EFFECTS OF FREE GOSSYPOL IN THE DIET OF PREGNANT AND POSTPARTUM BRAHMAN COWS ON CALF DEVELOPMENT COW PERFORMANCE

Citation
St. Willard et al., EFFECTS OF FREE GOSSYPOL IN THE DIET OF PREGNANT AND POSTPARTUM BRAHMAN COWS ON CALF DEVELOPMENT COW PERFORMANCE, Journal of animal science, 73(2), 1995, pp. 496-507
Citations number
45
Categorie Soggetti
Agriculture Dairy & AnumalScience
Journal title
ISSN journal
00218812
Volume
73
Issue
2
Year of publication
1995
Pages
496 - 507
Database
ISI
SICI code
0021-8812(1995)73:2<496:EOFGIT>2.0.ZU;2-O
Abstract
Pregnant Brahman cows (n = 38) and heifers (n = 12) were assigned, 90 d before expected calving dates, to one of three treatment groups: 1) 0 g of free gossypol(FG).animal(-1).d(-1) (FGHD) from soybean meal (SB M), controls; 2) 2 g of FGHD from SBM and cottonseed meal (CSM), low F G; or 3) 4 g of FGHD from CSM, high FG, to determine the effects of di etary FG on prepartum and postpartum cow performance, calf development , and selected blood variables. Prepartum and postpartum cow BW, 4-h m ilk production, and calf BW were similar (P > .10) among treatments. F ollowing 84 d of treatment, cows receiving 4 g of FGHD tended (P < .10 ) to have greater erythrocyte fragility (EF) than cows given 0 or 2 g of FGHD. Mean EF for the 112-d postpartum period were greater (P < . 0 5) in cows given 4 than in those given 0 g of FGHD. Dietary FG consump tion by the dam did not affect (P > .10) calf EF. Serum triiodothyroni ne (T-3) and thyroxine (T-4) in cows and T-4:T-3 ratio in calves were similar(P > .10) among treatments. After 84 d of treatment, cows recei ving 4 g of FGHD had lower (P < .05) serum concentrations of alpha-toc opherol and beta-carotene than cows given 0 g of FGHD. At parturition, serum alpha-tocopherol and beta-carotene were similar (P > .10) for a ll cows and calves. On d 7 and 28 after calving, (alpha-tocopherol ten ded to be lower (P < .10) and beta-carotene was lower (P < .05) in cal ves given 4 than in those given 0 g of FGHD. Calf metacarpal medial co rtex tended to be greater (P < .10) in calves from cows given 0 than i n those from cows given 2 or 4 g of FGHD, and the lateral cortex (trea tment x sex; P < .05) was smaller in male calves from cows given 4 tha n in those from cows given 0 g of FGHD but was not affected in female calves. By 96 to 105 d after calving, a greater number of (P <.05) cow s consuming 4 and 2 g of FGHD experienced luteal activity, and a great er (P < .10) number than of cows receiving 0 g of FGHD had conceived b y 112 d after calving. In summary, pre- and postpartum consumption of FG may have impaired some aspects of calf skeletal development and vit amin metabolism, although longterm performance of cows and calves was not affected.