Supplementation with sodium butyrate improves growth and antioxidant function in dairy calves before weaning

Abstract Background: There is increasing research interest in using short-chain fatty acids (SCFAs) including butyrate as potential alternatives to antibiotic growth promoters in animal production. This study was conducted to evaluate the effects of supplementation of sodium butyrate (SB) in liquid feeds (milk, milk replacer, and the mixture of both) on the growth performance, rumen fermentation, and serum antioxidant capacity and immunoglobins in dairy calves before weaning. Forty healthy female Holstein calves (4-day-old, 40 ± 5 kg of body weight) were housed in individual hutches and randomly allocated to 1 of 4 treatment groups (n = 10 per group) using the RAND function in Excel. The control group was fed no SB (SB0), while the other three groups were supplemented with 15 (SB15), 30 (SB30), or 45 (SB45) g per day of SB mixed into liquid feeds offered. The calves were initially fed milk only (days 2 to 20), then a mixture of milk and milk replacer (days 21 to 23), and finally milk replacer only (days 24 to 60).Results: The SB supplementation enhanced growth and improved feed conversion into body weight gain compared with the SB0 group，and the average daily gain increased quadratically with increasing SB supplementation. No significant effect on rumen pH; concentrations of NH3-N, individual and total VFAs; or acetate: propionate (A:P) ratio was found during the whole experimental period. Serum glutathione peroxidase activity increased linearly with the increased SB supplementation, while the serum concentration of maleic dialdehyde linearly decreased. Serum concentrations of immunoglobulin A, immunoglobulin G, or immunoglobulin M were not affected by the SB supplementation during the whole experimental period. Conclusions: Under the conditions of this study, SB supplementation improved growth performance and antioxidant function in pre-weaned dairy calves. We recommended 45 g per day as the optimal level of SB supplementation mixed into liquid feeds (milk or milk replacer) to improve the growth and antioxidant function of dairy calves before weaning.

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Supplementation with sodium butyrate improves growth and antioxidant function in dairy calves before weaning

Journal of Animal Science and Biotechnology ◽

10.1186/s40104-020-00521-7 ◽

2021 ◽

Vol 12 (1) ◽

Author(s):

Wenhui Liu ◽

A. La Teng Zhu La ◽

Alexander Evans ◽

Shengtao Gao ◽

Zhongtang Yu ◽

...

Keyword(s):

Body Weight ◽

Growth Performance ◽

Sodium Butyrate ◽

Average Daily Gain ◽

Experimental Period ◽

Immunoglobulin M ◽

Dairy Calves ◽

Milk Replacer ◽

Control Group ◽

Antioxidant Function

Abstract Background There is increasing research interest in using short-chain fatty acids (SCFAs) including butyrate as potential alternatives to antibiotic growth promoters in animal production. This study was conducted to evaluate the effects of supplementation of sodium butyrate (SB) in liquid feeds (milk, milk replacer, and the mixture of both) on the growth performance, rumen fermentation, and serum antioxidant capacity and immunoglobins in dairy calves before weaning. Forty healthy female Holstein calves (4-day-old, 40 ± 5 kg of body weight) were housed in individual hutches and randomly allocated to 1 of 4 treatment groups (n = 10 per group) using the RAND function in Excel. The control group was fed no SB (SB0), while the other three groups were supplemented with 15 (SB15), 30 (SB30), or 45 (SB45) g/d of SB mixed into liquid feeds offered. The calves were initially fed milk only (days 2 to 20), then a mixture of milk and milk replacer (days 21 to 23), and finally milk replacer only (days 24 to 60). Results The SB supplementation enhanced growth and improved feed conversion into body weight gain compared with the SB0 group, and the average daily gain increased quadratically with increasing SB supplementation. No significant effect on rumen pH; concentrations of NH3-N, individual and total VFAs; or acetate: propionate (A:P) ratio was found during the whole experimental period. Serum glutathione peroxidase activity increased linearly with the increased SB supplementation, while the serum concentration of maleic dialdehyde linearly decreased. Serum concentrations of immunoglobulin A, immunoglobulin G, or immunoglobulin M were not affected by the SB supplementation during the whole experimental period. Conclusions Under the conditions of this study, SB supplementation improved growth performance and antioxidant function in pre-weaned dairy calves. We recommended 45 g/d as the optimal level of SB supplementation mixed into liquid feeds (milk or milk replacer) to improve the growth and antioxidant function of dairy calves before weaning.

