Effectiveness of different feeding schemes of calves in dairy period

The aim of the study was to determine the effectiveness of the use of Calf Milk Replacers "Groulak" and "Formulak-16" compared to the traditional feeding scheme for youngsters. The research was carried out in the production conditions of LLC "Druzhba," Zheleznogorsk district of the Kursk region. Eighteen young Golstein heifers were selected for the research, taking into account the origin, date of birth and body weight. Before the age of 10 days old, the calves were fed with the milk of their mother cows, after that they were divided into 3 groups according to the principle of pairs-analogues. Bulk and concentrated feeds were introduced into all three groups of animals at the same time in the equal volume. The difference between the groups were that the first group of calves was stuck to the diet with the use of whole milk, the diet of the second group contained Calf Milk Replacer "Groulak", the diet of the third group contained using Calf Milk Replacer " Formulak-16". The study has proved that the use of Calf Milk Replacer in feeding calves does not affect their growth rates negatively. By the age of 3 months old, the daily live weight gain of the second experimental group of calves, who were fed with Calf Milk Replacer "Groulak" was higher by 1.6%, in the third experimental group, who received Calf Milk Replacer "Formulak-16", - by 1.4% compared to the calves of the control group, whose diet included whole milk. The costs per 1 kg of the live weight gain of calves up to 3 months old fed with Calf Milk Replacer "Groulak" are lower by 23.3%, with "Formulak-16" it is lower by 32.5% compared to the whole milk.