Open Access. Powered by Scholars. Published by Universities.®
Articles 1 - 1 of 1
Full-Text Articles in Dairy Science
Effect Of Direct-Fed Microbials And Enzyme Supplementation In Prepartum Holstein Cows On Colostrum And Calf Immunity, Erin M. Shangraw
Effect Of Direct-Fed Microbials And Enzyme Supplementation In Prepartum Holstein Cows On Colostrum And Calf Immunity, Erin M. Shangraw
Honors Theses and Capstones
In cows, colostrum is composed of several antibodies and nutrients to provide immunity and energy to the calf. Feeding calves high quality colostrum has been shown to improve calf health, leading to reduced mortality in calves and greater milk production in cows. The addition of direct-fed microbials (DFM) to cow diets has been theorized to improve feed efficiency and milk production, with studies showing mixed results. However, few experiments have studied the effect of feeding DFM on colostrum quality. In this experiment two treatments were given, 1) DFM and 2) DFM and enzymes (DFME). Colostrum was …