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Supplementation with sodium butyrate improves growth and antioxidant function in dairy calves before weaning

10.21203/rs.3.rs-25876/v3 ◽

2020 ◽

Author(s):

Wenhui Liu ◽

A La Teng Zhu La ◽

Alexander Evans ◽

Shengtao Gao ◽

Zhongtang Yu ◽

...

Keyword(s):

Body Weight ◽

Growth Performance ◽

Sodium Butyrate ◽

Experimental Period ◽

Immunoglobulin M ◽

Dose Effect ◽

Dairy Calves ◽

Milk Replacer ◽

Control Group ◽

Antioxidant Function

Abstract Background: There is increasing research interest in using short-chain fatty acids (SCFAs) including butyrate as potential alternatives to antibiotic growth promoters in animal production. This study was conducted to evaluate the effects of supplementation of sodium butyrate (SB) in liquid feeds (milk, milk replacer, and the mixture of both) on the growth performance, rumen fermentation, and serum antioxidant capacity and immunoglobins in dairy calves before weaning. Forty healthy female Holstein calves (4-day-old; 40 ± 5 kg of body weight) were housed in individual hutches and randomly allocated to 1 of 4 treatment groups (n = 10 per group) using the RAND analysis method in Excel. The control group was fed no SB (SB0), while the other three groups were supplemented with 15 (SB15), 30 (SB30), or 45 (SB45) g per day of SB mixed into liquid feeds offered. The calves were initially fed milk only (days 2 to 20), a mixture of milk and milk replacer (days 21 to 23), and then milk replacer only (days 24 to 60). Results: The SB supplementation enhanced growth and improved feed conversion into body weight gain compared with the SB0 group，and the average body gain had a tendency to increase linearly with increasing SB supplementation with a quadratic dose effect. No significant effect on rumen pH; concentrations of NH3-N, individual and total VFAs; or acetate: propionate (A:P) ratio was found during the whole experimental period. Serum glutathione peroxidase activity increased linearly with the increased SB supplementation, and the serum concentration of maleic dialdehyde linearly decreased as the SB supplementation amount increased. Serum concentrations of immunoglobulin A, immunoglobulin G, or immunoglobulin M were not affected by the SB supplementation during the whole experimental period. Conclusions: Under the conditions of this study, SB supplementation improved growth performance and antioxidant ability in pre-weaned dairy calves. We recommended 45 g per day as the optimal level of SB supplementation mixed into liquid feeds (milk or milk replacer) to improve the growth and antioxidant function of dairy calves before weaning.

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Supplementation with sodium butyrate improves growth and antioxidant function in dairy calves before weaning

10.21203/rs.3.rs-25876/v2 ◽

2020 ◽

Author(s):

Wenhui Liu ◽

A La Teng Zhu La ◽

Alexander Evans ◽

Shengtao Gao ◽

Zhongtang Yu ◽

...

Keyword(s):

Body Weight ◽

Growth Performance ◽

Sodium Butyrate ◽

Body Weight Gain ◽

Experimental Period ◽

Immunoglobulin M ◽

Dairy Calves ◽

Milk Replacer ◽

Control Group ◽

Antioxidant Function

Abstract Background: There is increasing research interest in using short-chain fatty acids (SCFAs) including butyrate as potential alternatives to antibiotic growth promoters in animal production. This study was conducted to evaluate the effects of supplementation of sodium butyrate (SB) in milk and/or milk replacer on the growth performance, rumen fermentation, and serum antioxidant capacity and immunoglobins in dairy calves before weaning. Forty healthy female Holstein calves (4-day-old; 40 ± 5 kg of body weight) were housed in individual hutches and randomly allocated to 1 of 4 treatment groups (n = 10 per group). The control group was fed no SB (SB0), while the other three groups were supplemented with 15 (SB15), 30 (SB30), or 45 (SB45) g per day of SB mixed into milk and/or milk replacer. Results: The SB supplementation enhanced growth and improved feed conversion into body weight gain compared with the SB0 group. No significant effect on rumen pH; concentrations of NH3-N, individual and total VFAs; or acetate: propionate (A:P) ratio was found during the whole experimental period. The serum glutathione peroxidase activity was higher in the SB30 and SB45 groups compared with the SB0 group, and the serum level of maleic dialdehyde linearly decreased as the SB supplementation amount increased during the whole experiment. Not inﬂuence of SB supplementation was observed on serum concentrations of immunoglobulin A, immunoglobulin G, or immunoglobulin M during the whole experimental period. Conclusions: Under the conditions of this study, SB supplementation improved growth performance and antioxidant ability in pre-weaned dairy calves. We recommended 45 g per day as the optimal level of SB supplementation (mixed into milk and/or milk replacer) to improve the growth and antioxidant function of dairy calves before weaning.

