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ARS Home » Plains Area » Miles City, Montana » Livestock and Range Research Laboratory » Research » Publications at this Location » Publication #131668
Title: SUPPLEMENTATION WITH WHOLE SUNFLOWER SEEDS BEFORE ARTIFICIAL INSEMINATION IN BEEF HEIFERS

Author
item FUNSTON, RICK - MONTANA EXT SERVICE
item Geary, Thomas
item ANSOTEGUI, RAYMOND - MONTANA STATE UNIVERSITY
item LIPSEY, R - AMERICAN SIMMENTAL ASSOC
item PATERSON, JOHN - MONTANA EXT SERVICE

Submitted to: Professional Animal Scientist
Publication Type: Peer Reviewed Journal
Publication Acceptance Date: 7/2/2002
Publication Date: 9/1/2002
Citation: FUNSTON, R.N., GEARY, T.W., ANSOTEGUI, R.P., LIPSEY, R.J., PATERSON, J.A. SUPPLEMENTATION WITH WHOLE SUNFLOWER SEEDS BEFORE ARTIFICIAL INSEMINATION IN BEEF HEIFERS. PROFESSIONAL ANIMAL SCIENTIST. 2002. 18:254-257.

Interpretive Summary: Supplementing beef heifers with dietary fat in the form of whole sunflower seeds did not improve estrous response to synchronization or pregnancy rate to AI. Heifers with a lower body fat composition and(or) different genetic makeup may have a dietary fat requirement different from the heifers in the present study and respond favorably to lipid supplementation before estrous synchronization and AI.

Technical Abstract: The objective of this study was to evaluate synchronization and pregnancy rates of beef heifers supplemented with 0.91 kg of whole sunflower seeds for either 0, 30, or 60 d before AI. Beef heifers from four locations (n = 1,014) were assigned by body weight (BW) to treatment (within location) and randomly to AI sire. Heifers at Location 1 (n = 176; mean BW = 332 kg) received either 0 or 60 d treatments. Heifers at Location 2 (n = 397; mean BW = 334 kg) were fed sunflower seeds for 0, 30, or 60 d. Heifers at Locations 3 (n = 211; mean BW = 345 kg) and 4 (n = 230; mean BW = 343 kg) received 0 or 30 d treatments. Within location, diets were formulated to be isocaloric and isonitrogenous. All heifers received melengesterol acetate (0.5 mg/hd/d) for 14 d followed 19 d later by an injection of PGF (25 mg). Heifers were bred by AI according to the AM/PM rule except on d 3 during which all heifers which had not exhibited estrus were mass AI. Neither 72 h estrous response nor pregnancy rate were affected (P>0.10) by 30 or 60 d sunflower feeding. Neither estrous response nor pregnancy rate was affected (P>0.10) by treatment. In summary, feeding 0.91 kg of whole sunflower seeds for either 30 or 60 d before AI did not improve estrous response or pregnancy rate compared to controls.