Summary
Dietary organic acid and plant botanical supplementation is common practice in swine and poultry production, and science now suggests that we consider the practice in young dairy cattle. The justification is the consistent ability of OA/PB feeding to enhance growth, intestinal functionality, and reduce gastrointestinal bacterial pathogens. This said, microencapsulation of OA/PB to avoid rumen degradation of these compounds is likely needed in dairy cattle to elicit benefits in the lower gut. Our findings in Holstein calves are early evidence that dietary microencapsulated OA/PB feeding is a means to partially restore feed intake and average daily gain post-weaning when challenged by heat exposure. On-going investigations are examining whether dietary OA/PB influences the gastrointestinal bacteria profile in relation to changes growth performance.For more information: marketing@vetagro.comRead the full article here.