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Many people think that calves need to be fed with hormonal drugs for rapid growth. It is possible, but this does not eliminate the need for a properly balanced diet. Moreover, many “growth boosters” are actually a set of vitamins and minerals.
In the case of cattle, it is also necessary to separate the concepts of “growth at the withers” and “growth of muscle mass”. The first speed up is optional, and sometimes harmful. The second – at the request of the owner.
Pros and cons of using growth promoters for cattle
From the point of view of beef cattle breeding, there are no disadvantages for bulls in the use of stimulants, including growth hormones. Some solid pluses:
- animals quickly gain weight;
- fattening time is reduced;
- killer yield from the carcass more.
The condition of the joints, bones and ligaments of future steaks does not bother anyone. With breeding and dairy cattle, the situation is different. These animals do not need large muscle mass. Here you can already see not only the pluses, but also the minuses of rapid growth and development.
The use of growth hormones for pregnant cows will lead to the development of unnecessarily large fetuses. As a result, complications at calving are not excluded, and dairy cattle must produce offspring annually. Therefore, it is worth considering when looking at advertising of growth hormones for cattle. If the manufacturer claims that the product is suitable for use on pregnant animals, most likely he is disingenuous.
Even worse are artificial growth stimulants for breeding calves raised for breeding. In young animals, tubular bones grow fastest. Due to them, there is an increase in height at the withers. Measurements show that in young animals the skeleton develops unevenly: either the withers are higher, or the sacrum, or growth generally stops for a while.
During such stops, the tendons that hold the joints together have time to “catch up” with the bones. A fully formed animal has a good ODA.
But if stimulants were used, the balance between skeletal and muscular development is upset. The use of hormones gives too much muscle mass to the still weak bones and articular ligaments. Other stimulants cause accelerated bone growth. The result is weak joints and shortened tendons.
If a small calf is fed too intensively, under heavy weight and because of the rapid growth of the tendon, the tendons do not have time to develop normally, in this case, the appearance of contractures is not uncommon.
At the same time, hundreds of years ago, people noticed that an animal on good and plentiful feed grows larger than its relatives. Therefore, the best growth stimulator for calves intended for breeding or for milk production is a balanced diet. Feed antibiotics can be added to high-quality forage, which will allow the animal’s body not to waste energy on fighting diseases.
Calf food for fast growth
At the first stage, it is best to feed the calf with natural cow’s milk. In the first two weeks, the young growth develops very quickly and gains weight, eating only milk. In the first 2 hours of life, a newborn should receive about 10% of its body weight in colostrum. Gradually, the daily dose of milk is increased and brought to 12 liters.
Inexperienced cattle owners have the mistaken impression that the best way to feed a small calf is milk and hay.
Often this theory is held by fans of the “natural lifestyle”. After all, the calves of wild tours did not receive any other food than grass and milk. But wild prototypes are always smaller than their domesticated counterparts. “Experimenters” are convinced by their own experience that the theory is wrong, and change their minds. The best feed for the rapid growth of calves is grain concentrates. They begin to be added from the 3rd week of a cub’s life. With abundant feeding with milk and nutritious fodder, the daily weight gain of young cattle is about 1 kg.
It is best to use commercially prepared calf feed. Antibiotics and hormones that frighten everyone are absent there. These additives are administered separately if necessary.
High-quality starter feed for young animals contains those nutrients that are necessary for rapid growth and muscle gain. First of all, it is a protein and a vitamin-mineral complex.
Starter pellets can be fed to calves from the moment they start tasting anything other than milk.
Starter Feeds
Designed for calves aged 0 to 6 months. In Our Country, you can buy food produced in Krasnodar: “Vitula”, “Venus”, “Elegance”.
The first two are for calves up to 3 months of age. The granules are added gradually and by the age of 90 days they are adjusted to 1,6 kg per day. Elegance is the next step. It is used at the age of 3-6 months. The maximum daily dose is 3,5 kg. Later, to reduce the cost of fattening, calves are gradually transferred from Elegance to ordinary fodder with vitamin and mineral premixes.
The same manufacturer offers 2 feed additives as growth accelerators: CattlePro Littlegoby and CattlePro BestVil. They look like ordinary granules. “BestVil” is used after six months, mixed with the main forage. The additive replaces 15-30% of the main grain diet. “Littlegoby” is used for calves from 3 to 6 months, in the event that expensive starter feeds are replaced with cheaper grain. The share of this additive is also 15-30%.
