Abstract #M138

# M138
Effects of plane of nutrition on glucose tolerance test kinetics pre- and postweaning in Holstein calves fed twice daily.
Jayden A. R. MacPherson*1, Harma Berendss2, Leonel Leal2, Javier Martin-Tereso2, Michael A. Steele1, 1University of Alberta, Edmonton, Alberta, Canada, 2Nutreco, Boxmeer, The Netherlands.

Feeding an elevated plane of nutrition to dairy calves preweaning is becoming more popular as it has been linked to higher growth rates, earlier onset of puberty, and increased milk production. Providing these feeding schemes in 2 meals is thought to impair glucose clearance and insulin responsiveness in young calves, but whether or not there is a carryover effect postweaning remains unclear. The objective of this study was to investigate this using a glucose tolerance test (GTT). A total of 12 female Holstein calves were selected and blocked by cow parity and colostrum intake, then assigned to an elevated plane (EP; 8 L/d) or a low plane (LP; 4 L/d) of nutrition. Calves received 4 L of colostrum provided in 2 meals (1h and 6h after birth), and were stepped-down from milk by 50% during wk 7 then weaned on wk 8. All calves had ad libitum access to pelleted calf starter, chopped wheat straw, and water. Milk replacer consisted of 24% CP and 18% CF and was fed at 150g/L. The GTT (glucose 30%) was conducted at 4, 7 and 10 weeks of age by infusing 540 mg of glucose per kg of metabolic bodyweight at the time of the morning feeding after a 12 h fast. Blood samples were collected at −15, 0, 5, 10, 20, 30, 45, 60, 120, 180, and 240 min via a jugular catheter. Changes in glucose concentration (mmol/L), clearance rate (%/min), and area under the curve (AUC240) were calculated. Preliminary data from a Hemocue blood glucose analyzer indicates that the increase in glucose (Cmax; mmol/L) was similar (P = 0.31) between treatment groups and no differences between ages (pre- and postweaning) were detected. The time to reach the peak concentration (Tmax; minutes) was similar across treatments and age (P 0.29). Area under the curve was significantly affected by calf age (P = 0.005) with AUC240 increasing with age, and a trend for interaction with treatment was observed, where EP calves tended (P = 0.07) to have a greater AUC at 10 weeks of age. The results show that the rate of glucose clearance following a tolerance test was not affected (P = 0.14) by plane of nutrition or age when calves were fed milk replacer in 2 meals per day.

Key Words: glucose, glucose tolerance test, calf nutrition