Lactation growth influences mineral composition of first antler in Iberian red deer Cervus elaphus hispanicus

Abstract

Deer antlers are bony fighting structures which are unique in that they are both easily accessible for analysis and that they are grown every year; thus, they make up good models for the study of bones. Previous studies have shown that antler bone composition is related to the external quality (antler size and weight) and the mechanical quality of the antlers, and that it reflects mineral nutrition and early growth. Because one of the main nutritional factors influencing early growth is maternal milk production and composition, and because lactation plays an important role in post-weaning growth, we set out to examine whether milk yield and composition are correlated with the mineral composition of spike antlers of 22 yearling Iberian red deer Cervus elaphus hispanicus. Total milk protein yield was positively associated with ash, Ca and P content in antler, inversely with K content, but no relationship was found for Na, Mg, Fe or Zn. This association was evidently exerted through an increase in calf growth during lactation, because in the model, the inclusion of calf weight gain up to week 18 (approximately the age at weaning) rendered milk production and composition nonsignificant. However, this correlation was not observed for the minor minerals Na, Mg, Fe and Zn. Gains during lactation, but not between lactation and antler growth, influenced the composition of major minerals. Manipulating milk quality could not only affect general calf growth, but also antler quality and very likely the quality of other bones, as well as mechanical performance, which is linked to ash or Ca content.

Effects of Feed Supplementation on Mineral Composition, Mechanical Properties and Structure in Femurs of Iberian Red Deer Hinds (Cervus elaphus hispanicus)

“…Studies on antler show that K indicates physiological stress in this kind of bone, as its content is greater in distal parts of the antler which are grown when body stores of minerals are near depletion [13], [15]. Similarly, another influence of diet upon antler composition (in this case milk production effects on mineral composition of first deer antler), also pointed to a relation between K and nutrition stress: the lower the milk production by the mothers, the greater the K content in first antlers, whereas the opposite was true for antler ash, Ca and P content [52].…”

Comparison of the accumulation of macro- and microelements in the bone marrow and bone of wild and farmed red deer (Cervus elaphus)

“…Moreover, in winter, farmed deer are generally fed concentrated fodder composed of cereal grains, which are rich in Cr, Mn, Cu, Zn, Se, and Mo [ 35 ]. As shown by Gómez et al [ 5 ], one of the main nutritional factors influencing early growth is maternal milk production and composition; since lactation plays an important role in post-weaning growth, antler quality and the quality of other bones are influenced as well. However, the content of all macroelements, including Ca and P, which are highly important for bone formation, was higher in the bone of wild animals, although insignificantly, than in that of farmed animals, and their Ca-to-P ratio was similar in the two groups (1.5–1.6 for the bone marrow, 2.9 for the bones).…”

MINERAL CONCENTRATIONS IN THE PLASMA OF YOUNG FARMED FALLOW DEER (Dama dama) IN RELATION TO THE FEEDING SYSTEM

“…The issue of appropriate feeding is especially important in Cervidae calves, whose survival of the first winter depends on proper body weight (Fenessy et al, 1991). Studies have shown that early growth in young animals, especially in males, is highly important, as it determines some antler traits (weight and length) in adult deer and influences future reproductive success (Gómez et al, 2006.…”