Eighty first-calf Brahman heifers and 51 mature Brahman cows were allotted to one of three diets based on parity, sex of calf, and breed of calf sire (Angus, Brahman, or Tuli) to evaluate rumen undegraded intake protein's (UIP) influence on production characteristics and reproductive performance. Supplements contained either 38.1% (low), 56.3% (medium), or 75.6% (high) UIP. Supplements were given from d 7 to 119 after calving to dams grazing rye-ryegrass overseeded Coastal bermudagrass pastures and with access to Coastal bermudagrass hay. Dam and calf BW and dam body condition score were recorded on d 7, 35, 63, 91, and 119 after calving. Four-hour milk production was recorded on the above days for low (n = 18), medium (n = 19), and high (n = 18) UIP animals and on d 7 and 35 for the entire group. Blood for progesterone RIA was drawn weekly and on d 6, 8, 10, and 12 after an observed estrus. Medium UIP heifers produced more (P < .02) milk (1.18 +/- .07 kg/4 h) than high UIP heifers (.94 +/- .07 kg/4 h), but milk production in mature cows was not influenced by diet. Low UIP dams had lower (P < .04) first-service conception rates (29.2%) than medium (57.6%) and tended (P < .10) to have lower rates than high UIP dams (54.6%). Overall pregnancy rates tended (P < .10) to be higher in medium (61.5%) and high (56.4%) UIP groups than in the low (43.2%) UIP group. Supplementing UIP at the medium rate improved first-service conception rates and tended to improve pregnancy rates.

Thirty-nine Brahman bulls (301.7 +/- 4.1 d; 202.7 +/- 4.7 kg) were allotted to one of two treatments and fed soybean meal (SBM)- or fish meal (FIS)-based supplements and hay to examine the effects of source of protein on growth and reproductive development. The fish meal supplement had 72% ruminally undegradable protein (RUP) and the soybean meal supplement had 47% RUP. Bulls assigned to the FIS treatment had higher (P < .01) total weight gain (81.2 +/- 1.4 vs 71.2 +/- 2.2 kg), higher (P < .01) ADG (.97 +/- .02 vs .85 +/- .03 kg), and better (P < .05) feed:gain ratio (7.6 +/- .1 vs 8.6 +/- .1 feed/BW gain for FIS vs SBM, respectively). Age at first motile spermatozoa was not affected (P > .05) by source of protein (429.9 +/- 9.6 vs 427.2 +/- 9.5 d, for bulls receiving FIS or SBM supplements, respectively). Likewise, age at puberty (473.3 +/- 21.7 d vs 465.9 +/- 12.9 d for bulls receiving FIS and SBM supplements, respectively) was similar for both treatment groups. There were no differences between treatments in scrotal circumference at those stages. At puberty semen quality was similar for bulls receiving FIS or SBM treatments, and no differences existed in LH and testosterone concentrations between treatments. We conclude that fish meal supplement increased growth but did not alter reproductive parameters in Brahman bulls.

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