Findings from research into the behaviour of veal calves that were fed milk containing levels of hempseed cake were recently published.
This research was completed by the University of Padova in Italy, and was aimed to evaluate the effect on behavioural patterns of veal calves fed with increasing levels of hempseed cake (HSC) diluted in the milk replacer.
In total, 48 Belgian Blue veal calves (12 females and 36 males), with a body weight of 62kg and age of 42.6 days, were offered the same type and quantity of solid and liquid feed twice a day, but were randomly split into three groups.
The inclusion of HSC was given to the following groups at these rates:
- There was 0% of HSC in the CTR group;
- The feed given to the T3 group contained 3% HSC;
- The T6 group had the highest amount with 6% HSC in the feed.
The study lasted for six months until slaughter. During this time, their behaviour was recorded using video cameras in a surveillance system and 432 hours of footage were analysed.
The animals were randomly distributed in 12 pens and all animals received the same amount of solid and liquid feed.
The results, which were published in Frontiers in Veterinary Science, indicated that HSC had little effect on calves’ behaviour and that calves, in general, spend most of their time resting and ruminating as they normally do with conventional diets.
However, hempseed cake inclusion in the two groups increased their appetite for solid food and licking behavior during the late afternoon.
T3 female calves increased their movement in the late afternoon, while male calves decreased their positive interaction, movement, and cross-sucking in the late afternoon as the inclusion of HSC increased.
The university found the inclusion of HSC into veal calves’ diet did not negatively affect the animal’s behavior and suggested that it can be used as “a novel ingredient”.
Feeding calves hempseed
This research was carried out at a commercial farm in Italy and was aimed at evaluating the differences in behavioral patterns when Belgian blue calves were fed with increasing levels of hempseed cake in the milk replacer.
Cannabis sativa L., commonly known as hemp, has been primarily grown for its fiber but over the last 10 years, it has also been attracting some interest in the animal feeding sector.
Hemp by-products, such as oil, seeds, and cake, have large amounts of polyunsaturated essential fatty acids, which make them suitable ingredients for the formulation of animal feeds.
In the research, the inclusion of 3% and 6% of HSC significantly increased the time calves spent running and licking and decreased the amount of time carrying out olfactory (relating to the sense of smell) investigation and cross-sucking.
The CTR group spent more time eating solids in the late morning than T3 and T6.
Calves that received the diet with the HSC inclusion finished all the solid feed right after the first meal, whereas the CTR group always had some leftovers in the feeder, and they tended to eat more slowly.
This study demonstrated that hemp seed cake had little effect on calves’ behaviour and that calves, in general, spend most of their time resting and ruminating, as they normally do with conventional diets.
However, HSC inclusion was found to increase the appetite for solid food and licking behavior in calves during the late afternoon.