EFFECT OF BIRTH WEIGHT, WEANING WEIGHT AND PREWEANING WEIGHT GAIN ON FERTILITY OF HOLSTEIN HEIFERS UNDER HOT MEXICAN CONDITIONS

Authors

  • Erika López Department of Animal Nutrition, Autonomous Agrarian University Antonio Narro
  • Francisco Gerardo Véliz Department of Veterinary Science, Autonomous Agrarian University Antonio Narro
  • Evaristo Carrillo Techological Institute of Torreon
  • Ángeles de Santiago Department of Animal Nutrition, Autonomous Agrarian University Antonio Narro
  • José Eduardo García Department of Animal Nutrition, Autonomous Agrarian University Antonio Narro
  • Miguel Mellado Department of Animal Nutrition, Autonomous Agrarian University Antonio Narro

DOI:

https://doi.org/10.26873/SVR-394-2017

Abstract

Holstein calves (n= 767) from a commercial herd were used to determine the effect of birth weight (BW), weaning weight (WW) and preweaning average daily gain (ADG) on subsequent reproductive performance of heifers inseminated with sex-sorted semen in a hot environment (25°N; mean annual temperature 23.7°C). BW were divided into three groups: <36, 36-39 and >39 kg. WW were classified as <66, 66-74 and >74 kg. ADG was categorized as <450, 450-520 and >520 g. Of the heifers initially bred, 7.8% failed to conceive with ≥5 services. Services/pregnancy were higher (p<0.01) in heifers with low BW (2.42 ± 1.39) than heifers with medium (2.13 ± 1.38) and high BW (2.05 ± 1.34). The proportion of heifers conceiving to the first service was lowest (27.9%; p><0.01) in heifers with the lowest BW compared to heifers weighing 36-39 kg (36.3%) and >39 kg at birth (40.3%). However, neither BW, WW, nor ADG significantly affected (p>0.10) all-service conception rate. Categories for BW, WW and ADG did not influence abortion rate (3.5% for all pregnant heifers). It was concluded that the heavier the Holstein calves are at birth and weaning, the shorter the age at calving under the present conditions, but low birth and weaning weight did not hamper all-service conception rate.

Key words: heifers; fertility; growth rate; abortion rate; conception rate

 

POVEZAVA MED TELESNO MASO, MASO OB ODSTAVITVI IN PRIRASTOM V ČASU PRED ODSTAVITVIJO NA PLODNOST TELIC HOLŠTAJN-FRIZIJSKE PASME V VROČIH KLIMATSKIH RAZMERAH MEHIKE

Pri telicah holštajnske pasme (n = 767) iz komercialne črede smo ugotavljali vpliv telesne mase ob rojstvu, telesne mase ob odstavitvi ter dnevnega prirasta od rojstva do odstavitve na kasnejše reproduktivne sposobnosti telic, ki smo jih osemenili s semenom, ločenim glede na spol. Raziskava je potekala v vročih klimatskih razmerah (25 °C; povprečna letna temperatura 23.7 °C). Glede na telesno maso ob rojstvu smo telice razdelili v tri skupine: telice z maso, nižjo od 36 kg, telice z maso med 36 in 39 kg ter telice z maso več kot 39 kg. Glede na telesno maso ob odstavitvi pa smo razdelili telice v skupine z maso nižjo od 66 kg, maso od 66 do 74 kg ter maso, višjo od 74 kg. Enako smo živali razdelili v tri skupine glede na povprečni dnevni prirast in sicer na tiste, ki so v povprečju priraščale manj kot 450 g na dan, na tiste, ki so pridobivale od 450 do 520 g na dan, in na tiste, ki so imele povprečni prirast višji od 520 g na dan. Med vsemi telicami se jih 7,8 % ni zabrejilo tudi po peti osemenitvi. Razmerje med osemenitvami in zabrejitvijo je bilo višje pri telicah z nizko porodno težo kot pri drugih dveh skupinah (p < 0,01), in sicer je bilo pri telicah z nizko porodno težo potrebno povprečno 2,42 + 1,39 osemenitev do zabrejitve, pri skupinah s srednjo porodno težo je bilo potrebno 2,13 + 1,38 osemenitev, pri telicah z višjo porodno težo pa le 2,05 + 1,34 osemenitev do zabrejitve. Delež telic, ki so se zabrejile ob prvi osemenitvi, je bil prav tako najnižji v skupini z nizko porodno maso, le 27,9 %, medtem ko je bil v skupini s srednjo porodno maso 36,3, pri telicah z visoko porodno maso pa 40,3 5 (p < 0,01). Končno število brejih telic se glede na število osemenitev ni razlikovalo med skupinami ne glede na porodno maso, maso ob odstavitvi ali povprečni dnevni prirast. Prav tako telesna masa ni vplivala na pogostnost zvrgov, ki je bila 3,5 % pri vseh skupinah. Iz raziskave lahko ugotovimo, da se telice, ki so ob rojstvu težje, hitreje zabrejijo v toplih klimatskih razmerah, vendar pa telesna masa ob rojstvu ali ob odstavitvi ni povezana s povečanim pojavljanjem neplodnosti.

Ključne besede: telice; plodnost; prirast; pojavnost zvrgov; stopnja zabrejitve

Author Biographies

Erika López, Department of Animal Nutrition, Autonomous Agrarian University Antonio Narro

Doctor, Department of Veterinary Science, Torreon, Mexico

Francisco Gerardo Véliz, Department of Veterinary Science, Autonomous Agrarian University Antonio Narro

Doctor, Department of Veterinary Science, Torreon, Mexico

Evaristo Carrillo, Techological Institute of Torreon

Doctor, Departament of Agriculture

Ángeles de Santiago, Department of Animal Nutrition, Autonomous Agrarian University Antonio Narro

Doctor, Department of Veterinary Science, Torreon, Mexico

José Eduardo García, Department of Animal Nutrition, Autonomous Agrarian University Antonio Narro

Professor, Department of Animal Nutrition

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Published

2018-04-08

How to Cite

López, E., Véliz, F. G., Carrillo, E., de Santiago, Ángeles, García, J. E., & Mellado, M. (2018). EFFECT OF BIRTH WEIGHT, WEANING WEIGHT AND PREWEANING WEIGHT GAIN ON FERTILITY OF HOLSTEIN HEIFERS UNDER HOT MEXICAN CONDITIONS. SLOVENIAN VETERINARY RESEARCH, 55(1). https://doi.org/10.26873/SVR-394-2017

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Original Research Article