Palmitic acid supplementation does not improve performance of pre-ruminant calves

Abstract Performance and feeding behavior of pre-ruminant calves were examined in an experiment during winter in response to the incremental levels of a high-palmitic acid fat supplement (>86% C16:0) in the starter diet. Forty-eight 3-d-old male Holstein calves (40.3 ± 3.85 kg of body weight) were assigned randomly to 1 of 4 starter diets with the incremental levels of palm fat powder (PF) as 0 (PF0), 3% (PF3), 5% (PF5), or 7% (PF7). The calculated metabolizable energy of starter diet increased from 2.53 to 2.69 Mcal/kg as PF level increased. Calf starter intake and growth rate were not different as PF increased in the starter diet. Treatment had no effect on the pre-weaning calf behavior; however, the post-weaned calves spent more time on ruminating and laying while less time on standing as dietary PF increased. Overall, it appears that pre-ruminant calves would not benefit from the inclusion of palmitic acid in their starter diet.