Acidification of colostrum affects the fecal microbiota of pre-weaned dairy calves. dairy calves

Calf diarrhea is a leading cause of death in pre-weaned calves and causes major economic losses to producers. Acidified milk has been shown to have beneficial effects on health and growth parameters in calves but its effect on the gastrointestinal microbiota is unknown, and there is little data on the use of acidified colostrum. The purpose of this study was to compare how feeding acidified colostrum to calves at birth influences fecal microbiota from birth through 8 weeks of age compared to calves fed non-acidified colostrum