Key Findings
Additive supplementation can help the development of animals post-weaning. If starter intake is lower at weaning, rumen development will be low in these heifers post-weaning. However, feeding additives in the post-weaned period helps promote growth and improvement in overall health.
Sodium butyrate fed post-weaning helps increase rumen development, thus increasing the absorptive function and aid in the ability for increased nutrient absorption and utilization for growth and health. Scientists found that sodium butyrate is an adequate replacement for monensin in the diets of post-weaned heifers for both growth and reduction in coccidiosis. Sodium butyrate could potentially be fed from birth to first calving for increased nutrient use, growth and improved health.
About the Co-Author
Peter Erickson, Professor of Agriculture, Nutrition, and Food Systems
Contact information: Peter.Erickson@unh.edu
603-862-1341, Peter Erickson Lab website
This research was published in the INSPIRED: A Publication of the New Hampshire Agricultural Experiment Station (Winter 2021)
Researchers: T.C. Stahl, E. Rice and P.S. Erickson
Raising replacement heifers is one of the largest expenses on the farm. Thus, it is important to closely manage young-stock with adequate nutrition to ensure those animals reach developmental maturity. Performance can be affected through diet manipulation, such as changing the volatile fatty acid proportions in the rumen. Specifically, establishing a well-developed, functional rumen is essential for improving growth performance and feed efficiency.
The proportions of three volatile fatty acids—acetate, propionate, and butyrate—can be altered by feeding additives such as ionophores. Monensin, an ionophore, is approved by the U.S. Food and Drug Administration for growing heifers for improved feed efficiency, increased rate of weight gain, and reduced coccidiosis. However, ionophores have been banned by the European Union since 2006. With that in mind, supplementation research started in young calves focused on sodium butyrate.
The rumen uses butyrate to increase the absorptive capabilities. Other than the rumen, butyrate also can enhance lower gastrointestinal tract function. It does this by improving the absorptive function, reducing inflammation from coccidiosis and increasing the secretion of juices that aid in the digestion of feeds in the small intestine. There have been two research studies conducted at UNH regarding feeding sodium butyrate to post-weaned heifers. The first experiment was performed after UNH was approached by a company to investigate dosing and how it affects the growth performance and health of these older animals. From that, we took the best dose and compared it to monensin.
Both experiments were at the UNH Fairchild Dairy Teaching and Research Center and used 40 Holstein heifers that began study at approximately three months of age. In the first study, heifers stayed on study for 14 weeks. In the second, heifers stayed on study for 12 weeks. Both trials had four treatments, with 10 heifers per treatment.
For the first experiment, the best dose of sodium butyrate (SB) was fed to post-weaned heifers. The treatments were: (1) 100 g of soybean meal carrier (control); (2) 0.11 g of SB/lb. of body weight (BW); (3) 0.23 g of SB/lb of BW; (4) 0.34 g of SB/lb. of BW. Feed intake, body weight, skeletal measurements (hip and withers height, heart girth and body length), blood samples (for glucose, BHB and plasma urea nitrogen), and fecal grab samples (for biweekly coccidia counts) were taken prior to the start of treatment and then weekly for the duration of the study.
For the first experiment, the best dose of sodium butyrate (SB) was fed to post-weaned heifers. The treatments were: (1) 100 g of soybean meal carrier (control); (2) 0.11 g of SB/lb. of body weight (BW); (3) 0.23 g of SB/lb of BW; (4) 0.34 g of SB/lb. of BW. Feed intake, body weight, skeletal measurements (hip and withers height, heart girth and body length), blood samples (for glucose, BHB and plasma urea nitrogen), and fecal grab samples (for biweekly coccidia counts) were taken prior to the start of treatment and then weekly for the duration of the study.
As sodium butyrate increased from 0.11 g/lb. of body weight to 0.34 g/lb. of body weight, average body weight increased, final body weight tended to increase, feed efficiency tended to increase and there was a reduction in coccidia at 0.11 g sodium butyrate/lb. of body weight.
In the second experiment, sodium butyrate (SB) was compared to monensin in the diets of post-weaned heifers. We aimed to see if there were improvements in body weight gain, a reduction of coccidia levels and improvement in dairy heifers when feeding any additive over nothing at all and if there were differences among the additives. The treatments were: (1) 100 g of soybean meal carrier (control); (2) 0.34 g of SB/lb. of BW + carrier (SB); (3) 0.45 mg of monensin/lb. of BW + carrier (MON); (4) 0.45 mg of MON/lb. of BW + 0.34 g SB/lb. of BW (MSB). Feed intake, body weight, skeletal measurements (heart girth, paunch girth and body length), blood samples (for glucose, BHB and plasma urea nitrogen), and fecal grab samples (for coccidia counts) were taken prior to the start of treatment and then weekly before feeding.
Researchers observed a tendency for increased average body weight, final body weight, and heart girth in heifers fed additives. There was a significant response for increased dry matter intake and metabolizable energy, both of which were driven by SB. Due to the additional sodium provided in the diet (by SB), heifers on study likely consumed more water, which ultimately led to an increased rate of passage and increased dry matter intake. An increase in dry matter intake also can be supported by the feed efficiency response seen in monensin fed animals, which is probably due to the size of the dose and the diet fed. In addition to growth benefits, both SB and monensin also have been shown to affect the overall health of the animal through the prevention of coccidiosis. Scientists saw that, as compared to the control, any additive resulted in the reduction of coccidian oocysts and the incidence rate of coccidian oocysts present in the feces. Monensin is a known anticoccidial and acted as expected in the prevention of coccidiosis. Previous work with SB supports the results seen in this study; however it is not currently understood how exactly the SB is able to affect the coccidia.
In summary, the results of the two experiments indicate that:
- Sodium butyrate supplementation offers positive results in growth performance and feed efficiency of post-weaned heifers.
- Sodium butyrate could provide a reduction in coccidiosis for improved health.
- Feeding any additive is better than not feeding any additives.
- Sodium butyrate is similar to monensin for its effects on growth and reduction in coccidiosis.
This material is based upon work supported by the NH Agricultural Experiment Station, through joint funding of the National Institute of Food and Agriculture, U.S. Department of Agriculture, under award number 1016574, and the state of New Hampshire. Authors include T.C. Stahl, E. Rice and P.S. Erickson.
