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- Titel:
On-farm assessment of external traits to monitor body condition and nutritional status of milk-deprived and milk-fed calves in the first four weeks after birth
- Dokumenttyp:
- Konferenzbeitrag
- Art des Konferenzbeitrags:
- Vortrag / Präsentation
- Autor(en):
- Kurek Jan., Liegsalz Theresa. Maria., Vorndran Anton. Maria., Kurek Anna., Huber Veronika., Hammerl Georg., Spiekers Hubert., Steinhoff-Wagner Julia
- Seitenangaben Beitrag:
- 85
- Abstract:
- Introduction: Adequate milk intake during the early postnatal period is essential for calf development. In cow-calf contact or early group housing systems, where birth and feeding are often unobserved, farmers face challenges in assessing whether calves have consumed sufficient colostrum or milk. Currently, animal nutrition and welfare indi- cators needed for assessing the body condition and nutritional status of suckling calves are lacking. This study aimed to identify external traits that can be used to assess body condition and nutritional status of suckling calves between days 1 and 28 postpartum. Methods: To develop practical indicators for assessing body condition and nutritional status in suckling calves, a two- part study was conducted combining expert input and field-based measurements and scorings. First, expert interviews (n = 11) with calf professionals from Germany were conducted via Zoom using a structured questionnaire containing 20 rearing specific questions, including visual identification of relevant body regions for a Body Condition Score (BCS-calf). Based on these interviews and a literature review, an evaluation protocol was developed and tested on two Bavarian research farms (BaySG Achselschwang and TUM Veitshof). In study 1, 85 healthy calves were assessed between days 1 and 28 postpartum. The primary focus was on external body measurements in the flank area that were expected to respond rapidly to changes in feed intake, therefore, some parameters (n = 5) were recorded in both the milk-deprived and milk-fed states. To minimize handling and enhance the practical applicability of the protocol, se- lected body condition traits that are expected to change only long-term and the general health status of the calves were assessed once in the milk-fed state. In study 2, 10 Brown Swiss calves were monitored from day 8 to 10 postpartum, with controlled milk intake and repeated flank circumference measurements before and after feeding. Statistical anal- yses included Kruskal-Wallis non-parametric ANOVA to evaluate age and sex effects, and ROC analysis to determine threshold values for distinguishing nutritional status. The Youden index was used to define optimal cut-offs. Results: Health parameters of all calves remained within physiological ranges, and no major impairments were ob- served. In study 1, several external body measurements (n = 12) and scorings (n = 9) showed significant age-dependent differences. These findings indicate a progressive enhancement of musculoskeletal development and body width in the shoulder and flank area, hindquarters, and pelvic region as animals mature. The ROC analysis identified flank circum- ference, flank width, and the left and right hunger pits as reliable indicators for distinguishing between milk-deprived and milk-fed states. In contrast, rear body width showed limited diagnostic value. In study 2, flank circumference increased proportionally with the volume of milk consumed. The ROC analysis demonstrated that changes in flank circumference were more accurately detectable at lower milk intake levels (< 5% of body weight). However, diag- nostic performance declined at higher intake volumes (≥ 6–10% BW), as reflected by reduced true-positive rates and increased false-positive rates. Conclusions: This study demonstrated that external body measurements, particularly in the flank region, can serve as practical indicators for assessing the nutritional status of suckling calves in the first month of life. Flank circumference showed strong diagnostic potential, while other traits such as flank width and hunger pits further supported differenti- ation between nutritional status. Establishing a standardized scoring system for body condition and nutritional status for calves independent of rearing system and feeding management should be a key objective to improve nutritional and welfare assessments.
- Herausgeber:
- Gesellschaft für Ernährungsphysiologie
- Kongress- / Buchtitel:
- Proc. Soc. Nutr. Physiol. 35
- Ausgabe:
- 35
- Ausrichter der Konferenz:
- Gesellschaft für Ernährungsphysiologie
- Datum der Konferenz:
- 03.03-05.03.2026
- Verlag / Institution:
- DLG- Verlag GmbH
- Jahr:
- 2026
- Print-ISBN:
- 978-3-00-086279-3
- Reviewed:
- ja
- Sprache:
- en
- Erscheinungsform:
BibTeX
Vorkommen:
- mediaTUM GesamtbestandEinrichtungenSchools TUM School of Life SciencesDepartmentsMolecular Life SciencesProfessur für Tierernährung und Metabolismus (Prof. Steinhoff-Wagner)