{"status":"ok","message-type":"work","message-version":"1.0.0","message":{"indexed":{"date-parts":[[2026,7,3]],"date-time":"2026-07-03T00:37:32Z","timestamp":1783039052383,"version":"3.54.6"},"reference-count":30,"publisher":"MDPI AG","issue":"11","license":[{"start":{"date-parts":[[2019,11,5]],"date-time":"2019-11-05T00:00:00Z","timestamp":1572912000000},"content-version":"vor","delay-in-days":0,"URL":"https:\/\/creativecommons.org\/licenses\/by\/4.0\/"}],"funder":[{"name":"the National Key R&amp;D Program of China","award":["2016YFC0501805"],"award-info":[{"award-number":["2016YFC0501805"]}]},{"name":"the China Postdoctoral Science Foundation","award":["2019M653774"],"award-info":[{"award-number":["2019M653774"]}]},{"name":"the Thousand-person Plan of Qinghai High-end Innovative Talents","award":["top-notch talents Train"],"award-info":[{"award-number":["top-notch talents Train"]}]},{"name":"the Program for Qinghai Science &amp; Technology","award":["3-4"],"award-info":[{"award-number":["3-4"]}]},{"DOI":"10.13039\/501100001809","name":"the National natural science foundation of China","doi-asserted-by":"publisher","award":["31902184"],"award-info":[{"award-number":["31902184"]}],"id":[{"id":"10.13039\/501100001809","id-type":"DOI","asserted-by":"publisher"}]}],"content-domain":{"domain":[],"crossmark-restriction":false},"short-container-title":["Animals"],"abstract":"<jats:p>This study aimed to investigate the effect of early weaning by supplying calves with alfalfa hay, starter feed, and milk replacer on caecal bacterial communities and on the growth of pre-weaned yak calves. Ten 30-day-old male yak calves were randomly assigned to 2 groups. The maternal grazing (MG) group was maternally nursed and grazed, and the early weaning (EW) group was supplied milk replacer, starter feed, and alfalfa hay twice per day. Compared with the yak calves in the MG group, the yak calves in the EW group showed significantly increased body weight, body height, body length, and chest girth. When suffering to the potential mechanism of improved growth of yak calves, except for the enhanced ruminal fermentation, the significantly increased total volatile fatty acids, propionate, butyrate, isobutyrate, and valerate in the caecum in the EW group could also serve to promote the growth of calves. By using 16S rDNA sequencing, some significantly increased caecal phylum and genera, which were all related to the enhanced caecal fermentation by utilizing both the fibrous and non-fibrous carbohydrates, were identified in the EW group. In conclusion, early weaning of yak calves by supplying them with alfalfa hay, starter feed, and milk replacer is more beneficial to the growth of yak calves when compared with maternal grazing and nursing, in part due to alterations in caecal microbiota and fermentation.<\/jats:p>","DOI":"10.3390\/ani9110921","type":"journal-article","created":{"date-parts":[[2019,11,5]],"date-time":"2019-11-05T06:47:57Z","timestamp":1572936477000},"page":"921","update-policy":"https:\/\/doi.org\/10.3390\/mdpi_crossmark_policy","source":"Crossref","is-referenced-by-count":11,"title":["Changed Caecal Microbiota and Fermentation Contribute to the Beneficial Effects of Early Weaning with Alfalfa Hay, Starter Feed, and Milk Replacer on the Growth and Organ Development of Yak Calves"],"prefix":"10.3390","volume":"9","author":[{"given":"Shengru","family":"Wu","sequence":"first","affiliation":[{"name":"College of Animal Science and Technology, Northwest A&amp;F University, Xianyang 712100, China"}],"role":[{"vocabulary":"crossref","role":"author"}]},{"given":"Zhanhong","family":"Cui","sequence":"additional","affiliation":[{"name":"College of Animal Science and Technology, Northwest A&amp;F University, Xianyang 712100, China"},{"name":"Qinghai Academy of Animal Husbandry and Veterinary Sciences, Qinghai University, Xining 810016, China"}],"role":[{"vocabulary":"crossref","role":"author"}]},{"given":"Xiaodong","family":"Chen","sequence":"additional","affiliation":[{"name":"College of Animal Science and Technology, Northwest A&amp;F University, Xianyang 712100, China"}],"role":[{"vocabulary":"crossref","role":"author"}]},{"given":"Peiyue","family":"Wang","sequence":"additional","affiliation":[{"name":"College of Animal Science and Technology, Northwest A&amp;F University, Xianyang 712100, China"}],"role":[{"vocabulary":"crossref","role":"author"}]},{"given":"Junhu","family":"Yao","sequence":"additional","affiliation":[{"name":"College of Animal Science and Technology, Northwest A&amp;F University, Xianyang 712100, China"}],"role":[{"vocabulary":"crossref","role":"author"}]}],"member":"1968","published-online":{"date-parts":[[2019,11,5]]},"reference":[{"key":"ref_1","doi-asserted-by":"crossref","first-page":"1303","DOI":"10.1016\/S0093-691X(02)01172-X","article-title":"Reproduction in female yaks (Bos grunniens) and opportunities for improvement","volume":"59","author":"Zi","year":"2003","journal-title":"Theriogenology"},{"key":"ref_2","doi-asserted-by":"crossref","first-page":"55","DOI":"10.3168\/jds.S0022-0302(04)70061-2","article-title":"Rumen development, intestinal growth and hepatic metabolism in the pre-and postweaning ruminant","volume":"87","author":"Baldwin","year":"2004","journal-title":"J. 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