GROWTH AND DEVELOPMENT OF CALVES FROM HOL STEIN-FRIESIAN, GERMAN BLACK-AND-WHITE, GERMAN RED AND WHITE BREED AND FROM CROSSES GALLOWAY X HOLSTEIN-FRIESIAN REARED IN GROUPS WITH AN AUTOMATIC MILK FEEDER

Calves from the dairy cattle herd of the calving period 1992/1993 were used for this investigation. Blood samples taken from jugular vein be fore (age of calves 15 days) and at the end of group rearing (age of c alves 90 days) were analysed for acid base status, gas content creatin ine, urea, total protein, Ca, Mg, P, Na, K, Cl, Fe and haemoglobin. Bl ood measures of the animals were correlated with body weight and growt h rate within the calf groups by breed at each time of investigation a nd by themselves at the two points of investigation. Mean values were significantly different in some cases at the calf age of 15 days and 9 0 days (haemoglobin, pO(2), Fe, total protein, P, Na). The changes of blood measures between 15 and 90 days of age had strong relationships with that values determined at an age of 15 days signifying that some of the calves were adapting to the special environment. Variation of b lood measurees became smaller (Na, Ca, P, total protein, haemoglobin) or greater (Fe, Cl) at 90 days of calf age meaning that developmental quality and adaptation of calves to the special environmental conditio ns were obtained more or less completely.