Production performance of daughters from cows with different maternal nutrition

Authors: Freetly, Harvey; Cushman, Robert - Bob

Submitted to: Translational Animal Science
Publication Type: Abstract Only
Publication Acceptance Date: 8/3/2021
Publication Date: 12/1/2021
Citation: Freetly, H.C., Cushman, R.A. 2021. Production performance of daughters from cows with different maternal nutrition [abstract]. In: Proceedings of the American Society of Animal Science Western Section Meeting, October 18-21, 2021, Fort Collins, Colorado. Meeting App.

Interpretive Summary:

Technical Abstract: Allowing cows to lose weight during the second trimester of pregnancy and regain weight during the third trimester does not differ energetically from maintaining weight and offers a management option to alter the time that feed resources are used. However, a growing body of information suggests that in-utero nutrient restriction can have negative effects on production potential of daughters. Our hypothesis was daughters from cows that fluctuated in weight during the second and third trimester would have a reduced production potential. Cows were assigned to 4 nutrition treatments: 1) Moderate weight gain during pregnancy, 2) Moderate weight gain during the second trimester followed by rapid weight gain during the third trimester, 3) Weight loss during the second trimester followed by minimal weight gain during the third trimester, and 4) Weight loss during the second trimester followed by rapid weight gain during the third trimester. Daughters were produced over a four-year period resulting in Yr 1 n =24, 28, 23, and 24, Yr 2 n =25, 22, 24, and 30, Yr 3 n =28, 25, 25 and 27, and Yr 4 n =28, 24, 27, and 32 for treatment 1 through 4, respectively. Cohorts within treatment and year are considered the experimental unit. Daughters from all treatments were raised as a cohort after birth within year. Daughters were allowed to wean 8 calves and open cows were culled. Treatments did not differ in the total weight weaned after 8 opportunities (P = 0.65): T1 = 861 ± 60 kg, T2 = 971 ± 61 kg, T3 = 920 ± 61, and T4 = 930 ± 58 kg. The proportion of original heifers remaining at breeding for the 9th calf did not differ between treatments (P = 0.83): T1 = 0.72 ± 0.03, T2 = 0.76 ± 0.3, T3 = 0.74 ± 0.03, and T4 = 0.74 ± 0.03. We reject our hypothesis that weight loss in the second trimester followed by weight gain during the third trimester has a negative effect on daughter calf production. These findings suggest that weight fluctuation during the second and third trimester can be used as a nutrient management strategy without negatively impacting daughter performance.