Effects of psyllium in milk replacers for neonatal dairy calves
type: CreativeWork
description: Psyllium has been shown to exert beneficial effects on intestinal health and function in several non-ruminant species. The effects of psyllium inclusion in milk replacers for neonatal dairy calves have been minimally researched. The purpose of my research was to determine the impact of psyllium inclusion in milk replacer on feed intake, water intake, growth, illness, digesta viscosity, rate of passage, nutrient digestibilities, blood components, VFA concentrations and microbial populations throughout the gastrointestinal tract, size and scale of gastrointestinal tissues, ion transport measures, and histomorphological development in the gastrointestinal tract in neonatal dairy calves. Male Holstein calves, less than 36 h of age, were purchased for this trial. Calves were blocked by pairs and randomly assigned within pair to one of two dietary treatments. Treatments consisted of milk replacers (reconstituted to 12.5% DM and fed at a rate of 12% of BW) formulated to contain 22% protein and 20% fat either with (PSY) or without (CON) a 1.1% inclusion of psyllium. Pairs of calves were harvested at wk 1, 2, 3, and 4 for analysis. Feed intake (DM, protein, and metabolizable energy), water intake, growth, and illness did not differ between treatments. Digesta viscosity was increased in the abomasal and colon digesta for the PSY treatment. In addition, DM content of digesta from the proximal colon, distal colon, and feces was decreased for the PSY treatment. Apparent digestibility of DM was greater for the CON treatment. The predominant effect of psyllium inclusion in the milk replacer on VFA concentrations was in the lower gastrointestinal tract as indicated by the higher total VFA concentrations in the jejunum, proximal colon, and distal colon. Greater lower gut fermentation is logical because psyllium is a fiber that can be fermented by intestinal bacteria. Effects of inclusion of psyllium on bacterial counts were minimal. Size and scale of the gastrointestinal tract were …
abstract: Psyllium has been shown to exert beneficial effects on intestinal health and function in several non-ruminant species. The effects of psyllium inclusion in milk replacers for neonatal dairy calves have been minimally researched. The purpose of my research was to determine the impact of psyllium inclusion in milk replacer on feed intake, water intake, growth, illness, digesta viscosity, rate of passage, nutrient digestibilities, blood components, VFA concentrations and microbial populations throughout the gastrointestinal tract, size and scale of gastrointestinal tissues, ion transport measures, and histomorphological development in the gastrointestinal tract in neonatal dairy calves. Male Holstein calves, less than 36 h of age, were purchased for this trial. Calves were blocked by pairs and randomly assigned within pair to one of two dietary treatments. Treatments consisted of milk replacers (reconstituted to 12.5% DM and fed at a rate of 12% of BW) formulated to contain 22% protein and 20% fat either with (PSY) or without (CON) a 1.1% inclusion of psyllium. Pairs of calves were harvested at wk 1, 2, 3, and 4 for analysis. Feed intake (DM, protein, and metabolizable energy), water intake, growth, and illness did not differ between treatments. Digesta viscosity was increased in the abomasal and colon digesta for the PSY treatment. In addition, DM content of digesta from the proximal colon, distal colon, and feces was decreased for the PSY treatment. Apparent digestibility of DM was greater for the CON treatment. The predominant effect of psyllium inclusion in the milk replacer on VFA concentrations was in the lower gastrointestinal tract as indicated by the higher total VFA concentrations in the jejunum, proximal colon, and distal colon. Greater lower gut fermentation is logical because psyllium is a fiber that can be fermented by intestinal bacteria. Effects of inclusion of psyllium on bacterial counts were minimal. Size and scale of the gastrointestinal tract were …
author: Cannon, Stephanie J.
language: en
keywords: psyllium, calves
date published: 2010-01-06T16:20:56Z
date modified: 2026-07-22T22:25:08Z
provider: University of Illinois - Urbana-Champaign
publisher: Networked Digital Library of Theses and Dissertations
type: WebPage
source organization: University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign

PropertyValue
property ID: Handle
value: http://hdl.handle.net/2142/14670