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Effects of Dietary Supplementation of Humic Acid Sodium and Zinc Oxide on Growth Performance, Immune Status and Antioxidant Capacity of Weaned Piglets

Animals ◽

10.3390/ani10112104 ◽

2020 ◽

Vol 10 (11) ◽

pp. 2104

Author(s):

Qi Wang ◽

Jiafu Ying ◽

Peng Zou ◽

Yuanhao Zhou ◽

Baikui Wang ◽

...

Keyword(s):

Zinc Oxide ◽

Body Weight ◽

Antioxidant Capacity ◽

Growth Performance ◽

Immune Status ◽

Immunoglobulin M ◽

Control Group ◽

High Dose ◽

Weaned Piglets ◽

Basic Diet

At present, the widespread use of high-dose zinc oxide and antibiotics to prevent post-weaning diarrhea (PWD) in piglets has caused serious environmental problems. To solve this problem, we studied the effect of HNa as a substitute for zinc oxide (ZnO) and antibiotics on the growth performance, immune status, and antioxidant capacity of piglets. Seventy-two weaned piglets (body weight = 7.42 ± 0.85 kg, 26-d-old) were distributed in a randomized 2 × 3 factorial design (two sexes and three treatments) with six replicates of four piglets each. The three treatments were the control diet (basic diet), HNa diet (basic diet + 2000 mg/kg sodium humate), and ZoA group (basic diet + 1600 mg/kg zinc oxide + 1000 mg/kg oxytetracycline calcium). ANOVA and Chi-square tests were applied to compare the means (p < 0.05) between treatments. The results showed that body weight at 16 and 30 d and the average daily gain of piglets fed with HNa or ZoA were significantly higher (p < 0.05) than the control group. Supplementing HNa or ZoA significantly increased (p < 0.05) the level of immunoglobulin M and G, and reduced (p < 0.05) the concentration of inflammatory factors such as tumor necrosis factor-alpha (TNF-α), interleukins IL-6 and IL-1β, myeloperoxidase (MPO), and diamine oxidase (DAO). Furthermore, dietary HNa or ZnO significantly reduced (p < 0.05) the level of total antioxidant capacity (T-AOC) and malondialdehyde (MDA) compared with the control group. ZoA treatment showed an upward trend of IgA level and a downward trend of the concentration of lipopolysaccharide (LPS) and catalase (CAT). Overall, the study demonstrated that the addition of HNa in the diet partially replaced antibiotics and ZnO to improve the growth performance, immune function, and antioxidant capacity of weaned piglets, and maintained a good preventive effect on piglet diarrhea.

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Effect of chedu and mattha on growth performance of Murrah buffalo calves

Indian Journal of Animal Research ◽

10.18805/ijar.10273 ◽

2016 ◽

Author(s):

Ramesh Kumar ◽

Sanjay Kumar ◽

Jyoti Palod ◽

Himani Tewari ◽

Balwan Singh

Keyword(s):

Body Weight ◽

Health Status ◽

Growth Performance ◽

Research Work ◽

Experimental Period ◽

Control Group ◽

Buffalo Calves ◽

Early Puberty ◽

Murrah Buffalo ◽

Treatment Groups

The aim of the present study was to determine the effect of chedu and mattha on growth performance of Murrah buffalo calves. To assess the effect of chedu and mattha on growth rate, 20 growing buffalo calves of around 1 year of age and approximately of same weights were selected and were divided into 4 treatment groups having 5 animals in each group. The animals had access to ad libitum berseem hay as the basal roughage T0 (Control), T1 (Administration of mattha @ 2% of body weight with salt @ 0.5% of mattha), T2 (Application of chedu on their body @ 150 g per animal), T3 (Administration of mattha and application of chedu). Body weight of all buffalo calves was recorded at 15 days interval during the experimental period. From 75th day of experiment, significant effect (P<0.05) was observed in body weight, heart girth and height at withers of treatment groups as compared to control group whereas, body length and paunch girth showed significant effect (P<0.05) on 90th day of experiment. The results further indicated that use of chedu and mattha improved the health status of the calves and helped to attain a comparatively higher body weight and an early puberty. It can be concluded on the basis of findings of present research work that the use of chedu and mattha may be recommended for supplementation of calves’ diet, as it improves the health status of the calves and helps in the attainment of higher body weight and an early onset of puberty in the calves.

