Effects of rumen-protected methionine or methionine analogs in starter on plasma metabolites, growth, and efficiency of Holstein calves from 14 to 91 d of age

During weaning, methionine (Met) supply decreases as liquid feed intake is reduced and ruminal function is developing. During this transition, the calf starter should both promote ruminal development and provide adequate nutrients post-ruminally. In mature ruminants, rumen-protected Met (RPM) and the Met analogs, 2-hydroxy-4-(methylthio)-butanoic acid (HMTBa) and HMTBa isopropyl ester (HMBi), are used to increase Met supply, stimulate ruminal fermentation, or exert both effects, respectively. To evaluate the effects of these forms of Met on calf performance during development of ruminal function, 74 Holstein calves were raised until 91 d of age, in 2 enrollment periods. Calves were individually housed from birth and, at 14 d of age, balanced for sex and randomly assigned to receive a starter with no added Met (CTRL, n = 20) or one supplemented with RPM (Smartamine M, Adisseo USA Inc., Alpharetta, GA; n = 16), HMTBa (RumenSmart, Adisseo; n = 19), or HMBi (MetaSmart, Adisseo; n = 19). Milk replacer [28% crude protein (CP), 15% fat] was offered up to 1.6 kg of dry matter (DM)/d and fed 3 times daily. Weaning was facilitated from d 49 to 63. The 4 starters (25% CP, 2.5 Mcal of metabolizable energy/kg of DM) were offered ad libitum, and supplement inclusion was set to provide an additional 0.16% DM of Met equivalents, and equal amounts of HMTBa within the analogs. Body weight and stature were measured, and blood was collected and analyzed for plasma urea nitrogen, β-hydroxybutyrate, and free AA on a weekly basis. Supplementation of RPM and HMBi increased free plasma Met, but no differences in growth or feed efficiency compared with calves fed the CTRL starter could be attributed to the additional Met supply alone. The addition of HMBi in the starter increased feed intake and body weight during the last weeks of the experiment. On the contrary, HMTBa failed to increase plasma Met and depressed intake and growth after weaning, likely because the level included in the diet was too high and intake was greater than previous studies, exacerbating the level of HMTBa ingested. No differences were observed in stature, feed efficiency, or non-AA plasma measurements among groups. These results demonstrate that RPM and HMBi are effective sources of metabolizable Met; however, Met was apparently not limiting calves fed the basal diet in this study. The increased feed intake observed with the inclusion of HMBi in the starter during the weaning and early postweaning period might be mediated by its metabolism in the rumen, and further research is needed to determine the mechanisms involved.