Rumen Development
Rumen health and early development – managing rumen ph – the key to successful weaning
The stomach of the calf has 4 chambers. At birth the rumen is small, only 25% of the stomach capacity
and underdeveloped. The abomasum (True stomach) on the other hand makes up 60% of the newborn’s calf capacity.
Developing the rumen in newborns is one of the most important areas of calf rearing and is the key to successful weaning.
The rumen must be developed to enable the calf become an efficient user of grains, various by-products and forages as soon as possible.
With a developed rumen the calf has the ability to satisfy much of its own protein and energy requirements for
growth by producing sufficient microbial protein and volatile fatty acids.
Figure2. The stomach of a new born calf
Newborn calves are totally dependent on milk as a source of nutrition.
When a calf drinks milk, it bypasses the rumen by way of the oesophageal groove and passes straight into the Abomasum.
The oesophageal groove has to close by reflex, so that milk does not spill over into the rumen.
This abomasum makes up to 60% of the newborn calves’ stomach capacity.
The abomasum releases digestive enzymes to break down fat, carbohydrates and protein. Energy requirements are met from the absorption of glucose from the abomasum.
When the calf is 3/4 months of age, the abomasum makes up to 20% of the capacity of the calf’s
stomach and as the animal matures, this decreases to only 8% of the animals stomach capacity. The rumen on the other hand
is constantly growing and changing as the calf becomes a ruminant and by 3 to 4 months of age the rumen makes up to 65% of the calf’s rumen capacity.
Prior to weaning the rumen must develop Epithelial layer and muscular layer to be able to absorb and metabolise Volatile Fatty acids (VFA’s).
Calves that do not eat dry feed (like white veal calves) do not develop a rumen.
It is grain and forage that develops the rumen to make the transition from milk based diet to a corn and forage based diet.
There are two aspects to rumen development:
- Changes in the physical size
- Changes in the wall thickness and papillae formation of the rumen
The calf’s diet greatly influences rumen development.
Changes in the structural formation of the rumen of the calf involve the formation, development and elongation of the rumen walls.
Feeding grain early stimulates rumen development and the fibres in the forage provide the scratch factor to stimulate rumen papillae formation.
The calf can now produce sufficient protein and volatile fatty acids to satisfy much of its protein and energy requirements.
The rumen of calves only fed milk or milk replacer will remain quite small and the rumen wall and papillae will be restricted. The abomasum will continue to grow.
How Eclipse Calfage aids Rumen Development
Eclipse Calfage is a TMR (Total Mixed Ration) – a complete feed formulated for optimum rumen health and development.
- Forage type – high DMD, high ph, and high digestible fibre from milled haylage to help stimulate cud chewing and optimize microbial protein production.
- Addition of alkaline cereal mix to produce VFA’s (Volatile Fatty Acids) and encourage maximum VFA absorption from the rumen, this will ensure ample glucose produced for growth
- This is a palatable, digestible mix presented in the ideal physical form to interest calves and early intakes.
Figure 3. Feed Calfage adlib from 10 days of age
The rumen has three phases in digestion, all doing a particular job but all must work synergistically.
- Rumen fibre mat
- The liquid phase
- The semi-solid phase
All three are illustrated by the settling of the mix in the jar. (Figure 4)
All three are crucial for good rumen function and development and are interdependent on each other
Figure 4. The rumen has three phases in digestion which are illustrated by the settling of the mix in the jar.
The forage and hulls portion of Calfage help create an effective rumen mat, this will ensure good rumen microflora
growth and improves microbial protein flow to the intestine. Microbial protein is a rich source of essential amino acids for calf growth and development.
The liquid phase needs a plenty-full supply of clean drinking water to be available to calves. In this phase are the VFA’s which need to be controlled and absorbed efficiently from the rumen to control PH and prevent acidosis. This PH control is
governed by good cud chewing naturally by the calf, in the Calfage this is enhanced by the use of alkaline grains and buffers making PH regulation a lot easier.
The semi-solid phase is made up of digestible fibres and cereal grains at different stages of digestion and supplies the Volatile Fatty Acids to the liquid phase.
Early development of the rumen ensures effective absorption of VFA’s and microbial protein which in turn improves early growth and development of the calf.
The coarseness and texture of the Calfage diet with its lightly bruised mix of cereal alkaline grains all contribute to maintaining rumen PH close to 6.2 for a maximum number of hours every day.
Calfage matches the fermentable carbohydrates with degradable protein to ensure good appetites and a good supply of VFA’s and microbial protein from the rumen.
Good microbial protein production drives bone and skeletal growth and supplies amino acids for muscle development, all crucial contributors to calf growth.
Calf with an underdeveloped rumen shows up at the weaning stage when the calf becomes possibly unhealthy and shows lack of thrive due to its inability to digest grains and forages.
This leads to the post weaning growth check.