Differences in the fecal microbiota of dairy calves reared with differing sources of milk and levels of maternal contact.

ABSTRACT: The practice of rearing cows and calves together is gaining popularity on dairy farms, with different systems currently under assessment in mainland Europe, the United Kingdom, and Oceania. Research into the effects of cow-calf rearing has primarily focused on direct health and welfare implications, and little work has examined the role of different rearing paradigms on calf microbiota. We trialed a cow-calf rearing system on a Canadian dairy farm and compared fecal microbiota of these calves with the microbiota of calves reared according to the conventional practice of the same farm (separated from the dam and fed waste milk). At 4 wk, the conventionally reared calves had reduced relative abundance of Lactobacillus and higher relative abundance of other taxa, including Sutterell

SUBMITTER: Beaver A 

PROVIDER: S-EPMC9623638 | biostudies-literature | 2021 Jul

REPOSITORIES: biostudies-literature