All products of this manufacturer contain coccidiostats that prevent the development of coccidiosis. Even if the feed does not accelerate weight gain in calves, the absence of parasites is in itself a growth promoter.
There are other growth accelerators that are not related to either forage or feed additives.
Growth preparations for cattle
Growth stimulants for calves include:
- vitamin formulations for injection;
- antibiotics;
- hormonal.
Which variety to choose to stimulate rapid growth depends on the situation. But most often they use vitamins and feed antibacterial agents.
Vitamin and mineral complexes
Bioadditives are the very vitamin-mineral complexes that must be used not only for fattening. There are no regions in the world that are ideally balanced in terms of all the necessary animal elements. In each specific area of uXNUMXbuXNUMXbresidence, the missing substances must be added to the feed for livestock. But this is determined using laboratory tests, therefore it is impossible to indicate specific names of vitamin and mineral growth stimulants for cattle in a general article. Most often, these are vitamin and mineral solutions for injection. One of these biostimulants is known to be Catozal.
It is often believed that in the presence of Catozal, it is possible to feed a calf with the cheapest grain and not particularly indulge the animal with other additives.
Catosal
In fact, it contains only 2 active ingredients: a phosphorus derivative and a vitamin B₁₂ derivative. Used as a tonic, as it speeds up metabolism and improves immunity.
Katozal is produced in the form of a liquid for injection. Calves are injected subcutaneously, intramuscularly or intravenously. But there is no application scheme for fattening beef cattle. User reviews about Catozal are skeptical. And this is not surprising. No stimulant gives magical results. For good growth of cattle, in parallel with Catozal injections, animals must be well fed and provided with a set of vitamins and minerals.
Eleovit
Another vitamin solution for injection. The composition of this tool is rich: 12 vitamins. Release form: liquid for injection. The color is yellowish or brownish. Has a specific smell. The vitamins that make up Eleovit are involved in the metabolism of fats, proteins and carbohydrates. It is used to treat diseases that are associated with metabolic disorders. The manufacturer does not mention the rapid growth. Dose for cattle: adult animals – 5-6 ml, calves – 2-3 ml. Injections intramuscular or subcutaneous.
Feed antibiotics
In addition to coccidiosis, calves can become infected with other infections. Coccidiostats in feed do not help in this case. Feed antibiotics are used in animal husbandry to protect young animals from other diseases. Experiments have shown that animals fed with the use of these veterinary preparations were 2-14% more productive than the control group.
Raw preparations containing proteins and vitamins are added to the calves’ food. Feed antibiotics include:
- biomycin;
- chlortetracycline;
- oxytetracycline.
These are “pure” substances that do not give in this form. Commercially available native antibiotics are known by brand names and as supplements, not as medications.
Calves are fed with native supplements, if they offer a similar antibacterial agent for injection in a hermetically sealed vial, this is already an antibiotic for treatment
Biomycin
You can buy under the name “Biokorm-1”. Light brown powder, active for 6 months. The content of the active substance in 1 g “Biokorm-1” 900-1000 IU. It also contains B vitamins, which are often considered growth stimulants. Replenishes the lack of essential trace elements.
Chlortetracycline
Trade name “Biokorm-4”. Brown-black powder with a shelf life of 3 months, 1 g contains up to 30000 IU of the active substance. In addition to the antibiotic, vitamin B₁₂ is present.
Oxytetracycline
Sold as “Terramycin native”. The culture is grown on crushed grain. In finished form, it is a light brown powder, with a sharp smell of mold. Shelf life six months. 1 g contains 3-4 thousand units of oxytetracycline. In addition to the antibiotic, protein, fat, nitrogen-free substances and B vitamins are present in large quantities. A good growth stimulant.
Hormonal stimulants
The main horror story of consumers of meat products. In fact, the real hormonal stimulant is a mutation in the gene that makes the calf’s body produce myostatin. This is also a hormone, but stopping the growth of muscle mass. Changing the gene led to a complete blockage of his work. In the animal kingdom, this mutation is quite common, but it was fixed only in the meat breed of cattle: the Belgian blue.
A calf of any other breed, except for the Belgian Blue, will not show such a result, no matter how you feed it and what growth stimulants you use.
Artificial hormonal growth stimulants will not give the desired effect without high-protein concentrates and “training”, that is, active movement.
Nucleopeptide
The main function of this hormonal drug is to stimulate a set of muscle mass. It is obtained from the spleen of cattle. Outwardly, it is a cloudy liquid. The color range is from light yellow to yellow-brown. Easily foams when shaken. When stored for a long time at rest, a precipitate forms, which is easily broken after shaking. Packing: 5, 10, 100 ml. The vials are hermetically sealed with plastic caps.
