|
|
||||||||
1 Department of Animal Science, Michigan State University, East Lansing 48824
To determine effects of rapid prepubertal growth on first-lactation milk production, Holstein heifers were randomly assigned to one of three treatments. Thirty-five heifers were fed a standard diet to meet NRC recommendations and produce 0.8 kg of body weight (BW) gain/d (standard). Thirty-five heifers were fed a diet with higher energy (2.8 Mcal of metabolizable energy/kg) and protein (19.7% crude protein; high diet) to produce 1.2 kg of BW gain/d (high). Thirty-five heifers were fed the high diet and injected daily with bovine somatotropin (bST) (25 µg/kg of BW; high-bST). Diets were fed and bST was injected from 135 kg of BW until pregnancy was confirmed. Heifers were inseminated after BW exceeded 363 kg. Pregnant heifers were commingled and fed similar diets through gestation, parturition, and lactation. High and high-bST heifers had greater prebreeding average BW gains than standard heifers. Conversely, standard heifers had a greater average BW gain during gestation than high and high-bST heifers. High and high-bST heifers were approximately 90 d younger than standard heifers at first insemination and first parturition. Postpartum BW, body condition scores, and withers heights at parturition, and calving ease scores were not different among treatments. Standard heifers produced 14% more milk than high heifers but not more than high-bST heifers. The high-protein, high-energy diet decreased age at first parturition and first-lactation milk production, but did not affect reproduction. Injection of bST during the pre-pubertal growth period combined with the high diet decreased age at first parturition without reducing milk production.
Key Words: heifer growth bovine somatotropin milk production
Submitted on May 3, 1999
Accepted on August 27, 1999
This article has been cited by other articles:
![]() |
G. J. Lascano, G. I. Zanton, F. X. Suarez-Mena, and A. J. Heinrichs Effect of limit feeding high- and low-concentrate diets with Saccharomyces cerevisiae on digestibility and on dairy heifer growth and first-lactation performance J Dairy Sci, October 1, 2009; 92(10): 5100 - 5110. [Abstract] [Full Text] [PDF] |
||||
![]() |
G. I. Zanton and A. J. Heinrichs Review: Limit-Feeding with Altered Forage-to-Concentrate Levels in Dairy Heifer Diets Professional Animal Scientist, August 1, 2009; 25(4): 393 - 403. [Abstract] [PDF] |
||||
![]() |
L. E. Davis Rincker, M. S. Weber Nielsen, L. T. Chapin, J. S. Liesman, and M. J. VandeHaar Effects of Feeding Prepubertal Heifers a High-Energy Diet for Three, Six, or Twelve Weeks on Feed Intake, Body Growth, and Fat Deposition J Dairy Sci, May 1, 2008; 91(5): 1913 - 1925. [Abstract] [Full Text] [PDF] |
||||
![]() |
L. E. Davis Rincker, M. S. Weber Nielsen, L. T. Chapin, J. S. Liesman, K. M. Daniels, R. M. Akers, and M. J. VandeHaar Effects of Feeding Prepubertal Heifers a High-Energy Diet for Three, Six, or Twelve Weeks on Mammary Growth and Composition J Dairy Sci, May 1, 2008; 91(5): 1926 - 1935. [Abstract] [Full Text] [PDF] |
||||
![]() |
G. I. Zanton and A. J. Heinrichs The Effects of Controlled Feeding of a High-Forage or High-Concentrate Ration on Heifer Growth and First-Lactation Milk Production J Dairy Sci, July 1, 2007; 90(7): 3388 - 3396. [Abstract] [Full Text] [PDF] |
||||
![]() |
G. I. Zanton and A. J. Heinrichs Meta-Analysis to Assess Effect of Prepubertal Average Daily Gain of Holstein Heifers on First-Lactation Production J Dairy Sci, November 1, 2005; 88(11): 3860 - 3867. [Abstract] [Full Text] [PDF] |
||||
![]() |
K. A. Macdonald, J. W. Penno, A. M. Bryant, and J. R. Roche Effect of Feeding Level Pre- and Post-Puberty and Body Weight at First Calving on Growth, Milk Production, and Fertility in Grazing Dairy Cows J Dairy Sci, September 1, 2005; 88(9): 3363 - 3375. [Abstract] [Full Text] [PDF] |
||||
![]() |
A. V. Capuco, G. E. Dahl, D. L. Wood, U. Moallem, and R. E. Erdman Effect of Bovine Somatotropin and Rumen-Undegradable Protein on Mammary Growth of Prepubertal Dairy Heifers and Subsequent Milk Production J Dairy Sci, November 1, 2004; 87(11): 3762 - 3769. [Abstract] [Full Text] [PDF] |
||||
![]() |
U. Moallem, G. E. Dahl, E. K. Duffey, A. V. Capuco, and R. A. Erdman Bovine Somatotropin and Rumen-Undegradable Protein Effects on Skeletal Growth in Prepubertal Dairy Heifers J Dairy Sci, November 1, 2004; 87(11): 3881 - 3888. [Abstract] [Full Text] [PDF] |
||||
![]() |
R. P. Radcliff, M. J. VandeHaar, Y. Kobayashi, B. K. Sharma, H. A. Tucker, and M. C. Lucy Effect of Dietary Energy and Somatotropin on Components of the Somatotropic Axis in Holstein Heifers J Dairy Sci, May 1, 2004; 87(5): 1229 - 1235. [Abstract] [Full Text] [PDF] |
||||
![]() |
S. S. Block, J. M. Smith, R. A. Ehrhardt, M. C. Diaz, R. P. Rhoads, M. E. Van Amburgh, and Y. R. Boisclair Nutritional and Developmental Regulation of Plasma Leptin in Dairy Cattle J Dairy Sci, October 1, 2003; 86(10): 3206 - 3214. [Abstract] [Full Text] [PDF] |
||||
![]() |
K. A. Beauchemin, D. Colombatto, D. P. Morgavi, and W. Z. Yang Use of Exogenous Fibrolytic Enzymes to Improve Feed Utilization by Ruminants J Anim Sci, February 1, 2003; 81(14_suppl_2): E37 - 47. [Abstract] [Full Text] [PDF] |
||||
![]() |
L. F. P. Silva, M. J. VandeHaar, M. S. Weber Nielsen, and G. W. Smith Evidence for a Local Effect of Leptin in Bovine Mammary Gland J Dairy Sci, December 1, 2002; 85(12): 3277 - 3286. [Abstract] [Full Text] [PDF] |
||||
![]() |
L. F. P. Silva, M. J. VandeHaar, B. K. Whitlock, R. P. Radcliff, and H. A. Tucker Short Communication: Relationship Between Body Growth and Mammary Development in Dairy Heifers J Dairy Sci, October 1, 2002; 85(10): 2600 - 2602. [Abstract] [Full Text] [PDF] |
||||
| HOME | HELP | FEEDBACK | SUBSCRIPTIONS | ARCHIVE | SEARCH | TABLE OF CONTENTS |