A note on the effect of restricted consumption of water and/or dry matter in milk replacer on growth by male and female Alpine kids

Seventy-nine Alpine kids (35 female and 44 male) were used to determine eff ects on live-weight gain of milk replacer consumed ad libitum (I) or with r estricted consumption of water (II) or both water and dry matter (III). Kid s began the 8-week experiment at 3 to 9 days after birth; a commercial milk replacer was fed twice daily. The I kids received ad libitum access to mil k replacer with 14.3% dry matter; III kids received 14.3% dry matter milk r eplacer, with ad libitum access in week 1 and approximately 90, 80, and 70% of consumption by I kids in weeks 2, 3, and 4 to 8, respectively; and II k ids received ad libitum access to 14.3% dry matter milk replacer in week 1, thereafter receiving a similar quantity of dry matter as I kids and limite d water, with a milk replacer dry matter concentration of 15.7, 17.3, and 1 9.2% in weeks 2, 3, and 4 to 8, respectively. Milk replacer dry matter inta ke was 183, 172, and 157 g/day in weeks 1 to 4 (SE 5.6) and 219, 201, and 1 81 g/day(SE 6.4) in weeks 5 to 8; water intake was 1098, 853, and 939 g/day (SE 32.2) in weeks 1 to 4 and 1315, 911, and 1086 g/day (SE 34.6) in weeks 5 to 8 for I, II, and III, respectively. Liveweight gain was lowest among treatments (P < 0.07) for III in weeks 1 to 4 (146, 131, and 118 g/day; SE 5,9) and 5 to 8 (137, 140, and 115 g/day; SE 7.2, for I, II, and III, respe ctively). However, sex influenced (P < 0.05) treatment effects on liveweigh t gain in weeks 1 to 8 (female: 129, 120, and 117 g/day, and male: 155, 151 , and 116 g/day for I, II, and III, respectively; SE 7.2). Milk replacer tr eatment did not affect liveweight gain in the subsequent 4-week period afte r weaning(P > 0.05).