Effect of methane inhibitors on ruminal microbiota during early life and its relationship with ruminal metabolism and growth in calves

Determine whether dietary supplementation with methanogen inhibitors during early life may lead an imprint on the rumen microbial community and change the rumen function and performance of calves to 49 weeks of age. Twenty-four 4-day-old Friesian x Jersey cross calves were randomly assigned into a control or a treatment diet. Treated calves received a combination of chloroform and 9,10-anthraquinone in the solid diets during the first 12 weeks of rearing. Within isolated groups, calves were individually penned until week 10, when weaning off milk. Post-weaning, calves were grouped by treatments for 4 weeks and then managed as a single group on pasture at 14 weeks. Indoor calves had ad libitum access to solid diets. Methane measurements, and sample collections for rumen metabolite and microbial community composition were carried out at weeks 2, 4, 6, 8, 10, 14, 24 and 49. Rumen microbial 16S rRNA was extracted using the PCQI method and sequenced using the Illumina MiSeq system. Sequence reads were provided I fast format. Individual BW and DMI were regularly monitor over the duration of the experiment.