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ARS Home » Plains Area » Mandan, North Dakota » Northern Great Plains Research Laboratory » Research » Publications at this Location » Publication #190954
Title: EFFECTS OF BODY CONDITION SCORE AT PARTURITION AND POSTPARTUM SUPPLEMENTAL FAT ON METABOLITE AND HORMONE CONCENTRATIONS OF BEEF COWS AND THEIR SUCKLING CALVES

Author
item LAKE, S. - UNIVERSITY OF WYOMING
item Scholljegerdes, Eric
item HALLFORD, D. - UNIVERSITY OF WYOMING
item MOSS, G. - UNIVERSITY OF WYOMING
item RULE, D. - UNIVERSITY OF WYOMING
item HESS, B. - UNIVERSITY OF WYOMING

Submitted to: Journal of Animal Science
Publication Type: Peer Reviewed Journal
Publication Acceptance Date: 10/31/2005
Publication Date: 4/1/2006
Citation: Lake, S.L., Scholljegerdes, E.J., Hallford, D.M., Moss, G.E., Rule, D.C., Hess, B.W. 2006. Effects of body condition score at parturition and postpartum supplemental fat on metabolite and hormone concentrations of beef cows and their suckling calves. Journal of Animal Science.

Interpretive Summary: Previous research has demonstrated that energy status at calving can have an influence on the postpartum interval or the length of time between calving and when an animal is able to become pregnant. Body condition (degree of fatness) and supplemental fat have been shown to influence hormones used as indicators of energy status, such as non-esterified fatty acids (NEFA), beta-hydroxybutyrate, insulin, glucose, growth hormone (GH) and insulin-like growth factor-I (IGF-I). Cows were fed hay and a low-fat control supplement or lipid supplements with either cracked high-linoleate or high-oleate safflower seeds until day 61 of lactation. The diets were formulated to provide 5% of dry matter intake as fat. Similar concentrations of NEFA, glucose, GH, and IGF-I indicate that the nutritional status of beef cows during early lactation was not influenced by lipid supplementation.

Technical Abstract: To determine the effects of BCS at parturition and postpartum lipid supplementation on blood metabolite and hormone concentrations, 3-yr-old Angus-Gelbvieh beef cows, which were nutritionally managed to achieve a BCS of 4 ''0.07 (479.3 ''36.3 kg of BW) or 6 ''0.07 (579.6 ''53.1 kg of BW) at parturition, were used in a 2-yr experiment (n = 36/yr). Beginning at 3 d postpartum, cows within each BCS were assigned randomly to be fed hay and a low-fat control supplement or lipid supplements with either cracked high-linoleate or high-oleate safflower seeds until d 61 of lactation. The diets were formulated to be isonitrogenous and isocaloric, and the safflower seed supplements were formulated to achieve 5% DMI as fat. On d 31 and 61 of lactation, blood samples were collected preprandially and then hourly postprandially (at 0, 1, 2, 3, and 4 h). Serum insulin (P = 0.27) and glucose (P = 0.64) were not affected by BCS at parturition. The mean concentrations of plasma NEFA (P = 0.08) and '-hydroxybutyrate (P = 0.08) tended to be greater, and serum IGF-I was greater (P ''0.001) in BCS 6 than BCS 4 cows. Conversely, serum GH was greater (P = 0.003) for BCS 4 cows, indicating that regulation of IGF by GH may have been uncoupled in BCS 4 cows. The postpartum diet did not affect NEFA (P = 0.94), glucose (P = 0.15), IGFI (P = 0.33), or GH (P = 0.62) concentrations. Oleate supplemented cows had greater (P = 0.03) serum insulin concentrations, whereas control cows had greater (P = 0.01) plasma '-hydroxybutyrate concentrations. Concentrations of NEFA (P = 0.05) and glucose (P ''0.001) were greater, and '-hydroxybutyrate tended (P = 0.07), to be greater at d 3, whereas serum IGF-I was greater (P = 0.003) at d 6 of lactation. Similar concentrations of NEFA, glucose, GH, and IGF-I indicate that the nutritional status of beef cows during early lactation was not influenced by lipid supplementation. However, perturbations of the somatotropic axis in BCS 4 cows indicate that the influence of energy balance and BCS of the cow at parturition on postpartum performance should be considered when making managerial decisions.