Evaluation of nutrition models for dairy calves

What is it about?

The development of an accurate calf model has been challenging because several factors affect growth such as breed, colostrum and feeding programs, facilities and environmental conditions. Because of the conventional feeding system (e.g., four liters per calf at each of two daily feedings) and tropical conditions, the animals evaluated in this study showed poor weight gains. The low energy to protein ratio likely reduced calf growth rates. Currently available calf models can be used to predict calf growth during pre-weaning phase in tropical conditions, but with low precision.

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