The effect of environmental temperature on the performance and health of the pre-ruminant and ruminant calf

Abstract

1. Eighty bull calves, comprising forty-eight ayrshire and sixteen each of the Friesian and Jersey breeds, were used in a randomized block experiment. Forty calves were maintainted at a mean environmental temperature of 21° and forty at 14·5°. Within each temperature, twenty calves were reared from birth on a liquid milk substitute diet (pre-ruminant calves) and twenty were weaned at 35 d of age on to dry food (ruminant calves). Each type of diet was gien either ad lib. or at a restricted level. The calves were slaughtered at about 100 d of age.2. The incidence of a high rectal temperature (> 39·39°) was greater for the pre-ruminant than for the ruminant calves during the first 14 d of life and throughout the whole experimental period, and was higher for calves at an enviromental temperature of 21° than for thosekept at 14·5°. During the experimental period as a whole, but not during the first 14 d of life, the incidence of diarrhoea was greater for the pre-ruminant calves. Mean rectal temperature was higher for the pre-ruminant calves and also higher for the calves reared at the high environmental temperature.3. The incidence of lung lesions at slaughter was significantly higher in the ruminant than in the pre-ruminant calves, and tended to be higher at the high environmental temperature. There was a highly significant positive relationship between severity of lung lesions and incidence of a high rectal temperature (> 39·33°) and mean rectal temperature. Jersey and Friesian calves, but not Ayrshire calves, showed increased severity of lung lesions with increasing relative humidity at the low environmental temperature. When the results at the 'high' environmentaltemperature were combined with those obtained in an earlier experiment, the severity of lung lesiogs for Jersey and Friesian calves increased with decreasing relative humidity. At the ‘high’ but not at the ‘low’ temperature, severity of lung lesions was inversely related to skin weight/kgO·73.4. Live-weight gain was much lower for the ruminant calves, but was unaffected by environ-mental temperature. Daily dry-matter intake from liquid diets given ad lib. did not differ be-tween breeds at the same live weight. In contrast, daily dry-matter intake from dry food given ad lib. was greatest for the Jersey and lowest for the Friesian at the same live weight. The same daily dry-matter intake from liquid as from dry diets was achieved at similar percentages of mature weight for the three breeds. Relative weight gain within type of diet was similar for Jersey and Ayrshire calves, but tended to be higher for the Friesian calves.5. Carcassweight, carcass weight0·73, perirenal fat deposition, skin weight and killing out percentage were much lower for the ruminant calves. When adjusted for differences between treatment means for carcass weight0·73, perirenal fat deposition was greater at the ad lib. levels of intake and was 36% greater for pre-ruminant calves given milk substitute ad lib. at an environmental temperature of 21° than for those maintained at 14·5°.6. It is concluded that there is no advantage to be gained from rearing calves at an environ mental temperature above 14·5°, unless increased fat deposition is required in veal calves.