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ARS Home » Plains Area » Clay Center, Nebraska » U.S. Meat Animal Research Center » Nutrition, Growth and Physiology » Research » Publications at this Location » Publication #413902
Research Project: Optimizing Nutrient Management and Efficiency of Beef Cattle and Swine

Location: Nutrition, Growth and Physiology

Title: Why are some cows skinny? An evaluation of stress and immune factors

Author
item Lindholm-Perry, Amanda
item Kuehn, Larry
item FREETLY, HARVEY - Retired ARS Employee
item Oliver, William
item Neville, Bryan
item Crouse, Matthew
item Thorson, Jennifer
item Wells, James - Jim
item Keel, Brittney

Submitted to: Journal of Animal Science
Publication Type: Abstract Only
Publication Acceptance Date: 4/11/2024
Publication Date: 9/13/2024
Citation: Lindholm-Perry, A.K., Kuehn, L.A., Freetly, H.C., Oliver, W.T., Neville, B.W., Crouse, M.S., Thorson, J.F., Wells, J., Keel, B.N. 2024. Why are some cows skinny? An evaluation of stress and immune factors [abstract]. Journal of Animal Science. 102(Supplement 3):88. https://doi.org/10.1093/jas/skae234.099.
DOI: https://doi.org/10.1093/jas/skae234.099

Interpretive Summary:

Technical Abstract: For the mature cow with low body condition scores (BCS), being too thin can accompany health issues, reduced pregnancy rates, more days to rebreeding, and lower milk production resulting in lighter calves at weaning. In addition, reduced fat insulation in low BCS cows during the winter equates to additional feed requirements for warmth. The hypothesis of this study was that stress and immune factors contribute to low BCS in mature cows. The objective of this study was to determine whether there were differences in hematology parameters, hair cortisol levels, and plasma cytokine levels among animals with low body condition (BCS