The present study was conducted to investigate effects of feeding concentrate on development of intestinal tract and composition of muscle in suckling Hanwoo calves before weaning(60 days of age). Twenty-four Hanwoo calves(12 heifers and 12 bulls) at ...
The present study was conducted to investigate effects of feeding concentrate on development of intestinal tract and composition of muscle in suckling Hanwoo calves before weaning(60 days of age). Twenty-four Hanwoo calves(12 heifers and 12 bulls) at six days of age were randomly assigned to one of three dietary treatments[hay and two levels(low and high) of concentrate feeding] and given each diet with free access to their dams for suckling until 60 days of age. At 60 days of age, two calves from each treatment were used for post-mortem examination of intestine development and chemical analysis of muscle. Feed intake between 31 and 60 days of age was significantly(P<0.05) higher for the high concentrate treatment(532.4g/d) than for other treatments(78.9 and 108.9g/d for hay and low concentrate treatments, respectively). Although feed intake showed a large difference between the low and high concentrate treatments, body weights at birth and 60 days of age were similar between the treatments, suggesting that calves in the low concentrate feeding were supplied more milk from their dams than those in the high concentrate feeding. The ratio of intestine weight to body weight at 60 days of age was increased in the high concentrate(3.35%), compared with those in the hay(2.93%) and low concentrate(3.03%) treatments. The chemical composition of muscle in sirloin and hind leg was not affected by the treatments. In conclusions, the results of the present study showed that feeding concentrate to Hanwoo calves before weaning might stimulate intestine development relative to feeding hay.