The same applies to those packages, the liquid from which was taken with a syringe through the lid.
Mechanism of action
The substances contained in the nucleopeptide stimulate the secretion of thyroid and androgenic hormones. The manufacturer claims that no more than in physiological quantities.
Thyroid have a complex effect:
- activate the synthesis of growth hormone;
- stimulate the development and growth of the calf;
- accelerate the set of muscle mass;
- have an anabolic effect.
The drug also increases the body’s resistance to diseases. A calf that has not been sick will always grow larger than one that was seriously ill in its youth.
When using the nucleopeptide, there is an increase in muscle mass by 12-25%. Improved feed conversion. The tool can be used in parallel with native antibiotics and vitamin-mineral premixes.
The nucleopeptide speeds up the metabolism, so the calf needs to be fed more and more often than those who have not been treated with a stimulant for rapid growth.
Gamavit
A hormonal preparation made on the basis of denatured emulsified placenta and sodium nucleinate. The source material for the latter is yeast cultures. Gamavit is produced in liquid form. Usually used as an injection.
The tool contains biological substances that increase immunity and optimize metabolic processes. Used for prevention and treatment:
- hypovitaminosis;
- anemia;
- pyometra;
- poisoning;
- toxicosis;
- invasive and infectious diseases.
It is also used as a tonic in the postoperative period. Gamavit is also useful in preparing animals for exhibitions and competitions. But nowhere in the annotation does it say that it stimulates growth. Except indirectly. The manufacturer advertises the product as a growth stimulator as well.
Owners of productive farm animals tried to pierce calves and piglets with gamavit for growth. Opinions differed. Owners of chickens who gave the drug to chickens say that the birds gained weight well. Owners of piglets and calves believe that distilled water could be injected with equal success instead of a stimulant. The manufacturer claims that there are many fakes and you need to be careful when buying.
Rules for the use of cattle growth accelerators
All growth stimulants are used not only for cattle, but also for other animals. Depending on the type of mammal, the pattern of use also changes.
In the first months of a calf’s life, stimulants are not used. Young animals are fed with high-quality starters, hay and milk. Rapid growth stimulants will be required when the bull is fed.
Due to the wide variety of growth accelerators, there is no single scheme for their use. Each stimulant must be accompanied by instructions. If it is not, most likely, the drug is intended for other purposes. Rapid growth with this remedy is either a coincidence, or a side effect, or self-deception.
The nucleopeptide is used for fast fattening of bulls. And instructions for using the tool for this purpose exist. To stimulate immunity, the nucleopeptide is administered intramuscularly or subcutaneously at 0,1-0,2 ml/kg of live weight every 24 hours for a course of 3 days.
When used as a rapid growth stimulant for fattening calves, injections are given in the middle part of the neck subcutaneously. Dosage 0,1-0,2 ml/kg. In one place you can enter no more than 30 ml. Injections are made 4 times with an interval of 15 days.
The rule of thumb for using fast growth products is high protein concentrates ad libitum. You can use the best and most expensive growth stimulants, but if you don’t feed the calf, it won’t grow. He simply has nowhere to take the “building material” for his body.
To get good muscle mass, you will have to feed the calves well, the principle “to earn a lot, you need to invest a lot” works here
Opinion of veterinarians
The influence of growth stimulants on the rapid gain of muscle mass in calves is somewhat exaggerated. The growth of gobies is affected by:
- genetics: a dairy calf will never gain weight as quickly as a beef calf;
- quality diet: if you try to save money and feed the calf with cheap grain in insufficient quantities, even the Belgian blue bull will grow up as a scumbag;
- providing animals with the necessary microelements and vitamins: in case of beriberi or a lack of any element, the growth of animals often stops;
- good conditions of detention: the calf, spending energy on the struggle for survival, grows slowly.
And only if these conditions are met, it is possible to try to accelerate the bulls’ weight gain with the help of artificial means.
The use of bovine growth stimulants in injections is tempting but can be dangerous. Excess vitamins taken orally will not be absorbed and will be excreted from the body naturally. With the introduction of the vitamin composition by injection, even unnecessary will enter the body. Hormonal stimulants for rapid growth can upset the natural balance. The result will not be accelerated weight gain, but problems with the production of hormones.
Conclusion
For rapid growth, it is necessary to feed calves, first of all, with high-quality products containing a large amount of protein. No hormones and antibiotics will help an animal gain weight if it has nothing to “build” muscle tissue from.