The comparative effects of liquid and dry milk on utilization of calcium and phosphorus by calves

When the calf could nurse the cow and the farmer took what milk was left, few nutritional problems had to be contended with. When a good market for whole milk developed, dairymen began to use milk-replacer type feeds for calves, and many nutritional problems required attention. Most of the milk replacers are built around a milk product such as dried skim milk, dried buttermilk, or dried whey. These milk products may also be mixed with grain products and fed dry along with free access to hay and water. For younger calves the milk replacer is usually reconstituted to liquid form and fed from a bucket equipped with a nipple. Much research work has been done to develop rations that are suitable for calves and to compare these rations to whole milk or other milk products. However, very few reports have appeared in the literature which compare milk fed as a liquid to the same product fed in the dry form. Evidence has been presented to show that most of the nursed liquid milk-bypasses the rumen via the esophageal groove, but milk fed in a dry meal goes first into the rumen. In the rumen the milk constituents could be changed in such a way that dry milk would differ nutritionally from milk fed as a liquid. In this investigation a comparison has been made of the utilization of calcium and phosphorus from reconstituted skim milk fed as a liquid with that from dry skim milk fed in a calf starter.