Growth performance and development of internal organ, and gastrointestinal tract of calf supplementation with calcium propionate at various stages of growth period

Effects of Chromium Propionate and Calcium Propionate on Lactation Performance and Rumen Microbiota in Postpartum Heat-Stressed Holstein Dairy Cows

Chromium propionate (Cr-Pro) and calcium propionate (Ca-Pro) are widely applied in dairy production, especially in the alleviation of heat stress (HS). HS can reduce the abundance of rumen microbiota and the lactation performance of dairy cows. The present work mainly focused on evaluating the effects of Cr-Pro and Ca-Pro on the performance, ruminal bacterial community, and stress of postpartum HS dairy cows as well as identifying the differences in their mechanisms. Fifteen multiparous postpartum Holstein cows with equivalent weights (694 ± 28 kg) and milk yields (41.2 ± 1.21 kg/day) were randomly divided into three groups: control (CON), Cr-Pro (CRPR), and Ca-Pro (CAPR). The control cows received the basal total mixed ration (TMR) diet, while the CRPR group received TMR with 3.13 g/day of Cr-Pro, and the CAPR group received TMR with 200 g/day of Ca-Pro. The rumen microbial 16S rRNA was sequenced using the Illumina NovaSeq platform along with the measurement of ruminal volatile fatty acids (VFAs) and milking performance. Cr-Pro and Ca-Pro improved lactation performance, increased the rumen VFA concentration, and altered the rumen microbiota of the HS dairy cows. Cr-Pro significantly improved the milk yield (p < 0.01). The richness and diversity of the microbial species significantly increased after feeding on Ca-Pro (p < 0.05). Gene function prediction revealed increased metabolic pathways and biological-synthesis-related function in the groups supplemented with Cr-Pro and Ca-Pro. Our results indicate that the application of Cr-Pro or Ca-Pro can provide relief for heat stress in dairy cows through different mechanisms, and a combination of both is recommended for optimal results in production.

Effects of substituting noug seed cake with pigeon pea leaves or desmodium hay on performance of male dairy calves

This experiment was conducted to evaluate the effects of substituting 50% of noug seed cake (NSC) in a concentrate mixture with pigeon pea leaves (PPL) or desmodium hay (DH) on feed intake, digestibility, body weight gain, carcass composition, and meat quality of crossbred male dairy calves. Twenty-seven male dairy calves at 7-8 months of age with an average initial body weight of 150 ± 31 kg (mean ± SD) were assigned to 3 treatments in a randomized complete block design with 9 replications. Calves were blocked based on their initial body weight and assigned to the 3 treatments. All calves were fed native pasture hay ad libitum (at ⁓10% refusal) supplemented with a concentrate containing 24% NSC (treatment 1) or supplemented with a concentrate where 50% of NSC was replaced with PPL (treatment 2) or a concentrate where 50% of NSC was replaced with DH (treatment 3). Feed and nutrient intake, apparent nutrient digestibility, body weight gain, feed conversion ratio, carcass composition, and meat quality (except texture) were similar (P > 0.05) among treatments. Treatments 2 and 3 had more (P < 0.05) tender loin and rib meat than treatment 1. It can be concluded that 50% of NSC in the concentrate mixture can be replaced with either PPL or DH in growing male crossbred dairy calves to achieve similar growth performance and carcass characteristics. Since the substitution of 50% NSC either with PPL or DH resulted in similar outcomes in almost all responses measured, it is recommended to evaluate the complete substitution of NSC either with PPL or DH on the performance of calves.

Effect of propionate, monensin, and saccharomyces cerevisiae or their combination on production and rumen fermentation of holstein steers

This study aimed to evaluate the effects of calcium propionate (PrCa), PrCa + monensin sodium (PrCa + Mon), and PrCa + Saccharomyces cerevisiae (PrCa + Sc) on the productive performance of Holstein steers. Twenty-four Holstein steers (270.0 ± 25.85 kg) were distributed individually into four treatments of six replicates. The treatments were control (no additives), PrCa (10 g/kg), PrCa + Mon (10 g/kg + 30 mg/kg), and PrCa + Sc (10 g/kg + 12.8 × 10⁹ cfu). The steers were fed for 43 days, and afterwards, nutrient intake and digestibility as well as volatile fatty acids were determined, while the weight gained, feed efficiency, and CH₄ production were calculated. Diet of PrCa + Sc had the highest (P < 0.0001) acid detergent fiber intake and propionate acid as well as the nutrient digestibility, with lowest (P < 0.0001) rumen acetic acid, methane, and protozoa concentration versus other diets. In conclusion, dietary inclusion of PrCa + Sc (10 g/kg + 12.8 × 10⁹ cfu) improved nutrient digestibility, rumen fermentation, and reduced methane emission, thereby enhancing the possibility of ecofriendly ruminant farming.

