Netherlands: Production and longevity of dairy cows are associated with nutrition in the lactation phase

Research conducted in the Netherlands has shown that there is a direct correlation between the volume of milk fed to calves and their performance and metabolism. “The well-fed females in the lactation phase produce more milk and are longer-lived than those that received the food in a restrictive way”, explains Leonel Leal, researcher at Trouw Nutrition. Eighty-six Holstein heifers, divided into two groups, participated in the experiment. They received the same volume of colostrum, had free access to water and, from the fourth day, to starter concentrate and hay. The only difference was the volume of milk replacer supplied – while the control group received 4 liters per day, the LifeStart group received 8 liters. All the calves were weaned at 56 days, explains the animal nutrition researcher. The calves submitted to the high feeding plan (LifeStart) showed higher average daily gain, with a 10.5 kg weight difference at weaning. All were transferred to shared housing at 70 days and, ...