Effects of mixing a high-fat extruded pellet with a dairy calf starter on performance, feed intake, and digestibility.

During weaning, withdrawal of milk replacer is not directly compensated for by an increase in solid feed intake. Therefore, greater fat inclusion in the starter might mitigate this temporary dietary energy decline. However, fat inclusion in solid feeds may generally limit rumen fermentability and development.

Evaluation of predicted ration nutritional values by NRC (2001) and INRA (2018) feed evaluation systems, and implications for the prediction of milk response.

Net energy and protein systems (hereafter called feed evaluation systems) offer the possibility to formulate rations by matching feed values (e.g., net energy and metabolizable protein) with animal requirements.

Review: Synergy between mechanistic modelling and data-driven models for modern animal production systems in the era of big data.

Mechanistic models (MMs) have served as causal pathway analysis and 'decision-support' tools within animal production systems for decades. Such models quantitatively define how a biological system works based on causal relationships and use that cumulative biological knowledge to generate predictions and recommendations (in practice) and generate/evaluate hypotheses (in research). Their limitations revolve around obtaining sufficiently accurate inputs, user training and accuracy/precision of predictions on-farm.

Effects of exchanging lactose for fat in milk replacer on ad libitum feed intake and growth performance in dairy calves.

The recent trend in the dairy industry toward ad libitum feeding of young calves merits reconsideration of calf milk replacer (CMR) formulations. Additionally, feed intake regulation in young calves provided with ad libitum milk and solid feeds is insufficiently understood. This study was designed to determine the effect of exchanging lactose for fat in CMR on voluntary feed intake and growth performance.

Effects of an artificial hay aroma and compound feed formulation on feed intake pattern, rumen function and milk production in lactating dairy cows.

The Kempen system is a dairy feeding system in which diet is provided in the form of a compound feed (CF) and hay offered ad libitum. Ad libitum access to CF and hay allows cows in this system to achieve a high DM intake (DMI). Out of physiological concerns, the voluntary hay intake could be increased and the consumption pattern of CF could be manipulated to maintain proper rumen functioning and health.