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calves developing rumens
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<blockquote data-quote="Lucky_P" data-source="post: 1136723" data-attributes="member: 12607"><p>As previously stated, yes, calves will eat grass/hay, early on - and you'll see them chewing - but, they won't be gaining much nutrition from it, for several weeks/months. It takes some time to develop rumen capacity (the forestomachs are fairly small at birth) and to develop functional rumen papillae that can properly absorb the volatile fatty acids that the rumen microherd produces in the fermentation process. Microbial populations that populate the forestomach come from a variety of sources, including mom licking/grooming the calf after she's regurgitated up a cud - those bacteria/protozoa are present in the oral cavity/saliva, etc.</p><p></p><p>Newer research is showing that the uterus and mammary glands are not a sterile environment, and the newborns are actually colonized by various bacteria in utero - not just as they pass through the birth canal - and receive additional bacterial strains in mother's milk - as well as those they encounter in the environment. Fortunately, so long as those bacteria are not pathogenic species, we don't see placentitis/abortion or mastitis - until things get out of whack.</p><p>Interesting little reads here: <a href="http://www.the-scientist.com/?home.beyond-the-gut" target="_blank">http://www.the-scientist.com/?home.beyond-the-gut</a></p></blockquote><p></p>
[QUOTE="Lucky_P, post: 1136723, member: 12607"] As previously stated, yes, calves will eat grass/hay, early on - and you'll see them chewing - but, they won't be gaining much nutrition from it, for several weeks/months. It takes some time to develop rumen capacity (the forestomachs are fairly small at birth) and to develop functional rumen papillae that can properly absorb the volatile fatty acids that the rumen microherd produces in the fermentation process. Microbial populations that populate the forestomach come from a variety of sources, including mom licking/grooming the calf after she's regurgitated up a cud - those bacteria/protozoa are present in the oral cavity/saliva, etc. Newer research is showing that the uterus and mammary glands are not a sterile environment, and the newborns are actually colonized by various bacteria in utero - not just as they pass through the birth canal - and receive additional bacterial strains in mother's milk - as well as those they encounter in the environment. Fortunately, so long as those bacteria are not pathogenic species, we don't see placentitis/abortion or mastitis - until things get out of whack. Interesting little reads here: [url=http://www.the-scientist.com/?home.beyond-the-gut]http://www.the-scientist.com/?home.beyond-the-gut[/url] [/QUOTE]
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