Effect of Multivitamin and Amino Acid Supplementation on Average Daily Gain and Health Status in Cross-Bred Holstein Calves with Poor Growth Rates

The objective of this study was to determine the effect of multivitamin and amino acid supplementation on average daily gain (ADG) in post-weaning dairy calves 4–7 months of age. Thirty-two cross-bred, post-weaning, female Holstein calves with ADG <0.55 kg/day during the pre-weaning period were enrolled. Age-matched calves were divided equally into control and treatment groups. The treatment group was supplemented orally with 5 ml of a multivitamin and amino acid supplement once daily. All calves were weighed on a digital scale at days0, 30, 60, and 90. A generalized least-squares method in the R statistical software package was used to compare ADG between the control and treatment groups. Treatment, time, and the interaction were fixed effects. Individual calves were assigned as random effect. The results revealed that the overall ADG was significantly higher (P <0.05) in the treatment group than in the control group (0.67±0.02 kg vs 0.56±0.04 kg). When each month was examined individually, there was no significant difference (P>0.05) in ADG between days 30 and 60. However, ADG was significantly higher (P <0.05) in the treatment group than in the control group (0.68±0.04 kg vs 0.49±0.06 kg) at day 90. In conclusion, the results strongly supported the hypothesis that multivitamin and amino acid supplementation effectively increase ADG after administration at day 90 and in the overall post-weaning period in cross-bred female Holstein calves 4–7 months of age with poor growth rates at pre-weaning.