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Main page > Research and Trials > Ruminants > Trials with calves and goat kids
Progut® in the feeding of young goats. Trial conducted at University of Helsinki 2005 The aim of the study was to investigate the effect of Progut® on the performance of young goats. Materials and Methods The trial was performed in an experimental herd of Finnish landrace goats at The University of Helsinki. Twenty-three does pregnant from three bocks were selected for the experiment. At weaning the goat kids were divided into two groups, Progut (P) and control (C), in order of birth, males and females separately. Therefore, 20 kids (11 females and 9 males) were involved in group C and 18 kids (10 females and 8 males) in group P. All bocks were represented as sires in both groups with about the same ratio. The birth weights of female and male kids were 2580+-311 and 3049+-395 g in group P and 2628+-311 and 2859+-180 g in group C respectively. The kids were fed with doe milk three times per day. The milk was offered ad libitum and the volume was adjusted so that it never ran out. On average the kids drank 1800 ml of milk per day. The milk offered to group P was supplemented with Progut® , 0,2 ml/l carefully mixed by a machine. Hay and concentrate were offered ad libitum. The concentrate had the same basic recipe either without (group C) or with (0,2 %) addition of Progut® (group P). The kids were weighed at 21 and 56 days. Results Goat kids fed with milk and concentrate containing Progut® had higher average daily gains throughout the trial than goat kids in the control group (figure 1). The differences in the growth were statistically significant from 0 to 3 weeks (p=0,008), from 4 to 8 weeks (0,012) and during the whole trial period from 0 to 8 weeks (p=0,007). During the whole trial period the difference in the gain was 9,2 % with female goat kids and 12,9 % with male goat kids. Table. Weight gain of goat kids
Conclusions The addition of Progut® in milk and starter feed resulted in significantly improved growth of young goats.
Calf trial at University of Wales Objective The purpose of the trial was to study the effect of Progut® Farm on the health and performance of calves. Progut® Farm is a farm premix of Progut® containing 10 % of the actual ingredient. Materials and methods The trial was conducted at Coleg Meirion-Dwyfor, Glynllifon Farm based in North-Wales and it was controlled by the University of Wales, Bangor. The trial consisted of two groups of calves, a control group and a Progut® Farm group. There were 10 calves in the control and 14 in the Progut® Farm group. All the calves received colostrum as shortly after birth as possible and they were fed the same amount of milk at 2.5 litres twice each day until weaning. From the first week after birth the calves were offered a standard calf starter feed ad libitum. Progut® Farm was added at 2 g/litre (0.2 g/litre of Progut®) to the milk for the trial group calves. It was also added at 2% (0.2 % of Progut®) to the starter feed for the trial group calves until weaning at six weeks of age. The control group calves received the same feeds without Progut® Farm addition. After weaning both groups were fed with the same standard feeds without Progut Farm. The calves were weaned at six weeks of age and they were weighed individually at birth, two weeks, four weeks, six weeks and eight weeks of age. Calf mortality, diarrhoea and any ill-health were to be recorded. Results The average birth weight of the Progut® Farm group calves 43.9 kg was remarkably lower than the control 48.7 kg (figure 1). Despite of the lower birth weight the Progut® Farm group calves were growing better than the control and they were already heavier at the end of the trial (78.6 vs. 75.8 kg). Progut® Farm group calves grew remarkably better than the control (+104 g/d) from birth to weaning (figure 2). The growth advantage of the Progut Farm group was not noticeable up to the two week stage but by the four and six week stage the difference became significant (figure 3). The better growth of the trial group calves continued after weaning although Progut Farm was withdrawn from the feed at weaning. The difference in the average daily gain between 6 and 8 weeks was 235 grams (figure 2). Figure 1. The weight development of the calves
Figure 2. Average daily live weight gain of the calves
Figure 3. Average daily live weight gains of the calves in different stages of the trial period
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