Resumption of postpartum ovarian cyclicity after different suckling manipulation treatments in primiparous beef cows
T. de Castro A B E , D. Ibarra B C , M. Rodriguez B , L. Valdez B , N. Benquet B and E. Rubianes DA Instituto de Reproducción Animal Uruguay, Fundación IRAUy, Camino Cruz del Sur 2250, Montevideo, Uruguay.
B Department of Animal Reproduction, Faculty of Veterinary Sciences, Lasplaces 1550, 11600 Montevideo, Uruguay.
C Department of Bovines, Faculty of Veterinary Sciences, Lasplaces 1550, 11600 Montevideo, Uruguay.
D Department of Animal Sciences, Faculty of Agricultural Sciences, Garzón 780, Montevideo, Uruguay.
E Corresponding author. Email: tdec@adinet.com.uy
Animal Production Science 51(2) 111-114 https://doi.org/10.1071/AN10108
Submitted: 26 June 2010 Accepted: 12 November 2010 Published: 28 January 2011
Abstract
The aims of this experiment were to study suckling manipulation strategies, such as early weaning, suckling inhibition with nose plates or temporary weaning for 5 days, on resumption of ovarian cyclicity in anoestrous beef cows. Seventy-four primiparous Aberdeen Angus and Hereford cows with a mean body condition score of 3.8 ± 0.1 (mean ± s.e.m, 1–8 scale) grazing together on rangeland were used. At 71 days postpartum (Day 0) animals were assigned to one of four groups as follows: (1) suckling group (S, n = 14): cows were suckled throughout all the experiment; (2) nose plates group (NP, n = 20): nose plates were placed to calves for 14 days; (3) temporary weaning group (TW5d, n = 20): calves were isolated from their dams for 5 days; (4) early weaning group (EW, n = 20): calves were definitely weaned. After treatments, weekly serum progesterone concentrations were measured for 9 weeks. EW and NP cows had shorter intervals between treatments and resumption of ovarian cyclicity (19.6 ± 1.7 and 24.5 ± 3.3 days versus 40.6 ± 3.5 and 37.5 ± 4.0 days for EW, NP, TW5d and S, respectively, P < 0.01). A higher proportion of the EW group showed luteal progesterone concentrations the first week after treatments (20 versus 5, 0 and 0% for EW, NP, TW5d and S, respectively, P < 0.05), then proportions of EW and NP cows resuming postpartum cyclicity were similar throughout the remainder of the study. Temporary weaning for 5 days showed no effects on ovarian cyclicity resumption. When body condition score is not very limiting, restricting suckling over 14 days with nose plates is a useful strategy to induce postpartum cyclicity in range cow herds with effects similar to early weaning.
Additional keywords: early weaning, nose plates, temporary weaning.
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