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Effects of species-specific probiotic addition to milk replacer on calf health and performance during the first month of life

Annals of Animal Science ◽

10.2478/aoas-2013-0089 ◽

2014 ◽

Vol 14 (1) ◽

pp. 101-115 ◽

Cited By ~ 12

Author(s):

Alessandro Agazzi ◽

Erica Tirloni ◽

Simone Stella ◽

Serena Maroccolo ◽

Barbara Ripamonti ◽

...

Keyword(s):

Immune Response ◽

Body Weight ◽

Growth Performance ◽

Average Daily Gain ◽

Bacillus Coagulans ◽

Basal Diet ◽

Milk Replacer ◽

Blood Eosinophil ◽

Feed Conversion ◽

Species Specific

AbstractThe aim of this study was to evaluate the effects of the administration of a species-specific probiotic (Lactobacillus animalis SB310, Lactobacillus paracasei subsp. paracasei SB137 and Bacillus coagulans SB117 in a 30:35:35 ratio, respectively; 1.8 × 1010 CFU/g of powder) on gut microbial balance, immune response and growth performance of Holstein female calves during the first month of life. Twenty-two calves were divided into two experimental groups from 2 to 28 days of life: control (C), fed with milk replacer and concentrate as a basal diet, and treatment (T), fed C diet plus 1 g/calf/day of probiotic powder for the first month of age. Faecal and blood samples were individually collected and analysed weekly. Individual faecal score was recorded daily and general health score was calculated at the end of the trial. Cell-mediated immune response was evaluated by skin test at 7 and 28 days of life. Milk replacer and concentrate intake were recorded daily, while body weight and biometrical parameters were recorded at 2, 8, 14, 21 and 28 days of life, thus average daily gain and feed conversion rate were calculated. During the first week of treatment, lower blood eosinophil percentage (0.05% vs. 0.22%; P≤0.01) was found in T group, while basophils were higher in T than C group at the end of the trial (0.21% vs. 0.16%; P≤0.05). Higher faecal lactic acid bacteria (LAB)/E. coli ratio on day 28 of life (3.73 log CFU/g vs. 2.02 log CFU/g; P≤0.05) and lower incidence of diarrhoea were found in the treated group (63.30% vs. 70.71%; P=0.05). Body weight (48.92 kg vs. 46.92 kg; P≤0.05), total concentrate intake (14.77 kg vs. 12.56 kg on dry matter basis; P≤0.05), and heart girth (81.16 cm vs. 78.49 cm; P≤0.05) were significantly higher in T group. The administration of the probiotic during the first month of life improved gut microbiota and increased the growth performance and some biometric parameters of calves.

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Supplementation with sodium butyrate improves rumen fermentation, antioxidant capability, and immune function in dairy calves before weaning

10.21203/rs.3.rs-25876/v1 ◽

2020 ◽

Author(s):

Wenhui Liu ◽

A La Teng Zhu La ◽

Alexander Evans ◽

Shengtao Gao ◽

Zhongtang Yu ◽

...

Keyword(s):

Fatty Acids ◽

Body Weight ◽

Immune Function ◽

Growth Performance ◽

Sodium Butyrate ◽

Rumen Fluid ◽

Rumen Fermentation ◽

Control Group ◽

Quadratic Effect ◽

Treatment Groups

Abstract Background Short-chain fatty acids including butyrate have received increasing research interest as potential alternatives to antibiotic growth promoters (AGP) in animal production. This study was conducted to evaluate the effects of supplementation of sodium butyrate (SB) on the growth performance, rumen fermentation, antioxidant capacity, and immune response of calves before weaning. Healthy Holstein female calves (4-day-old; 40 ± 5 kg of body weight) were randomly allocated to 1 of 4 treatment groups (n = 10 per group). The control group was fed no SB (SB0), while the other groups were supplemented with 2% (SB2), 4% (SB4), or 6% (SB6) of SB/kg of dry matter. All calves were housed in individual hutches. Results The SB supplementation enhanced growth rate and improved feed conversion into body weight gain compared with the SB0 group. At 60 days of age, the rumen fluid pH increases quadratically with increased SB supplementation, and the ammonia nitrogen (NH3-N) concentration of rumen fluid in the treatment groups were significantly lower than that of the SB0 group. There was a quadratic effect that indicated that the SB4 treatment was most effective in reducing the NH3-N concentration. The concentration of volatile fatty acids and Acetic: Propionic in rumen fluid were not affected by SB in any groups. At 28 days of age, the serum level of maleic dialdehyde of the SB groups was significantly lower than that of the control group, and the glutathione peroxidase activity in the serum of group SB4 was significantly increased compared with the that of the control group. At 28 days of age, SB had a quadratic effect on serum immunoglobulin A concentration, with the greatest increase being observed in group SB4. At 60 days of age, the serum immunoglobulin G concentration increased linearly as SB levels increased. Conclusions Under the conditions of this study, there were positive effects of SB supplementation on growth performance, rumen fermentation, antioxidant ability, and immune function in calves before weaning. We recommended 4% as the optimal SB supplementation level to improve growth, antioxidant and immune function of calves before weaning.

