Keren
Well-known member
- Joined
- Jan 21, 2006
- Messages
- 3,415
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- My little patch of earth, Perth, WA, Australia
I have just started a new subject this semester, ruminant nutrition, and picked up a couple of interesting things today regarding bottle babies.
When a calf is born, the abomasum is significantly larger than the rumen. An adult bovine has ratios of about 80% rumen, 5% reticulum, 8% omasum and 7% abomasum (% of total stomach volume). But at birth the figures for rumen and abomasum are almost reversed.
This is because of the oesophogeal groove (also known as the reticular groove) which pops up on these boards quite frequently, which ensures that milk goes directly to the abomasum, rather than the rumen where it will
a) be broken down completely giving very little nutrition to the calf, and
b) introduce bacterial into the rumen which ordinarily would not be there - rumen bacteria is ingested when the calf begins to nibble grass, and the population slowly grows and the rumen develops in conjunction with this. By introducing the 'wrong' bacteria, the 'right' bacteria are slower to develop.
It is often asked on these boards "I've got a poddy calf, and I'm giving it milk. Do I need to supply water and feed?" and the answer is a resounding YES!
By withholding green feed, roughage etc from a calf's diet, you will delay development of both the rumen and the population of rumen bacteria, resulting in a growth and development setback for the calf.
Another interesting thing, though not as much a practical thing just interesting to know, is that during embryonic development, the entire gastro intestinal tract (oesophagus, stomach/s, small intestines and large intestines) develops outside the calf's body, in the area around its umbilical. Prior to birth, the tract is pushed back into the body, and this causes the folds, twists and turns seen in the small intestines.
When a calf is born, the abomasum is significantly larger than the rumen. An adult bovine has ratios of about 80% rumen, 5% reticulum, 8% omasum and 7% abomasum (% of total stomach volume). But at birth the figures for rumen and abomasum are almost reversed.
This is because of the oesophogeal groove (also known as the reticular groove) which pops up on these boards quite frequently, which ensures that milk goes directly to the abomasum, rather than the rumen where it will
a) be broken down completely giving very little nutrition to the calf, and
b) introduce bacterial into the rumen which ordinarily would not be there - rumen bacteria is ingested when the calf begins to nibble grass, and the population slowly grows and the rumen develops in conjunction with this. By introducing the 'wrong' bacteria, the 'right' bacteria are slower to develop.
It is often asked on these boards "I've got a poddy calf, and I'm giving it milk. Do I need to supply water and feed?" and the answer is a resounding YES!
By withholding green feed, roughage etc from a calf's diet, you will delay development of both the rumen and the population of rumen bacteria, resulting in a growth and development setback for the calf.
Another interesting thing, though not as much a practical thing just interesting to know, is that during embryonic development, the entire gastro intestinal tract (oesophagus, stomach/s, small intestines and large intestines) develops outside the calf's body, in the area around its umbilical. Prior to birth, the tract is pushed back into the body, and this causes the folds, twists and turns seen in the small intestines.
