Effect of Addition of a Mixture of Ethyl Esters of Polyunsaturated Fatty Acid of Linseed Oil to Liquid Feed on Performance and Health of Dairy Calves

Abstract

This study aimed to determine the effect of supplementing liquid feeds with a mixture of ethyl esters of polyunsaturated fatty acid of linseed oil (EEPUFA; α-linolenic acid—64.5%, linoleic acid—16.1%, and oleic acid—19.4%) on feed intake, body weight gain, feed efficiency, and health of dairy calves. Thirty-six healthy female Holstein–Friesian calves (7 d of age, 41.2 ± 4.0 kg) were assigned to one of two treatment groups (18 calves per group), i.e., control or EEPUFA, and fed liquid feed (whole milk (WM) or milk replacer (MR)) either without or with 10 mL/d of EEPUFA supplementation, respectively, for 56 days (till 63 d of age). Average daily intake of WM and MR was similar between treatments (p = 0.94). Average daily total DM intake and average daily starter feed DM intake were higher for the EEPUFA group (p = 0.05 and p = 0.01, respectively). The average daily body weight gain was also higher for the EEPUFA group (55 g/d; p = 0.03), although final body weight turned out not to be significantly different between groups (75.6 kg vs. 79.0 kg, control vs. EEPUFA, respectively; p = 0.20). Supplementation of liquid feeds with EEPUFA did not affect feed efficiency (p = 0.37) and most of investigated health parameters. However, the percentage of days with diarrhea relative to the number of days receiving treatment was higher in the control group than the EEPUFA group (76 vs. 42, respectively; p = 0.04). Although the results of this preliminary study are promising, further research is needed to establish the dose effect of EEPUFA on the performance and health of calves.

Keywords

• animal nutrition
• immunity
• growth
• cattle
• omega-3 fatty acids