Beef heifer weight loss during gestation and its effects on progeny performance

Authors

DOI:

https://doi.org/10.33448/rsd-v11i11.33862

Keywords:

Fetal programming; Food restriction; Nutrition.

Abstract

The objective of the present study was to evaluate the intensity of weight loss in beef heifers during gestation and its effects on progeny performance up to 205 days of age. Sixty pregnant heifers aged 3 or 4 years, born between 2015 and 2017, from the rotational cross between Charolais and Nellore breeds were used. Females were divided according to the intensity of weight loss in the gestation period (7, 14, and 21%) and age at first calving (3 and 4 years), in a completely randomized design in a 3 x 2 factorial scheme. Lost up to 21% (T21) of body weight during gestation and had higher body conditions at the end of the breeding season (3.12 vs 3.02 and 3.04 points) and lower body weight at calving (341.96 vs 386.26 and 362.95 kg) about T7 and T14 heifers. The birth weight of the calves showed a tendency to increase as the weight loss of the pregnant heifers increased, with values of 29.46, 30.60 and 32.76 kg for treatments T7, T14 and T21, without reflections on the post-weaning performance of the progeny. In general, the loss of 14 or 21% of the heifer's body weight during pregnancy reduces the weight at the first calving, while heifers calved at 4 years of age are heavier and give rise to progeny with greater productive potential up to 205 days of age.

References

Alvarez, C. A., Stape, J. L., Sentelhas, P. C., Gonçalves, J. L. M., & Sparovek, G. (2013). KÖPPEN’S climate classification map for Brazil. Meteorologi Schezeit Schrift, 22(1), 721-728.

Bauman, D. E., & Currie, B. (1980). Partitioning of nutrients during pregnancy and lactation: a review of mechanisms involving homeostasis e homeorhesis. Journal of Dairy Science, 63(9), 1514-1529.

Bohnert, D. W., Stalker, L. A., Mills, R. R., Nyman, A., Falck, S. J., & Cooke, R. F. (2013). Late gestation suplementation of beef cows differing in body condition score: Effects on cow and calf performance. Journal of Animal Science, 91(11), 5485-5491.

Broadhead, D., Mulliniks, J. T., Funston, R. N. (2019). Development programming in a beef production system. Veterinary Clinics Food Animal, 35(1),. 379-390.

Castro-Rodríguez, D. C., Rodríguez-González, G. L., Menjivar, M., & Zambrano, H. (2020). Maternal interventions to prevent adverse fetal programming outcomes due to maternal malnutrition: Evidence in animal models. Placenta, 102(1), 49-54.

Du, M., Tong, J., Zhao, J., Underwood, K. R., Zhu, M., Ford, S. P., & Nathanielsz, P. W. (2010). Fetal programming of skeletal muscle development in ruminant animals. Journal Animal Science, 88(1), 51-60.

Funston, R. N., Martin, J. L., Larson, D. M., & Roberts, A. J. (2012). Nutritional aspects of developing replacement heifers. Journal of Animal Science, 90(4), 1166-1171.

Klein, J. L., Adams, S. M., Alves Filho, D. C., Brondani, I. L., Pizutti, L. A. D., Antunes, D. P., Poletto, V., Karsten, M. S., De Bem, P. H. T., & Mello, D. A. S. (2021a). Efeito do histórico reprodutivo da vaca sobre o desempenho da progênie. Research Society and Development, 10(12), e39610111823.

Klein, J. L., Diego, S. M., Adams, S. M., Pötter, L., Alves filhi, D. C., & Brondani, I. L. (2021b). Beef cow weight variations during gestation and offspring performance: a meta-analysis. Semina: Ciências Agrárias, 42(6) 3961-3976.

Klein, J. L., Adams, S. M., Moura, A. F., Borchate, D., Alves Filho, D. C., Antunes, D. P., Maidana, F. M., Cardoso, G. S., Brondani, I. L., & Gindri, R. G. (2022). Effects of nutrition in the final third of gestation of beef cows on progeny development. Revista Mexicana de Ciências Pecuárias, 13(3): 658-673.

