One of the hardest things I face as a nutrition consultant is helping producers understand and quantify investments made in early life, and the payback they will bring later on when that animal enters the lactating herd.
When we talk about early life investments we are typically talking about quality and quantity of milk fed to calves and how it impacts growth and development. I want to look at this from a somewhat different angle. Not only are we growing and developing a heifer, but we are also growing and developing the digestive system. This system cannot be overlooked because before the animal can grow and develop, she must first digest her food, absorb it, and only then can she use it to fuel growth and development. If we have a poorly established microbiome, or a gastrointestinal tract that has been damaged, it will be much more challenging for that food to be turned into fuel.
Colonization
Microbiome colonization begins at birth but needs to be cared for and cultivated throughout life. Prebiotics are non-digestible feed ingredients that selectively support beneficial gut microbes, while probiotics are live microorganisms that provide a health benefit to the host. When fed together as a synbiotic, the prebiotic acts as a substrate for the probiotic, helping the introduced microbes survive, establish, and function more effectively. That complementary relationship helps explain why synbiotics often show a larger response than either ingredient alone.[1][2][3]
Real World Results
In a UC-Davis study by Muhffel et al., researchers evaluated whether feeding prebiotics, probiotics, or a synbiotic during the preweaning period had long-term effects on milk production later in life. In this retrospective analysis only the synbiotic treatment increased energy-corrected milk yield in the first 3 lactations, by about 1.0 kg/day (2.2 lbs./day) when compared with the control group.[4]
The response was driven mainly by higher milk fat yield, with synbiotic-fed cows producing 0.048 kg/day (.11 lbs./day) more fat than control groups. Prebiotic alone and probiotic alone did not differ from the control group when it came to energy-corrected milk yield.[4]
Application
More research may be needed, but from the results of this study it looks like feeding a combined prebiotic + probiotic supplement during the preweaning period has greater potential to improve energy corrected milk production than either additive alone.[1][4]
When choosing a synbiotic it is important to choose one that is research proven to improve animal health and efficiency. Surveillance Calf is a synbiotic specifically formulated to enhance immune function and animal performance. Find out more about Surveillance in the Calf Distinction online store!
Written by: Mariah Gull, M.S.
⁂Sources:
1. https://www.agproud.com/articles/56410-probiotics-prebiotics-and-postbiotics-oh-my
2. https://vitaferm.com/2017/03/16/what-is-the-difference-between-prebiotics-and-probiotics/
3. https://www.mayoclinic.org/healthy-lifestyle/nutrition-and-healthy-eating/expert-answers/probiotics/faq-20058065
4. https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/41651372/
5. https://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/pii/S2405654525000149
6. https://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/pii/S0022030223007907
7. https://proearthanimalhealth.com/blogs/blog/prebiotics-what-they-are-and-what-they-do
8. https://www.beefresearch.ca/fact-sheets/evidence-based-prebiotic-and-probiotic-solutions-for-improving-gut-health-and-feed-efficiency-in-cattle/
9. https://www.mdanderson.org/cancerwise/prebiotics-versus-probiotics-whats-the-difference.h00-159774078.html
10. https://isappscience.org/resource/episode-5-prebiotics-for-animal-health/
11. https://www.frontiersin.org/journals/veterinary-science/articles/10.3389/fvets.2022.957935/full
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