Filled Milks for Dairy Calves. II. Comparative Effects of Various Types of Soybean Oils and of Butter Oil on Health, Growth and Certain Blood Constituents

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Abstract
Three types of soybean oils, crude, refined and hydrogenated, were compared with butter oil as components of reconstituted milk rations for dairy calves during the period from 4 to 60 days of age. The respective milks, supplemented with a mineral mixture and vitamins A and D, were fed to four comparable groups of calves. The incidence of scouring was lowest for calves fed butter oil, followed in order by the groups receiving, respectively, hydrogenated, refined and crude soybean oils. The mean wt. gains of the groups of calves fed the 2 former oils were similar and were greater than the mean gains of the calves receiving the 2 latter oils, although the differences were not significant statistically. There were no statistically significant differences in the mean hemoglobin levels, the mean plasma vitamin A values or the mean plasma carotene concentrations among the various groups of calves. Mean blood plasma fat levels for the calves fed butter oil were significantly higher than those of the group fed hydrogenated soybean oil but were significantly lower than the mean values of the other 2 groups.