Evaluating Ruminal and Small Intestinal Morphology and Microbiota Composition of Calves Fed a Macleaya cordata Extract Preparation

The objective was to determine the impact of feeding MCE on ruminal and intestinal morphology and microbiota composition of calves. A total of 10 male and 10 female crossbred (dairy × beef) calves (6 d of age) were assigned randomly to control (CTL; n = 10) or MCE-supplemented (TRT; n = 10) groups. The MCE was fed in the milk replacer and top-dressed on the calf starter during pre-weaning (6 to 49 d) and post-weaning (50 to 95 d) periods, respectively. Calves were slaughtered at 95 d to collect rumen and intestinal samples to determine volatile fatty acid (VFA) profile, mucosal morphology, and microbiota composition. The effects of MCE were analyzed by accounting for the sex and breed effects. Feeding MCE increased rumen papillae length (p = 0.010) and intestinal villus height: crypt depth (p < 0.030) compared to CTL but did not affect rumen VFA profile. The TRT had a negligible impact on microbial community composition in both the rumen and the jejunum. In conclusion, feeding MCE from birth through weaning can improve ruminal and small intestinal mucosa development of calves despite the negligible microbiota composition changes observed post-weaning.

Calcium Propionate Supplementation Has Minor Effects on Major Ruminal Bacterial Community Composition of Early Lactation Dairy Cows

Calcium propionate is one kind of good source for preventing and treating hypocalcemia and ketosis for dairy cows in early lactation. However, little is known about the effects of different feeding levels of calcium propionate on the ruminal bacterial community of early lactation dairy cows. This study aimed to explore the effects of different calcium propionate feeding levels on the ruminal fermentation and bacterial community composition of early lactation dairy cows. Twenty-four multiparous cows were randomly allocated into control (CON), low calcium propionate (LCaP), medium calcium propionate (MCaP), and high calcium propionate (HCaP) groups with six cows per group after calving. The CON group cows were fed the normal total mixed ration (TMR), and the cows of the LCaP, MCaP, and HCaP groups were fed TMR supplemented with 200, 350, and 500 g/day calcium propionate for 35 days after calving, respectively. The rumen fermentation parameters were measured every week, and the ruminal bacterial community composition of the last week was analyzed by 16S rRNA gene sequencing. Under the same diet, the rumen pH showed no difference among the four groups, but the content of microbial crude protein (MCP) and ammonia nitrogen quadratically decreased and linearly increased with calcium propionate supplementation, respectively. The feeding of calcium propionate linearly increased the concentrations of total volatile fatty acid (VFA), acetate, propionate, butyrate, iso-valerate, and valerate in the rumen. In all the treatment groups, Bacteroidetes, Firmicutes, and Proteobacteria were the dominant phyla, and Prevotella_1 and Succiniclasticum were the dominant genera in the rumen. Compared with the CON group, the addition of calcium propionate to the early lactation dairy cows quadratically improved the alpha diversity index of Chao1 estimator and observed species, but had little effect on the relative abundance of the major bacterial at phyla and genera level. These results suggested different levels of calcium propionate supplementation improved the rumen fermentation and the ruminal bacterial diversity but had little impact on the major ruminal bacterial community composition of dairy cows in early lactation.

