The Nutritive Value of Colostrum for the Calf

Many workers in the United States have demonstrated the beneficial effect of certain antibiotics, particularly aureomycin (chlortetracycline) and (oxytetracycline terramycin), on the growth and well-being of the young calf.One of the first reports was from Loosli & Wallace (1950) at Cornell, who studied the performance of calves given crystalline aureomycin or Aurofac (Lederle Laboratories Inc.) as a supplement to a diet of whole milk or to a milk-substitute diet that replaced the whole milk at 1-14 days of age.The calves, irrespective of the basal diet, grew significantly better than unsupplemented control animals, and the incidence of scouring was reduced.At Kansas, Rartley, Fountaine & Atkeson (1950) gave (as Aurofac) 15 mg aureomycin!IOO Ib. live weight to calves reared on whole milk until the 21st day and on skim milk thereafter.In 42 days the treated calves gained an average of 308 lb., whereas the control calves gained 18.0 lb.only, the incidence of scouring being much lower in the treated animals.T h e growth rate of the controls was, however, subnormal, being well below the Ragsdale (1934) standard weight gain attained by the calves given aureomycin.In the following year, many United States research stations reported on the value of aureomycin for the calf.Jacobson, Kaffetzakis & Murley (1951) gave 80 mg crystalline aureomycin/day to calves reared on whole milk.By the end of the 1st month, the supplemented calves weighed 9 Ib.more than the controls.Bartley, Wheatcroft, Claydon, Fountaine & Parrish (195 I), using Aurofac at two levels, 3 and 9 g/Ioo Ib. live weight, found that, even when the growth rate of control animals was above the Ragsdale (1934) standard, supplemented calves grew significantly better in a 22-week period.T h e calves given Aurofac consumed 22% more concentrates than the controls, but there was no difference in the consumption of hay or in the efficiency of food utilization.Rusoff & Davis (1951) and Rusoff, Davis & Alford (1951) gave the first indication that calves of various breeds might respond differently to aureomycin.These workers supplemented an all-vegetable protein calf starter with 75-150 mg aureomycin/day either in crystalline form or as Aurofac, and found that, in 16 weeks, Jersey calves gained 25% more weight, whereas Holsteins For earlier publications in this series see Roy,