%0 Journal Article
%T Effect of pre-weaning concentrate supplementation on peripheral distribution of leukocytes, functional activity of neutrophils, acute phase protein and behavioural responses of abruptly weaned and housed beef calves
%A Eilish M Lynch
%A Mark McGee
%A Sean Doyle
%A Bernadette Earley
%J BMC Veterinary Research
%D 2012
%I BioMed Central
%R 10.1186/1746-6148-8-1
%X There was a treatment ¡Á sampling time interaction (P < 0.05) for percentage CD4+ and WC1+ (¦Ã¦Ä T cells) lymphocytes and concentration of plasma globulin. On d 2, percentage CD4+ lymphocytes decreased (P < 0.001) in both treatments. Subsequently on d 7, percentage of CD4+ lymphocytes increased (P < 0.01) in CS compared with d 0, whereas percentage of CD4+ lymphocytes in NCS did not differ (P > 0.05) from d 0. On d 2, WC1+ lymphocytes decreased (P < 0.05) in both treatments but the decrease was greater (P < 0.05) in NCS than CS. Subsequently, percentages did not differ (P > 0.05) from pre-weaning baseline. On d 2, the increase in concentration of globulin was greater (P < 0.05) in CS compared with NCS, and subsequently there was no difference between treatments. Pre-weaning ADG was 1.07 (s.e.m.) (0.26) kg and 0.99 (s.e.m.) (0.26) kg for CS and NCS, respectively. Post-weaning, CS calves spent more time lying compared with NCS calves.Calves supplemented with concentrate prior to weaning had a lesser reduction in WC1+ lymphocytes, increased percentage CD4+ lymphocytes and concentration of total protein, and spent more time lying post-weaning, compared with non-supplemented calves.Within seasonal, grassland-based suckler beef production systems in Ireland, calves are generally spring-born and reared with their dam at pasture for approximately 8 months until the end of the grazing season in autumn when they are weaned. At, or, shortly after weaning, calves are housed indoors over the winter period and offered grass silage, which is generally supplemented with concentrates [1]. Concentrate supplementation of suckling, grazing beef calves prior to weaning is commonly referred to as 'creep feeding', and serves to compensate for decreasing milk yield and forage, and to improve calf weaning weights [2-6]. Additionally, this practice is often advocated as a means of reducing weaning stress in calves through the familiarisation to a palatable feed, such as concentrates [7] and has
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