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Evaluation of effect of supplementation of extruded rice as a substitute for dried whey in the diet of weanling pigs

Veterinární Medicína ◽

10.17221/8581-vetmed ◽

2017 ◽

Vol 60 (No. 12) ◽

pp. 675-682

Author(s):

S. Mohana Devi ◽

SC Kim ◽

IH Kim

Keyword(s):

Growth Performance ◽

Control Diet ◽

Average Daily Gain ◽

Experimental Period ◽

Feed Ratio ◽

Control Group ◽

Negative Effects ◽

Weanling Pigs ◽

Creatinine Concentration ◽

E Coli

A total of 120 weanling pigs [(Landrace × Yorkshire) × Duroc], 21 days of age with an average initial body weight (BW) of 6.52 ± 0.22 (SE) kg were selected to investigate the effects of extruded rice product as a replacement for dried whey on growth performance, coefficient of total tract apparent digestibility (CATTD), blood profiles, faecal shedding of Lactobacillus and Escherichia coli (the microbial counts of digesta were expressed as log<sub>10</sub> colony forming units per gram), and faecal scores of weanling pigs. Pigs were randomly allocated to one of four dietary treatments, with six replicates per treatment and five pigs per pen. Pigs in the control group were fed a diet based on corn, soybean, and 20% dried whey. Experimental groups received the same diet as the control group, but dried whey was replaced by 3%, 6%, and 9% extruded rice. Throughout the experimental period (six weeks), no differences were observed in the average daily gain, average daily feed intake, and gain/feed ratio. Pigs fed 6% and 9% extruded rice had a lower (P < 0.05) CATTD than pigs fed the control diet on Day 14. The blood creatinine concentration of pigs fed 9% extruded rice was higher (P < 0.05) than that of pigs in the control group on Day 14. Pigs fed the diets containing 6% and 9% extruded rice had decreased (P < 0.05) faecal E. coli counts on Day 14 compared with pigs fed the control diet. The current results indicate that feeding extruded rice can decrease faecal E. coli counts without negative effects on growth performance in weanling pigs.

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Ginkgo biloba L. Residues Partially Replacing Alfalfa Hay Pellet in Pelleted Total Mixed Ration on Growth Performance, Serum Biochemical Parameters, Rumen Fermentation, Immune Function and Meat Quality in Finishing Haimen White Goats

Animals ◽

10.3390/ani11113046 ◽

2021 ◽

Vol 11 (11) ◽

pp. 3046

Author(s):

Yinyin Chen ◽

Xiaoxiao Gong ◽

Tianyu Yang ◽

Maocheng Jiang ◽

Lin Wang ◽

...

Keyword(s):

