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A quantitative analysis of mammary glands of dairy heifers reared at different rates of live weight gain

Published online by Cambridge University Press:  01 June 2009

Roger D. Harrison ,
Ian P. Reynolds  and
William Little
Roger D. Harrison
Affiliation:
Agriculhiral Research Council, Institute for Research on Animal Diseases, Compton, Newbury RG16 ONN, UK
Ian P. Reynolds
Affiliation:
Agriculhiral Research Council, Institute for Research on Animal Diseases, Compton, Newbury RG16 ONN, UK
William Little
Affiliation:
Agriculhiral Research Council, Institute for Research on Animal Diseases, Compton, Newbury RG16 ONN, UK
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Summary

The mammary glands of conventionally reared cows, never exceeding a live weight gain (LWG) of 0·74 kg/d, weighed 39% more and contained 68% more secretory tissue than glands of rapidly reared animals grown at 1·1 kg/d. In 11-month-old heifers reared at 3 rates of LWG (L, 0·57; M, 0·76 and H, 1·18 kg/d) gland weight was related to LWG, but dissected mammary parenchyma was heavier in animals on treatment L than on treatment H and followed a quadratic relationship. Parenchymal composition on treatment H was correlated to both age and body weight at puberty. No similar trend was observed in treatments L and M although group L animals had more ductal tissue and less fat than those of group M. Heifers from treatment L were reared during pregnancy at either 0·68 or 0·84 kg/d LWG (treatments LL and LH respectively) and heifers from treatment H at 0·58 kg/d (treatment HL). Total gland weight was unaffected by treatment, but the percentage by weight of secretory tissue in the gland in treatment HL was less than for treatments LL and LH. These experiments confirm that mammary development is permanently impaired by high rates of LWG in the first year of life. There was no impairment of mammary development in heifers reared moderately in the first year and more rapidly during pregnancy.

Type
Original Articles
Information
Journal of Dairy Research , Volume 50 , Issue 4 , November 1983 , pp. 405 - 412
Copyright
Copyright © Proprietors of Journal of Dairy Research 1983

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References

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