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Vaz RZ, Lobato JFP, Bethancourt-Garcia JA, Pacheco RF, Reis NP, Sartori DBS, Jappe SA, Restle J. Environmental factors on the probability of pregnancy in early or conventionally weaned beef cows. Anim Reprod 2023; 20:e20230054. [PMID: 37795201 PMCID: PMC10546909 DOI: 10.1590/1984-3143-ar2023-0054] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 04/11/2022] [Accepted: 06/29/2023] [Indexed: 10/06/2023] Open
Abstract
Potential variables for the reproductive success of beef cows were evaluated. Included in the model were the age of the cow at calving; the interval between the Julian calving date and the end of the breeding season; the body weight and conditions at calving, at 75 days post-partum and at the end of the breeding season; and the mean daily variation in weight between these dates. Logistic regression was used in the analysis, with the parameters evaluated using the odds ratio statistic, estimating the chance of pregnancy. The mean rate of pregnancy was 84% and 55% for early and late-weaned cows, respectively. For early weaned cows, the regression variables were the Julian calving date, age of the cow, weight gain from calving to 75 days post-partum, and from 75 days post-partum to the end of the reproductive period. For late-weaned cows, there were only two regression variables, weight at calving and weight gain from calving to the end of the reproductive period. For every year above the average age of the herd, early weaned cows have an 80.9% greater chance of pregnancy, while a reduction of one year reduces the chance of pregnancy by 44.7%. In early weaned cows, every seven days after the mean Julian calving date reduces the chances of pregnancy by 22.6%, whereas every seven days before the mean calving date increases pregnancy by 29.2%. Greater gains in cow body weight, from calving to the end of the reproductive period, determine a greater probability of pregnancy.
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Affiliation(s)
| | | | | | | | | | | | | | - João Restle
- Universidade Federal de Goiás, Goiânia, GO, Brasil
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Orihuela A, Galina CS. Effects of Separation of Cows and Calves on Reproductive Performance and Animal Welfare in Tropical Beef Cattle. Animals (Basel) 2019; 9:E223. [PMID: 31071919 PMCID: PMC6562594 DOI: 10.3390/ani9050223] [Citation(s) in RCA: 21] [Impact Index Per Article: 4.2] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 02/16/2019] [Revised: 04/01/2019] [Accepted: 04/29/2019] [Indexed: 11/16/2022] Open
Abstract
Nursing a calf suppresses postpartum ovarian activity prolonging the period of anestrus. Diverse methods are used to reduce the effect of suckling; the most popular, restricted suckling, reduces the number of encounters mother-calf. Temporal weaning of the calf for periods of 24 h, 48 h, or even 72 h also suppress the effect of suckling and is commonly applied to cow-calf operations in the tropics. Early weaning of the calf, usually three to five months after birth, is a practice gaining popularity over the traditional system of weaning at seven months. Furthermore, the use of nose-flaps in the calf to avoid suckling is a common procedure in South America. Finally, weaning during the first week after calving is an established method to reduce postpartum anestrus. The objective of the present review is to discuss the effects of these methods on the reproductive performance of beef cattle and their animal welfare implications.
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Affiliation(s)
- Agustín Orihuela
- Facultad de Ciencias Agropecuarias, Universidad Autónoma del Estado de Morelos, Av. Universidad 1001, Colonia Chamilpa, Cuernavaca 62210, Morelos, Mexico.
| | - Carlos S Galina
- Departamento de Reproducción, Facultad de Medicina Veterinaria y Zootecnia, Universidad Nacional Autónoma de México, Ciudad Universitaria, Ciudad de México 04510, Mexico.