Body Weight ◽

Average Daily Gain ◽

Immunoglobulin M ◽

Interleukin 4 ◽

Control Group ◽

Feed Conversion ◽

Sod Activity ◽

Final Body Weight ◽

Total Mixed Ration ◽

Alfalfa Hay

Sixty castrated male Haimen white growing goats with an initial age of 100 days old and similar body weight (16 ± 1.5 kg) were selected and randomly allocated into five groups with three replicates in each group with four goats in each pen (5 m × 3.2 m). Goats in the control group (CG) were fed a basal pelleted total mixed ration supplemented with 30% alfalfa hay pellet, while experimental treatments (G6, G12, G18, or G24) were supplemented with four levels (6%, 12%, 18%, or 24%) of GBLR replacing alfalfa hay pellet in the diet, separately. Results showed that (1) the final body weight, average daily gain, and average feed intake of G18 was significantly higher (p < 0.05) than CG; in contrast, the feed conversion ratio of G18 was significantly lower than CG and G12 (p < 0.05); the feed cost per head per day of CG was significantly higher (p < 0.05) than that of G18 and G24, and exhibited obvious linearly decrease (p = 0.04) with increasing GBLR supplementation; and apparent total-tract digestibility of DM and NDF in GBLR treatments were significantly higher (p < 0.05) than CG; (2) alanine transaminase (ALT) concentration in the G18 group was significantly lower (p < 0.05) than those in the control group; aspartate transaminase (AST) concentration in the G24 was significantly lower (p < 0.05) than those in the control group, and an increase in dietary level of GBLR tended to result in a linear decrease (p = 0.09) in the concentration of serum AST; (3) the concentration of malondialdehyde (MDA) demonstrated a tendency to decrease (p = 0.06) linearly with increasing GBLR supplementation; however, glutathione peroxidase (GSH-PX) activity in G12 was significantly higher (p < 0.05) than CG, G6, and G24; in addition, superoxide dismutase (SOD) activity in G18 was significantly higher (p < 0.05) than CG and G6; concentration of immunoglobulin M (IgM), immunoglobulin G (IgG), and immunoglobulin A (IgA) were not affected by GBLR, but increasing dietary GBLR showed a tendency (p = 0.08) to linearly increase the IgG concentration; the content of interleukin 4 (IL4) was significantly higher (p < 0.05) in G12, G18, and G24 than that in CG and G6; (4) There were similar NH3-N, pH, TVFA, and butyrate for goats fed different levels of GBLR supplementation; the C2 (p = 0.07) and acetate: propionate (p = 0.06) demonstrated a tendency to increase linearly with increasing level of GBLR supplementation, separately; however, it was observed that concentration of propionate showed a tendency to decrease (p = 0.08) linearly in response to GBLR supplementation; and (5) Increasing dietary GBLR tended to linearly enhance the lightness (L*) (p = 0.07) and yellowness (b*) (p = 0.09) values of longissimus dorsi muscles; the redness (a*) value in G18 was significantly higher than that in CG (p < 0.05).

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Influence of Sodium Humate on the Growth Performance, Diarrhea Incidence, Blood Parameters, and Fecal Microflora of Pre-Weaned Dairy Calves

Animals ◽

10.3390/ani12010123 ◽

2022 ◽

Vol 12 (1) ◽

pp. 123

Author(s):

Dong Wang ◽

Zhendong You ◽

Yuanyi Du ◽

Duo Zheng ◽

Haotian Jia ◽

...

Keyword(s):

Growth Performance ◽

Basal Diet ◽

Blood Parameters ◽

Dairy Calves ◽

Milk Replacer ◽

Control Group ◽

Sodium Humate ◽

Fecal Microflora ◽

Diarrhea Incidence ◽

And Control

This study aimed to evaluate the effects of the administration of sodium humate (NaH) on the growth performance, diarrhea incidence, and fecal microflora of pre-weaned Holstein calves. In a 53-day experiment, forty healthy newborn female calves were randomly allocated to the following four treatment groups: (1) control (basal diet); (2) 1-gram NaH (basal diet extra orally supplemented with 1 g of NaH dissolved in 100 mL of milk or milk replacer daily); (3) 3-gram NaH (basal diet extra orally supplemented with 3 g of NaH dissolved in 100 mL of milk or milk replacer daily); and (4) 5-gram NaH (basal diet extra orally supplemented with 5 g of NaH dissolved in 100 mL of milk or milk replacer daily). NaH was mixed with milk (d 2–20) or milk replacer (d 21–53). Calves in the 5-gram NaH group had a higher ADG during d 1 to 21 and d 21 to 53 than the other groups did (p < 0.05). Fecal scores and diarrheal incidence were significantly lower in the 3-gram and 5-gram NaH groups than the 1-gram NaH and control groups during d 1 to 20 (p < 0.05). The serum IgA, IgG and IL-4 concentrations, and T-SOD and T-AOC activities were higher, and the serum IL-6, TNF-α, D-lactic acid, and MDA concentrations were lower in the 5-gram NaH group than the control group (p < 0.05). Furthermore, NaH supplementation increased the abundances of Bifidobacterium and Lactobacillus but decreased the abundance of Escherichia coli in feces (p < 0.05). These encouraging findings indicated that supplementation with 5 g of NaH effectively improved the immune status, antioxidant capacity, and intestinal beneficial bacteria, and further improved the growth performance and reduced the diarrhea incidence of the pre-weaned dairy calves.

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