The objective of this work was to verify the effect of the supply LT 516 strain of Lactobacillusacidophilus, adjoining to the milk, on dairy calves performance from birth to 56 days of age. Thirty-six newborn calves were allotted to a randomized blocks grouped by sex, breed and birth weight. The daily supply of a concentrate with viable cell (1,9 x 10(10) UFC/anim) of Lactobacillusacidophilus (LT 516), from birth to 56 days of age (Treatment 1); the daily supply of the same concentrate from birth to 10 days of age (Treatment 2) and no supply of Lactobacillusacidophilus (Treatment 3) were studied. Calves were fed 4 L of whole milk/anim·d, and from the second week of age, a starter concentrate and ad libitum chopped elephant grass (Pennisetum purpureum Schum). There were no differences among treatments on dry matter and crude protein intakes and apparent digestibility, weight gain, hematocrit, hemoglobin, red globules count, average globular hemoglobin, average globular hemoglobin concentration, average globular volume and leukocytes global count, on the absorptive capacity (estimated by the xylose test), calves intestinal digest pH and neither fecal facultative lactobacilli and total coliforms number. Lactobacillusacidophilus (LT 516) administration reduced diarrhea occurrence, without affecting feces odor and consistency. Calves fed probiotic for the first 10 days showed higher number of facultative lactobacilli in the small intestine. The number of total coliforms in the small intestine was higher in control calves, and lower in calves fed probiotic for the first 56 days of age.
dairy calves; diarrhea; Lactobacillus acidophilus; probiotic
