Journal of Animal Science, Vol 68, Issue 9 2622-2627, Copyright © 1990 by American Society of Animal Science

JOURNAL ARTICLE

Influence of nutritional restriction during late gestation on production measures and passive immunity in beef cattle

R. L. Hough, F. D. McCarthy, H. D. Kent, D. E. Eversole and M. L. Wahlberg
Dept. of Anim. Sci., Virginia Polytechnic Institute and State University, Blacksburg 24061.

A 2-yr study was conducted to examine the effects of nutritional restriction of beef cows during the last 90 d of gestation on neonatal immunity and production. Cows were fed corn silage, soybean meal diets; dietary treatments consisted of 1) control (CO), 100% of the NRC (1984) requirements for protein and energy, or 2) restricted (RS), 57% of the NRC requirements for energy and protein. All cows received adequate amounts of this diet postpartum. Each year, 26 Angus cows were grouped by age and weight:height ratio (WT:HT) and allotted randomly to treatments. Calves born to dams within each nutritional treatment group were allotted to one of two colostral treatments: 1) colostrum from their dam, or 2) colostrum from a cow from the other nutritional treatment group. Calves from restricted dams had higher cortisol (33.8 vs 26.1 ng/ml) and lower triiodothyronine (T3) (3.82 vs 4.01 ng/ml) concentrations (P less than .05). Maternal nutrition did not affect either colostrum immunoglobulin G (IgG) concentration (43.0 vs 39.5 mg/ml for RS and CO, respectively) or the calves' serum IgG concentration (19.06 vs 20.17 mg/ml IgG at 24 h for RS and CO, respectively). Yet, calves fed colostrum from restricted cows tended to have lower serum IgG concentration (17.2 vs 22.0 mg/ml IgG at 24 h).

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