Hepatic Injury Induced by Dietary Energy Level via Lipid Accumulation and Changed Metabolites in Growing Semi-Fine Wool Sheep

Liver injury threatens the overall health of an organism, as it is the core organ of the animal body. Liver metabolism is affected by numerous factors, with dietary energy level being a crucial one. Therefore, the present study aimed to evaluate hepatic injury and to describe its metabolic mechanism in ruminants fed diets with different dietary energy levels. A total of 25 Yunnan semi-fine wool sheep were fed diets with five dietary metabolic energy levels and were randomly assigned to five groups as follows: low energy (LE), medium–low energy (MLE), medium energy (ME), medium–high energy (MHE), and high energy (HE). The results revealed that the average optical density (AOD) of lipid droplets in the LE, MLE, and HE groups was higher than that in the ME and MHE groups. The enzyme activity of alanine aminotransferase (ALT) was the lowest in the ME group. An increase in dietary energy level promoted the superoxide dismutase (SOD) and glutathione peroxidase (GSH-Px) activity and altered the malondialdehyde (MDA) and protein carbonyl (PCO) concentration quadratically. In addition, both high and low dietary energy levels upregulated the mRNA abundance of proinflammatory cytokine interleukin (IL)-1β, nuclear factor-kappa B (NF-κB), and tumor necrosis factor (TNF)-α. Metabonomic analysis revealed that 142, 77, 65, and 108 differential metabolites were detected in the LE, MLE, MHE, and HE groups, compared with ME group respectively. These metabolites were involved in various biochemical pathways, such as glycolipid, bile acid, and lipid metabolism. In conclusion, both high and low dietary energy levels caused hepatic injury. Section staining and metabonomic results revealed that hepatic injury might be caused by altered metabolism and lipid accumulation induced by lipid mobilization.

Research on the Applications of Calcium Propionate in Dairy Cows: A Review

Calcium propionate is a safe and reliable food and feed additive. It can be metabolized and absorbed by humans and animals as a precursor for glucose synthesis. In addition, calcium propionate provides essential calcium to mammals. In the perinatal period of dairy cows, many cows cannot adjust to the tremendous metabolic, endocrine, and physiological changes, resulting in ketosis and fatty liver due to a negative energy balance (NEB) or milk fever induced by hypocalcemia. On hot weather days, cow feed (TMR or silage) is susceptible to mildew, which produces mycotoxins. These two issues are closely related to dairy health and performance. Perinatal period metabolic disease significantly reduces cow production and increases the elimination rate because it causes major glucose and calcium deficiencies. Feeding a diet contaminated with mycotoxin leads to rumen metabolic disorders, a reduced reproductive rate (increased abortion rate), an increased number of milk somatic cells, and decreased milk production, as well as an increased occurrence of mastitis and hoof disease. Propionic acid is the primary gluconeogenic precursor in dairy cows and one of the safest mold inhibitors. Therefore, calcium propionate, which can be hydrolyzed into propionic acid and Ca2+ in the rumen, may be a good feed additive for alleviating NEB and milk fever in the perinatal period of dairy cows. It can also be used to inhibit TMR or silage deterioration in hot weather and regulate rumen development in calves. This paper reviews the application of calcium propionate in dairy cows.

Calcium propionate supplementation alters the ruminal bacterial and archaeal communities in pre- and postweaning calves

The aim of this study was to determine the effect of calcium propionate (CaP) on rumen microbiota, fermentation indicators, and weight gain in calves both pre- and postweaning. Twenty-four newborn calves were randomly divided into 4 groups (2 × 2 factorial treatment arrangement): either pre- (90 d) or postweaning (160 d), and either without or with dietary CaP supplementation (5% dry matter). The CaP supplementation increased the body weight and rumen weight of the calves and lowered NH₃-N concentration in the rumen. Microbiota composition was characterized by sequencing the amplicons of the bacterial and archaeal 16S rRNA genes. The CaP supplementation decreased the relative abundance of the phylum Bacteroidetes but tended to increase that of Proteobacteria. In addition, CaP supplementation decreased the diversity of bacteria and archaea in the rumen compared with the calves fed the control diet. Linear discriminant analysis of the rumen microbiota revealed that Succinivibrionaceae and Methanobrevibacter were enriched in the CaP group postweaning. A correlation was also present between the acetate to propionate ratio and the species that acted as co-occurrence network hubs, including Succiniclasticum, Treponema, and Megasphaera. In conclusion, CaP supplementation can improve body weight gain and rumen growth and alter the ruminal microbiota in calves both pre- and postweaning.