Effects of injectable trace minerals on reproductive performance of beef heifers in adequate trace mineral status

The objective was to determine the effects of an injectable trace mineral (TMI; Multimin 90) containing copper (Cu), manganese (Mn), selenium (Se), and zinc (Zn) on trace mineral status and the resulting impacts on reproduction of beef cows and the growth of their calves. Beef cows (n = 200) were assigned to receive TMI or no injection (CON) prior to calving and breeding over two consecutive years. Calves born to cows receiving TMI also received TMI at birth in both years and at 49 ± 1.3 days of age in year 1. The TMI increased (p = 0.01) liver Zn and tended (p = 0.06) to increase liver Cu concentrations. Short-lived effects of TMI on Se were observed. Liver Cu and Zn would have been considered adequate and Se marginal in the CON. Pregnancy due to artificial insemination and overall pregnancy rate did not differ (p ≥ 0.36) between treatments. Use of TMI did not increase calf pre-weaning gain. These data indicate that TMI does not improve the reproductive performance of beef cows with adequate trace mineral status or the pre-weaning performance of their calves.

Section: Resultssupporting

confidence: 76%

Effect of a Trace Mineral Injection on Performance and Trace Mineral Status of Beef Cows and Calves

Willmore

Hall

Drewnoski

2021

“…Under this treatment scenario, cows administered injectable trace minerals had a greater pregnancy outcome to artificial insemination. In contrast, Stokes et al [68] reported no effect of repeated administrations of injectable trace minerals on pregnancy outcome to artificial insemination among developing beef heifers. In both studies, the protocol allowed free-choice access to trace mineral-fortified salt-based supplements.…”

Section: Trace Mineral Injectionsmentioning

confidence: 94%

“…Nonetheless, trace mineral status at the time of breeding would likely impact the influence of additional trace mineral supply through injection on subsequent reproductive outcomes. The control heifers enrolled in the latter study [68] were confirmed to be mineral adequate by liver samples collected at breeding. In contrast, Mundell et al [67] reported a large variation in mineral status of cows enrolled in their study using plasma trace mineral concentrations as an indicator.…”

Section: Trace Mineral Injectionsmentioning

confidence: 96%

Trace Mineral Nutrition of Grazing Beef Cattle

Arthington

Ranches

2021

The trace mineral requirements of grazing beef cattle are often complicated by different environmental factors, such as the lack of specific trace minerals or the presence of trace mineral antagonists in forage. Nearly every region of the world has specific implications related to trace mineral nutrition of grazing cattle. Since forage is the most significant contributor to trace mineral nutrition, it is important to consider the concentrations of trace minerals and antagonists and how they may impact the performance of cattle consuming them. This review attempts to provide an update on the trace minerals commonly found to be inadequate in forage, supplementation strategies to address deficiency including a discussion on supplemental trace mineral source, and the complications presented by mineral antagonists. Although the review focuses on beef cattle grazing systems of the United States, the information herein is derived from both extensive native range and intensive planted pasture.

“…Trace elements, which play significant roles in nutrition and regulate many critical biological processes, are important for optimizing the production of beef cattle [27][28][29][30][31]. Trace mineral deficiencies or impaired placental transfer of these minerals during fetal life can adversely affect not only overall growth but also the immunological and morphological development of a variety of fetal and neonatal tissues [32,33].…”

Section: Discussionmentioning

confidence: 99%

Effects of Maternal Supplementation with Organic Trace Minerals including Zinc, Manganese, Copper, and Cobalt during the Late and Post-Partum Periods on the Health and Immune Status of Japanese Black Calves

Ramah,

Kato,

Shinya

et al. 2023

In this study, we evaluated the effects of supplementation of the maternal diet with organic trace minerals including Zn (zinc), Mn (manganese), Cu (copper), and Co (cobalt) on the health and immune status of beef calves. We examined 19 pregnant cows, which were divided into a group of 9 cows fed a basal diet (control) and 10 cows fed a diet with organic trace minerals (treated). Cows were fed for a period of 45 days before the predicted calving date until 45 days after calving. The number of treatments needed for respiratory and digestive diseases within 14 days of birth was significantly lower in the treated group (p < 0.05) than the control group. In addition, the concentration of serum zinc in the treated group on day 1 was significantly higher (p < 0.05) than that in the control group. The numbers of CD4+ and CD8+ cells in the treated group on days 30 and 60 were significantly increased (p < 0.01) compared with those in the control group, as was the number of γδ T cells on days 1 and 30 (p < 0.05). The number of IgM+ cells in the treated group on days 30 and 60 was significantly increased (p < 0.01) compared with that in the control group, as was the number of MHC class II+ cells on day 60 (p < 0.01). The number of NK cells in the treated group on day 60 was also significantly increased (p < 0.05) compared with that in the control group. The expression levels of mRNAs encoding interlukin-2 (IL-2), interlukin-4 (IL-4), interlukin-12 (IL-12), and interferon-γ (IFN-γ) in the treated group were significantly higher than those in the control group (p < 0.05) on days 1 and 60. The results indicate that maternal supplementation with trace minerals is a promising approach for producing highly disease-resistant calves and enhancing calf immunity.