Marques, R. S., Cooke, R. F., Rodrigues, M. C., Moriel, P., & Bohnert, D. W. (2016). Impacts of cow body condition score during gestation on weaning performance of the offspring. Livestock Science, 191(1), 174-178.

Mohrhauser, D. A., Taylor, A. R., Underwood, K. R., Pritchard, R. H., Wertz-Lutz, A. E., & A. D. Blair (2015). The influence of maternal energy status during mid-gestation on beef offspring carcass characteristics and meat quality. Journal of Animal Science, 93(1), 786-793.

National Research Council (1998). Nutrient requirements of beef cattle. Oklahoma Cooperative Extension Service, Oklahoma, USA.

Prezotto, L. D., Camacho, L. E., Lemley, C. O., Keomanivong, F. E., Caton, J. S., Vonnahme, K. A., & Swanson (2016). Nutrient restriction and realimentation in beef cows during early and mid-gestation and maternal and fetal hepatic and small intestinal in vitro oxygen consumption. Animal, 10(5), 829-837.

Ramírez, M., Testa, L. M., López Valiente, S., Latorre, M. E., Long, N. M., Rodriguez, A. M., Pavan, E., & Maresca, S. (2020). Maternal energy status during late gestation: Effects on growth performance, carcass characteristics and meat quality of steers progeny. Meat Science, 164, 1-7.

Reynolds, L. P., Borowicz, P. P., Caton, J. S., Crouse, M. S., Dahlen C. R., & Ward, A. K. (2019). Developmental Programming of Fetal Growth and Development. Veterinary Clinics Food Animal, 35(2), 229-247.

Rodrigues, L. S. Moura, A. F., Alves Filho, D. C., Brondani, I. L., Klein, J. L., Adams, S. M., Cocco, J. M., & Pereira, L. B. (2021). Análise de componentes principais da variação de peso da vaca durante a gestação na programação fetal de fêmeas. Research Society and Development, 10(2), e14110212077.

SAS Institute Inc. Statistical Analysis System. User’s guide version 3.5 SAS® Studio University Edition. Cary, North Carolina, 2016.

Zago, D., Canozzi, M. E. A., & Barcelos, J. O. J. (2020). Pregnant beef cow’s nutrition and its effects on postnatal weight and carcass quality of their progeny. Plus One, 15: e0237941, 2020.

Downloads

Published

31/08/2022

How to Cite

KLEIN, J. L. .; ADAMS, S. M.; ALVES FILHO, D. C.; BRONDANI, I. L.; PIZUTTI, L. Ângelo D. .; VOLPATTO, R. S.; BEM, P. H. T. de; DIAS, J.; OLIVEIRA, R. da S.; BALLIN, G. G. Beef heifer weight loss during gestation and its effects on progeny performance. Research, Society and Development, [S. l.], v. 11, n. 11, p. e501111133862, 2022. DOI: 10.33448/rsd-v11i11.33862. Disponível em: https://rsdjournal.org/index.php/rsd/article/view/33862. Acesso em: 21 dec. 2024.

Issue

Vol. 11 No. 11

Section

Agrarian and Biological Sciences

License

Copyright (c) 2022 John Lenon Klein; Sander Martinho Adams; Dari Celestino Alves Filho; Ivan Luiz Brondani; Luiz Ângelo Damian Pizutti; Rodrigo Soares Volpatto; Pedro Henrique Tonetto de Bem; Jeriel Dias; Rafaela da Silva Oliveira; Giana Garcia Ballin

Creative Commons License

This work is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution 4.0 International License.

Authors who publish with this journal agree to the following terms:

1) Authors retain copyright and grant the journal right of first publication with the work simultaneously licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution License that allows others to share the work with an acknowledgement of the work's authorship and initial publication in this journal.

2) Authors are able to enter into separate, additional contractual arrangements for the non-exclusive distribution of the journal's published version of the work (e.g., post it to an institutional repository or publish it in a book), with an acknowledgement of its initial publication in this journal.

3) Authors are permitted and encouraged to post their work online (e.g., in institutional repositories or on their website) prior to and during the submission process, as it can lead to productive exchanges, as well as earlier and greater citation of published work.