiacol) on growth, metabolic and ruminal functions of Holstein dairy calves. In a completely randomized 2 × 2 factorial design, 48 calves, 3 d-old (averaging BW 42.7 ± 1.9 kg) were allocated into groups fed the following diets: 1) 180 g kg-1 CP with no EO (180P-NEO); 2) 180 g kg-1 CP with EO (180P-EO); 3) 200 g kg-1 CP with no EO (200P-NEO); and 4) 200 g kg-1 CP with EO (200P-EO). The EO was supplemented as 1 g/kg of starter DM. Calves were fed ad libitum starter diet and were weaned at d 59 of age, but diets continued until d 80. There was no interactive effects of CP and EO on intake and growth. Pre-weaning feed efficiency tended to be increased for 200P-EO (P = 0.09). Average daily gain and feed efficiency during pre-weaning period as well as weaning weight were increased (P < 0.05) by EO, whereas wither height was increased by EO (P = 0.03) and tended to be increased for 200P vs 180P (P = 0.06). Post-weaning blood urea nitrogen concentration tended to be lower in 180P vs 200P (P = 0.08). Ruminal short chain fatty acids concentration was greatest in 200P-EO. The EO increased both butyrate (P = 0.02) and propionate proportions (P = 0.01) and reduced acetate proportional ratio (P < 0.01). Ruminal ammonia-N was tended to be lower in calves fed EO (P = 0.05) and was lower in those fed 180P vs 200P (P < 0.01). In conclusion, supplementation the starter diet with essential oil improved weight gain, growth and feed efficiency of dairy calves, irrespective of dietary protein content.