Effect of Xylo-oligosaccharide on Growth Performance and Blood Biochemical Indexes of Calves
      Wang Ximing Xu Li Yuan Ling Wang Jing Sun Wen
      (Northeast Agriculture University, Institution of Animal Nutrition, Harbin 150030)

      Abstract: 15 healthy female calves at the age of 7 days were divided into 3 groups of five calves each. They are of the same or similar fetus and weights with similar heredity background. Group 1 was the control group without any additive; group 2 and 3 were supplemented with XOS at the levels of 5g/d per calf and 10g/d per calf. primary weights of the calves in the three groups with no significant difference (P>0.05) . All groups were fed with the same concentrated feeds supplements and rough feedstuff. The calves ate and drank freely and the trial lasted 42d. The result showed that: the group supplemented with 5g/d per calf had significantly higher average daily weight gain than the control group or the group with 10g/d per calf (P<0.05); urea nitrogen in serum was reduced by XOS addition, and further the group with 5g/d per calf had obviously higher low-concentration lipoprotein contents in serum (P>0.05). But XOS additive had no obvious effects on the other blood indexes of calves (P>0.05).