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D'Occhio MJ, Baruselli PS, Campanile G. Influence of nutrition, body condition, and metabolic status on reproduction in female beef cattle: A review. Theriogenology 2019; 125:277-284. [DOI: 10.1016/j.theriogenology.2018.11.010] [Citation(s) in RCA: 50] [Impact Index Per Article: 10.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 07/17/2018] [Revised: 11/06/2018] [Accepted: 11/14/2018] [Indexed: 12/19/2022]
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Liu P, Dong Q, Liu S, Degen A, Zhang J, Qiu Q, Jing X, Shang Z, Zheng W, Ding L. Postpartum oestrous cycling resumption of yak cows following different calf weaning strategies under range conditions. Anim Sci J 2018; 89:1492-1503. [PMID: 30125429 DOI: 10.1111/asj.13097] [Citation(s) in RCA: 6] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 11/20/2017] [Accepted: 07/04/2018] [Indexed: 11/29/2022]
Abstract
Early weaning can improve body condition and reproductive performance of cows. The objectives of this study were to examine and compare oestrous cycling resumption, behaviour and blood parameters of yak cows following four different strategies of calf weaning. Twenty-six yak cows (4-8 years) and their calves (94.3 ± 2.4 days) were studied in which calves were: weaned naturally with free access to their mothers (NW; n = 13); weaned abruptly and separated permanently from their mothers (PW; n = 5); separated temporarily from their mothers for 15 days (TW; n = 5); and fitted with nose plates for 15 days, but allowed free access to their mothers (NP; n = 3). Yak cows with sucking calves (NW) spent more time grazing in the cold season (from d 39 to 84). Based on serum progesterone concentrations, none of nine NW yak cows resumed oestrous cycling during the study, while seven of nine yak cows with weaned calves resumed cycling (3/3 for PW; 2/3 for TW; and 2/3 for NP yaks). We concluded that early weaning improved postpartum reproductive performance of yak cows on the Qinghai-Tibetan plateau and that abrupt and permanent weaning was an appropriate strategy.
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Affiliation(s)
- Peipei Liu
- State Key Laboratory of Grassland Agro-Ecosystem, Institute of Arid Agroecology, School of Life Sciences, Lanzhou University, Lanzhou, China.,Key Laboratory of Alpine Ecology and Biodiversity, Institute of Tibetan Plateau Research, Chinese Academy of Sciences, Beijing, China
| | - Quanmin Dong
- National Key Laboratory of Cultivating Base of Plateau Grazing Animal Nutrition and Ecology of Qinghai Province, Qinghai Academy of Animal and Veterinary Sciences, Xining, China
| | - Shujie Liu
- National Key Laboratory of Cultivating Base of Plateau Grazing Animal Nutrition and Ecology of Qinghai Province, Qinghai Academy of Animal and Veterinary Sciences, Xining, China
| | - Allan Degen
- Desert Animal Adaptations and Husbandry, Wyler Department of Dryland Agriculture, Blaustein Institutes for Desert Research, Ben-Gurion University of Negev, Beer Sheva, Israel
| | - Jiaojiao Zhang
- State Key Laboratory of Grassland Agro-Ecosystem, Institute of Arid Agroecology, School of Life Sciences, Lanzhou University, Lanzhou, China
| | - Qiang Qiu
- State Key Laboratory of Grassland Agro-Ecosystem, Institute of Arid Agroecology, School of Life Sciences, Lanzhou University, Lanzhou, China
| | - Xiaoping Jing
- State Key Laboratory of Grassland Agro-Ecosystem, Institute of Arid Agroecology, School of Life Sciences, Lanzhou University, Lanzhou, China
| | - Zhanhuan Shang
- State Key Laboratory of Grassland Agro-Ecosystem, Institute of Arid Agroecology, School of Life Sciences, Lanzhou University, Lanzhou, China
| | - Wenming Zheng
- Haibei Demonstration Zone of Plateau Modern Ecological Animal Husbandry Science and Technology, Haibei, China
| | - Luming Ding
- State Key Laboratory of Grassland Agro-Ecosystem, Institute of Arid Agroecology, School of Life Sciences, Lanzhou University, Lanzhou, China
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Pérez-Torres L, Orihuela A, Corro M, Rubio I, Alonso MA, Galina CS. Effects of separation time on behavioral and physiological characteristics of Brahman cows and their calves. Appl Anim Behav Sci 2016. [DOI: 10.1016/j.applanim.2016.03.010] [Citation(s) in RCA: 13] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.6] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 10/22/2022]
