Effect of rumen fluid inoculation on performance of calves

A biological experiment was conducted at the cattle yard of NDRI on 12 crossbred calves (KF) for 26 wk to study the effect of rumen fluid (RF) inoculation on performance and feed intake. In the first month, half of the calves were fed control diet and the other half were given 8 ml of strained RF in addition to the control diet i.e., 4 ml in milk and 4 ml inoculated orally. Almost throughout the experimental trial, the weekly growth rates of both groups were found to be statistically similar. The overall body weight gain was higher in RL inoculated group G2 (543.70g/d) than Control group G1 (496.95g/d). Daily weight gain was also better when RF was inoculated, though these differences were statistically non-significant. It can be concluded that RF inoculation during the 1^st month of life slightly improved growth performance of young calves up to 6 months.