The present study was carried out to study the substitution of the ground corn grain by the dried citrus pulp in the starter diet of 28 Holstein calves in an early weaning system. The experimental design was in completely randomized blocks, with the blocks formed in accordance to the arrival order of the animals. The animals were slaughter at the end of the experiment. The experiment consisted on four treatments: 0, 15, 30 and 45% of citrus pulp in the diet, in substitution of the ground corn grain. The calves received the colostrum for three days in the original farm. Besides the concentrate, the calves received four liters of whole milk in the first month, divided in two meal, and three liters in the second month. The concentrate was fed ad libitum fed to the calves from the fourth life day. All calves were kept in individual houses. The evaluated parameters were: average daily gain, dry matter intake, feed:gain ratio, increases of the withers height and of the heart girth, volume and weight of the stomach compartments, development of rumen papillas, number of protozoa, pH and incidence of diarrhea. There was no significant difference among treatments. The dried citrus pulp can substitute the ground corn grain in the diet of early weaned calves, with good results.
citrus pulp; dairy calves; starter