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Technologies that affect the weaning rate in beef cattle production systems. Trop Anim Health Prod 2015; 47:1255-60. [PMID: 26048693 DOI: 10.1007/s11250-015-0856-x] [Citation(s) in RCA: 8] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.9] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 12/15/2014] [Accepted: 05/18/2015] [Indexed: 10/23/2022]
Abstract
We investigated the differences between weaning rates and technologies adopted by farmers in cow-calf production systems in Rio Grande do Sul State, Brazil. Interviews were carried out with 73 farmers about 48 technologies that could affect reproductive performance. Data were analyzed by multivariate analysis using a non-hierarchical cluster method. The level of significance was set at P < 0.05. Three distinct clusters of farmers were created (R (2) = 0.90), named as low (LWR), intermediate (IWR), and high (HWR) weaning rate, with 100, 91, and 96 % of the farmers identified within their respective groups and average weaning rates of 59, 72, and 83 %, respectively. IWR and HWR farmers used more improved natural pasture, fixed-time artificial insemination, selection for birth weight, and proteinated salt compared to LWR. HWR farmers used more stocking rate control, and IWR farmers used more ultrasound to evaluate reproductive performance compared to the LWR group. IWR and HWR adopted more technologies related to nutrition and reproductive aspects of the herd in comparison to LWR. We concluded that farmers with higher technology use on farm had higher weaning rates which could be used to benefit less efficient farmers.
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Pérez-Torres L, Rubio I, Corro M, Cohen A, Orihuela A, Galina CS, Pablos JL. A pre-synchronization program at early postpartum might increase the chances of Bos indicus cows cycling prior to 50 days regardless of the length of calf separation. J Reprod Dev 2015; 61:199-203. [PMID: 25739397 PMCID: PMC4498368 DOI: 10.1262/jrd.2014-114] [Citation(s) in RCA: 10] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.1] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 11/29/2022] Open
Abstract
The aim of this study was to establish if pre-synchronization would enhance the number of animals cycling prior to conventional breeding at 45 days irrespective of the length of calf separation. Multiparous Bos indicus cows were allotted in four groups (n = 10). Control group (C) dams remained with their calves; groups G24, G48 and G72, which were partially weaned for 24, 48 and 72 h, respectively, were estrus synchronized using a controlled internal drug. These procedures were performed at 25 days and again at 45 days postpartum. The number of follicles, presence of a corpus luteum and back fat thickness (BFT) were determined by ultrasound. The proportion of cows with estrus and ovulation at day 25 postpartum was statistically different between the control and treated groups, with the values being 20, 60, 50 and 70 for the control, G24, G48 and G72 groups respectively (P < 0.05). At days 45 postpartum, the proportion of cows with estrus and ovulation
was different in group G48 compared with the other groups (P <0.05). The average BFT and body condition score for the four experimental groups in the two periods were similar (P >0.05). Animals with a higher proportion of follicles from 17 to 21 mm, BFT values above 3.5 mm and a regular body condition were significantly different regardless of whether the dams remained with their calves or were separated, regardless of the length of this event. It can be concluded that (1) a pre-synchronization program at day 25 could trigger the onset of ovarian activity and facilitate a breeding program at day 50 and (2) temporary weaning enhances the effect of a pre-synchronization program.
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Affiliation(s)
- Libia Pérez-Torres
- Facultad de Ciencias Agropecuarias, Universidad Autónoma del Estado de Morelos, Morelos 62210, México
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Biomarker responses to weaning stress in beef calves. Res Vet Sci 2014; 97:458-63. [DOI: 10.1016/j.rvsc.2014.06.003] [Citation(s) in RCA: 22] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.2] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 11/04/2013] [Revised: 05/29/2014] [Accepted: 06/08/2014] [Indexed: 12/11/2022]
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