| 摘要 |
A step-down sucking method is provided for minimizing the weaning stress of newborn calves. The method features feeding newborn calves with a sufficient amount of milk corresponding to 15-25% of body weight for 3~5 weeks following birth, and then with a stepwise decreased amount of milk corresponding finally to 8-15% of body weight for 3-7 days, with the differential amount replaced with water and then with gradually decreased amounts of milk from 8-15% to zero % of the body weight and with solid feedstuffs for a period from 5 weeks to 6-8 weeks after birth. In the method, suckling with a large amount of milk (amounting to 15-25% of body weight) is conducted for 25-35 days after birth, followed by suckling with a decreased amount of milk (amounting to 8-15% of body weight) for 10-20 days, thereby inducing the calves to maximally take solid feedstuff with minimal weaning stress. The method exhibits data quite different from the report that there is no difference in the body weight of calves raised for 180 or 200 days after birth between a conventional suckling method, in which milk is fed at an amount of 10% of body weight, and a free-access method. When fed according to the step-down suckling method, calves were observed to increase in the intake of dry feedstuff by 31% or greater until 50 days after birth and by 16% or greater until 120 days after birth, as compared to when fed according to a conventional method. In addition, the weight gain of the calves fed according to the method of the present invention was found to increase by 75% until 50 days after birth and by 54% until 120 days after birth, compared to that of calves fed according to a conventional method.
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