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A study of the relationship between plane of nutrition during lactation and certain production characteristics in autumn-calving suckler cows

Published online by Cambridge University Press:  02 September 2010

S. H. Somerville ,
B. G. Lowman ,
R. A. Edwards  and
G. Jolly
S. H. Somerville
Affiliation:
Edinburgh School of Agriculture, West Mains Road, Edinburgh EH9 3JG
B. G. Lowman
Affiliation:
Edinburgh School of Agriculture, West Mains Road, Edinburgh EH9 3JG
R. A. Edwards
Affiliation:
Edinburgh School of Agriculture, West Mains Road, Edinburgh EH9 3JG
G. Jolly
Affiliation:
ARC Unit of Statistics, Kings Buildings, West Mains Road, Edinburgh EH9 3JG
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Abstract

Hereford ♂ × British Friesian ♀ cows that had calved in September/October and were suckling mainly Charolais ♂ × calves were offered individually one of three planes of nutrition based on their estimated maintenance requirement during their first 150 days of lactation.

The mean daily intakes of metabolizable energy were 95·8, 71·5 and 52·1 MJ for the high, medium and low planes of nutrition respectively. Data were collected from 122 lactations. The mean 150-day cumulative milk yields of the cows were 1 355, 1 258 and 1 187 kg for the high, medium and low planes of nutrition respectively (P < 0·001). A i-kg increase in calf birth weight was associated with an increase in 150-day cumulative milk yield of 14·7 ± 2·17 kg (P < 0·001). Losses in live weight and condition score were significantly greater for cows given the low plane of nutrition during lactation (P < 0001).

Although there was a significant (P < 0·01) positive correlation between the growth rate of the calves and their dams' nutritional level during the winter there was evidence of compensatory growth at grass, since by the time of weaning in August, the plane of nutrition of the dam during the winter had no significant effect on the weight of the calves.

The experiment demonstrates that energy-deficient beef cows will attempt to maintain milk production at the expense of body reserves and that when supplementary solid food is made available to the suckled calves, their weaning weights are unaffected by the plane of nutrition of the dam during the winter.

Type
Research Article
Information
Animal Production , Volume 37 , Issue 3 , December 1983 , pp. 353 - 363
Copyright
Copyright © British Society of Animal Science 1983

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References

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