title: Delayed feeding of first colostrum: are there prolonged effects on haematological, metabolic and endocrine parameters and on growth performance in calves?
abstract: To test the hypothesis that delaying first colostrum feeding of calves after birth exerts long-lasting effects on haematological, metabolic and endocrine traits and on growth performance, neonatal calves were fed first colostrum at 0-2 and 24-25 h after birth. Delayed feeding of first colostrum for 24-25 h after birth caused reduced plasma levels of total protein and globulin for up to 30 days and of insulin-like growth factor-I for up to 7 days, whereas concentrations of nonesterified fatty acids were elevated during the first day of life. There were no significant effects of delaying feeding for 24-25 h on leucocyte and erythrocyte number, packed cell volume and on haemoglobin levels and on plasma concentrations of albumin, urea, glucose, triglycerides, phospholipids, cholesterol, insulin, growth hormone, 3.5.3'-triiodothyronine and thyroxine and on growth performance. Thus, calves fed first colostrum with a delay of 24-25 h after birth were able to compensate rapidly for nutritional deficiencies on day 1 of life, i.e. there was no evidence for permanent imprinting of haematological, metabolic and of endocrine traits by starvation on the first day of life.
authors.affiliation: Division of Nutritional Pathology, Faculty of Veterinary Medicine, University of Berne, Berne, Switzerland.
authors.forename: I A
authors.initials: IA
authors.lastname: Zanker
authors.forename: H M
authors.initials: HM
authors.lastname: Hammon
authors.forename: J W
authors.initials: JW
authors.lastname: Blum
mesh_terms: D000821:Animal Feed; D000824:Animal Nutritional Physiological Phenomena; D000818:Animals; D000833:Animals, Suckling / Q000097:blood / Q000254:growth & development / Q000502:physiology*; D001798:Blood Proteins / Q000378:metabolism*; D001835:Body Weight / Q000502:physiology; D002417:Cattle / Q000097:blood / Q000254:growth & development / Q000502:physiology*; D003126:Colostrum / Q000276:immunology / Q000378:metabolism / Q000502:physiology*; D005230:Fatty Acids, Nonesterified / Q000097:blood; D006403:Hematologic Tests / Q000662:veterinary; D007334:Insulin-Like Growth Factor I / Q000378:metabolism*; D008297:Male; D013997:Time Factors
chemical_list: D001798:Blood Proteins; D005230:Fatty Acids, Nonesterified; D007334:Insulin-Like Growth Factor I