Importance of dam BW change and calf birth weight in double-muscled Belgian Blue cattle and its relationship with parity and calving interval

Abstract

Factors affecting calving interval (CI) in double-muscled Belgian Blue (DMBB) beef cows were investigated with regard to the BW yield (BWY) of the cow-calf pair, using 834 CI records from 386 females with parities 1 to 6. The effect of parity and CI on BWY was also studied. Cow-calf pair BWY was defined as calf birth weight plus dam BWY per CI. CI (mean ± s.e.: 404 ± 1.9 days) was affected by parity, calving season, suckling and calf birth weight/dam weight. Primiparous cows had a shorter CI than cows with three or more calvings (P < 0.05), with an intermediate CI for second-calf cows. Spring calvings resulted in a shorter CI than summer and autumn calvings, with intermediate values for winter calvings. Suckling dams had longer CIs than non-suckling dams. There were interactions (P < 0.05) between calving season and suckling, and between calving season and mating system. Shortest CIs were observed for spring calvings in case of non-suckling and for summer calvings in case of suckling. Longest CIs were observed for autumn calvings in case of natural service (NS) and for winter calvings in case of artificial insemination (AI). Calf birth weight/dam weight of 6% to 10% resulted in shorter CI than a ratio of <6% ( P < 0.05). Body condition and mating system (NS v. AI) did not affect CI. Daily cow-calf pair BWY was affected by parity ( P < 0.001) and CI (P = 0.013), with a tendency for an interaction (P = 0.094). Daily cow-calf pair BWY did not differ for CIs of <12 to 16 months in primiparous cows and was lowest for a CI of 13 to 15 months in second-calf cows, whereas the effect of CI was more variable in older cows. Dam contribution to cow-calf pair BWY was larger than calf birth weight in first-and second-calf cows, and increased with increasing CI. Dam contribution to cow-calf pair BWY was smaller than calf birth weight in older cows, varying from 0.2 to 1.0 depending on CI. A short CI is advised for DMBB cows because of a larger BWY and more efficient nutrient utilisation.

Evidence for placental compensation in cattle

“…On the contrary, in non-growing and non-lactating BB dams, the strong linear relationship between dam and calf size suggests a high priority and an unconditional nutrient supply toward the pregnant uterus. As BB animals have an extreme growth performance during the first 2 to 3 years of life, only limited weight gain is seen after second parturition (Fiems and Ampe, 2015). Furthermore, research on growth rates in female beef cattle has shown that pelvic height begins to plateau between 24 and 27 months of age (Neville et al, 1978), indicating multiparous BB dams to have a close to mature frame and only limited nutrient requirements for maintenance and growth.…”

“…Consequently, the maternal and environmental factors during early gestation are believed to be decisive in determining the number of placentomes. Because of the fast growth in adolescent BB heifers, their nutritional demand (in terms of energy and protein requirements) is at least 1.5 higher than that of adult BB cows in early pregnancy (Fiems and Ampe, 2015) and a high priority status of maternal tissue growth is expected. As a consequence, maternal growth in primiparous BB dams might impair the availability of nutrients for the conceptus.…”

“…In contrast to Holstein Friesian (HF) dairy cattle, the doublemuscled Belgian Blue (BB) breed is reared explicitly for beef production and has lost the potential for (high) milk yield. Furthermore, due to very high growth rates during the first 2 years of life, only a limited weight gain is seen in this breed after second parturition (Fiems and Ampe, 2015). As a consequence, the pregnant uterus does not have to compete with other processes and an excellent nutrient supply to the conceptus is assumed, which is underlined by very high birth weights in this breed (Kolkman et al, 2010).…”

Berat Lahir dan Mortalitas Anak Sapi Belgian Blue dari Rumpun Resipien dan Ketinggian Tempat Berbeda

“…Sapi Belgian Blue (BB) dikenal memiliki karakteristik spesifik yaitu otot hipertropi, dimana terdapat penyembulan otot pada bagian pundak, punggung dan bagian paha belakang. Sapi BB termasuk salah satu rumpun sapi yang memiliki fenotipe double muscling (DM) yang ditunjukkan dengan perototan yang besar (Fiems & Ampe 2014). Fenotipe DM disebabkan oleh terjadinya mutasi secara alami gen myostatin yang mengkode MTSN protein yang berfungsi mengatur pertumbuhan otot (Cieploch et al 2017).…”

“…Tabel 1 menampilkan rangkuman data berat lahir dan survivabilitas anak sapi BB yang diperoleh dari 5 lokasi penelitian. Rataan berat lahir anak sapi BB murni dalam penelitian ini tidak berbeda dari penelitian yang dilaporkan sebelumnya yaitu berkisar 49,2-50 kg (Kolkman et al 2010;Fiems & Ampe 2014). Kemiripan rataan berat badan anak sapi BB dalam penelitian ini dengan literatur disebabkan oleh kemungkinan embrio beku sapi BB murni berasal dari negara atau lokasi yang sama sehingga peluang kesamaan keturunan dari tetua sapi BB yang sama atau berdekatan.…”