Studies on Growth and Survival of Calves Fed Semi-Synthetic Milks from Birth

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Abstract
A semi-synthetic milk coagulable by rennet was developed and found to be nutritionally adequate for colostrum-free calves when streptomycin was administered. Fat could be fed with this milk without adverse effect. Butter oil emulsified with soy lecithin in a Waring blendor gave better growth results than cottonseed oil similarly dispersed. However, an excellent response to cottonseed oil was observed when the oil was thoroughly homogenized with an aqueous suspension of soya lecithin before addition to the milk. The distribution of blood serum proteins of animals fed the rennet coagulable synthetic milk was similar to that observed in colostrum-free calves fed skimmilk. A synthetic milk in which the Ca and Na balance was altered to prevent rennet action produced severe diarrhea among newborn calves. This milk was a satisfactory diet for older animals. This fact offers evidence for a delayed development of pepsin-HCl digestion function in the calf.