Influence of Probiotic Strains <i>Bifidobacterium</i>, <i>Lactobacillus</i>, and <i>Enterococcus</i> on the Health Status and Weight Gain of Calves, and the Utilization of Nitrogenous Compounds
Luboš Zábranský,
Anna Poborská,
Branislav Gálik,
Miloslav Šoch,
Petr Brož,
Martin Kantor,
Naděžda Kernerová,
Ivan Řezáč,
Michal Rolinec,
Ondrej Hanušovský,
Ladislav Strnad,
Nikola Havrdová
Affiliations
Luboš Zábranský
Department of Zootechnical Sciences, Faculty of Agriculture and Technology, University of South Bohemia in České Budějovice, Studentská 1668, 370 05 České Budějovice, Czech Republic
Anna Poborská
Department of Zootechnical Sciences, Faculty of Agriculture and Technology, University of South Bohemia in České Budějovice, Studentská 1668, 370 05 České Budějovice, Czech Republic
Branislav Gálik
Faculty of Agrobiology and Food Resources, Institute of Nutrition and Genomics, Slovak University of Agriculture in Nitra, Trieda A. Hlinku 2, 949 76 Nitra, Slovakia
Miloslav Šoch
Department of Zootechnical Sciences, Faculty of Agriculture and Technology, University of South Bohemia in České Budějovice, Studentská 1668, 370 05 České Budějovice, Czech Republic
Petr Brož
Department of Zootechnical Sciences, Faculty of Agriculture and Technology, University of South Bohemia in České Budějovice, Studentská 1668, 370 05 České Budějovice, Czech Republic
Martin Kantor
Department of Zootechnical Sciences, Faculty of Agriculture and Technology, University of South Bohemia in České Budějovice, Studentská 1668, 370 05 České Budějovice, Czech Republic
Naděžda Kernerová
Department of Zootechnical Sciences, Faculty of Agriculture and Technology, University of South Bohemia in České Budějovice, Studentská 1668, 370 05 České Budějovice, Czech Republic
Ivan Řezáč
Department of Zootechnical Sciences, Faculty of Agriculture and Technology, University of South Bohemia in České Budějovice, Studentská 1668, 370 05 České Budějovice, Czech Republic
Michal Rolinec
Faculty of Agrobiology and Food Resources, Institute of Nutrition and Genomics, Slovak University of Agriculture in Nitra, Trieda A. Hlinku 2, 949 76 Nitra, Slovakia
Ondrej Hanušovský
Faculty of Agrobiology and Food Resources, Institute of Nutrition and Genomics, Slovak University of Agriculture in Nitra, Trieda A. Hlinku 2, 949 76 Nitra, Slovakia
Ladislav Strnad
Department of Zootechnical Sciences, Faculty of Agriculture and Technology, University of South Bohemia in České Budějovice, Studentská 1668, 370 05 České Budějovice, Czech Republic
Nikola Havrdová
Department of Zootechnical Sciences, Faculty of Agriculture and Technology, University of South Bohemia in České Budějovice, Studentská 1668, 370 05 České Budějovice, Czech Republic
The aim of this study was to monitor the effect of Bifidobacterium bifidum (BB) and the combination of Lactobacillus sporogenes, Enterococcus faecium, and Bifidobacterium bifidum (LEB) on the health status and weight gain of calves, and the utilisation of nitrogenous substances. The experiment was performed in the period from April 2020 to September 2020. A total of 90 Holstein heifers, which were one to 56 days old, were used as experimental animals. Differences in live weight gain were significant if we compared the LEB vs. BB group and the LEB vs. C, the control group (86.23 ± 5.49 kg vs. 84.72 ± 6.22 kg, p p p p = 0.1957). The administration of feed additives had no statistically significant effect on the amount of N excreted in the feces. The values of hematological and biochemical parameters were unaffected except for the first sampling of urea. Other blood parameters were not affected by the addition of probiotic feed additives. The bacterial populations in the feces 5 days and 56 days after birth were not affected by the inclusion of feed additives.
