Hostname: page-component-78c5997874-j824f Total loading time: 0 Render date: 2024-11-08T04:45:32.075Z Has data issue: false hasContentIssue false
  • English
  • Français

Rearing of dairy cattle. 7. Effect of level of nutrition and body condition on the fertility of heifers

Published online by Cambridge University Press:  02 September 2010

J. D. Leaver
J. D. Leaver
Affiliation:
National Institute for Research in Dairying, Shinfield, Reading RG2 9AT
Get access

Summary

One-hundred-and-seventy British Friesian heifers were individually fed from 6 weeks before to 6 weeks after artificial insemination on a diet of 90% maize silage and 10% decorticated groundnut in the dry matter. Three levels of nutrition were compared: 48, 55 and 62 g/day of digestible organic matter/kg live weight0·73, which gave mean growth rates of 0·34, 0·50 and 0·68 kg/day respectively. Pregnancy rates to first service were not significantly different, averaging 67, 69 and 65%. Heifers were given a body condition score at the time of insemination, and pregnancy rates corrected for level of nutrition were 42,72, 70 and 63% for heifers in poor, moderate, good or very good condition. For heifers in poor/moderate condition increasing the level of nutrition increased pregnancy rates and for those in good/very good condition pregnancy rates declined, but these effects were not significant.

Type
Research Article
Information
Animal Production , Volume 25 , Issue 2 , October 1977 , pp. 219 - 224
Copyright
Copyright © British Society of Animal Science 1977

Access options

Get access to the full version of this content by using one of the access options below. (Log in options will check for institutional or personal access. Content may require purchase if you do not have access.)

References

REFERENCES

Broster, W. H. 1973. Liveweight change and fertility in the lactating dairy cow: areview. Vet. Rec. 93: 417–420.CrossRefGoogle Scholar
Donaldson, L. E., Bassett, J. M. and Thorburn, G. D. 1970. Peripheral plasma progesterone concentration of cows during puberty, oestrous cycles, pregnancy and lactation, and the effects of undemutrition or exogenous oxytocin on progesterone concentration. J. Endocr. 48: 599–614.CrossRefGoogle ScholarPubMed
Gunn, R. G. and Doney, J. M. 1975. The interaction of nutrition and body condition at mating on ovulation rate and early embryo mortality in Scottish Blackface ewes. J. agric. Set., Camb. 85: 465–470.CrossRefGoogle Scholar
Hill, J. R., Lamond, D. R., Henricks, D. M., Dickey, J. F. and Niswender, G. D. 1970. The effects of undemutrition on ovarian function and fertility in beef heifers. Biol. Reprod. 2: 78–84.CrossRefGoogle Scholar
Lamond, D. R. 1970. The influence of undemutrition on reproduction in the cow. Anim. Breed. Abstr. 38: 359–372.Google Scholar
Lowman, B. G., Scott, N. and Somerville, S. 1973. Condition scoring of cattle. Bull. E. Scot. Coll. Agric, No. 6.Google Scholar
Reid, J. T., Loosli, J. K., Trimberger, G. W., Turk, K. L., Asdell, S. A. and Smith, S. E. 1964. Causes and prevention of reproductive failures in dairy cattle. IV. Effect of plane of nutrition during early life on growth, reproduction, production, health and longevity of Holstein cows. 1. Birth to fifth calving. Bull. Cornell Univ. agric. Exp. St., No. 987.Google Scholar
Rochet, M. 1973. [Fertility of cows and heifers as affected by variations in the feeding level at the moment of insemination.] Annls Zootech. 22: 327–331.CrossRefGoogle Scholar
Wickersham, E. W. and Schultz, L. H. 1963. Influence of age at first breeding on growth, reproduction, and production of well-fed Holstein heifers. J. Dairy Sci. 46: 544–549.CrossRefGoogle Scholar