Use of pre-starter combined feeds "Cargill" and "Delta feeds" in the diets of calves

Insufficient and unbalanced feeding of calves is accompanied by growth retardation of young animals, animals are more often exposed to various kinds of diseases. In this regard, in recent years, pre-starter and starter compound feeds, balanced in all nutrients, have been increasingly used in the diets of calves. The aim of research is to study the effect of prestarter compound feeds of various manufacturers on the growth rates of dairy calves. The objectives are to study the dynamics of the live weight of calves, their absolute and average daily increment, blood biochemical parameters and to determine the safety of young animals. The scientific and economic experience was carried out in LLC "Celinnoe" of the Shirinsky District of the Republic of Khakassia on calves of the Simmental breed. Two groups were formed (n = 30 animals): the first received “Cargill” pre-starter feed, the second - “Delta Feeds” pre-starter feed. It was found that the use of prestarter granulated feed in feeding calves of the dairy period made it possible to quickly accustom them to eating concentrated feed and to obtain an average daily increment of 828-890 g, to ensure 100 % safety of calves. In the group of calves receiving pre-starter compound feed “Cargill” from the manufacturer “Provimi” (Moscow), the average daily increment was 62 g (7.0 %) higher compared to calves receiving pre-starter compound feed “Delta Feeds” from the manufacturer “BioPro" (Novosibirsk city). The study of the blood biochemical parameters of experimental calves showed that during the experiment, the content of total protein in the blood increased by 1.8-2.2 times, calcium by 21.8-29.2 %, cholesterol by 14.4-43.8 %, and these indicators returned to normal. We recommend using pre-starter compound feed "Cargill" and "Delta Feeds" in the diets of dairy calves to obtain high weight increment and improve their health.