Prenatal programming of later performance in dairy cattle

Eetvelde, Mieke Van; Opsomer, Geert

doi:10.21825/vdt.v89i1.15985

Cited by 9 publications

(11 citation statements)

References 73 publications

(86 reference statements)

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“…These findings are supported by previous studies, where a shorter DPL and primiparity of cows contributed to a lower birth weight of calves (Kamal et al, 2014;Van Eetvelde and Opsomer, 2020). A shorter dry period is often used for high-yielding cows with high lactation persistency; thus, as explained above, high milk yield might have a negative effect on fetal development (Van Eetvelde and Opsomer, 2020). In first-parity cows, pregnancy coincides with continued growth of the dam; thus, the fetus might face competition with the nutrients the mother needs for her own development (Opsomer et al, 2016).…”

Section: Effects Of Other Cow-related Characteristicssupporting

confidence: 91%

“…Additionally, calves delivered by first-parity cows had a lower birth weight compared with calves delivered by multiparous cows. These findings are supported by previous studies, where a shorter DPL and primiparity of cows contributed to a lower birth weight of calves (Kamal et al, 2014;Van Eetvelde and Opsomer, 2020). A shorter dry period is often used for high-yielding cows with high lactation persistency; thus, as explained above, high milk yield might have a negative effect on fetal development (Van Eetvelde and Opsomer, 2020).…”

Section: Effects Of Other Cow-related Characteristicssupporting

confidence: 85%

“…Factors such as DPL, milk yield, and days open of dairy cows have been shown to play an important role on the prenatal life of calves (Van Eetvelde and Opsomer, 2020). Prenatal conditions can affect the developmental programming of later health and performance of calves (Astiz et al, 2014;Pinedo and De Vries, 2017).…”

Section: Effects Of Other Cow-related Characteristicsmentioning

confidence: 99%

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Calf and dam characteristics and calf transport age affect immunoglobulin titers and hematological parameters of veal calves

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Kemp

et al. 2022

Journal of Dairy Science

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Section: Effects Of Other Cow-related Characteristicssupporting

confidence: 91%

Section: Effects Of Other Cow-related Characteristicssupporting

confidence: 85%

Section: Effects Of Other Cow-related Characteristicsmentioning

confidence: 99%

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Calf and dam characteristics and calf transport age affect immunoglobulin titers and hematological parameters of veal calves

Marcato

Brand

Kemp

et al. 2022

Journal of Dairy Science

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“…In animals, developmental plasticity begins, and is most dynamic, at conception, which suggests that the prenatal and early postnatal periods have the greatest potential for nutritionally programming the calf (Fig-ure 1; Bartol et al, 2013). Despite this critical window, this field has only recently gained research interest, as emerging evidence suggests that milk production potential can be initially programmed in utero, signaled by nutritional or environmental changes experienced by the dam (Dahl et al, 2019;Carvalho et al, 2020;Van Eetvelde and Opsomer, 2020). Postnatal, developmental programming may be influenced by early-life nutritional strategies, including management of colostrum and preweaning nutrient intake.…”

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

ADSA Foundation Scholar Award: New frontiers in calf and heifer nutrition—From conception to puberty

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Fischer-Tlustos

Wilms

et al. 2021

Journal of Dairy Science

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Dairy calf nutrition is traditionally one of the most overlooked aspects of dairy management, despite its large effect on the efficiency and profitability of dairy operations. Unfortunately, among all animals on the dairy farm, calves suffer from the highest rates of morbidity and mortality. These challenges have catalyzed calf nutrition research over the past decade to mitigate high incidences of disease and death, and improve animal health, growth, welfare, and industry sustainability. However, major knowledge gaps remain in several crucial stages of development. The purpose of this review is to summarize the key concepts of nutritional physiology and programming from conception to puberty and their subsequent effects on development of the calf, and ultimately, future performance. During fetal development, developmental plasticity is highest. At this time, maternal energy and protein consumption can influence fetal development, likely playing a critical role in calf and heifer development and, importantly, future production. After birth, the calf's first meal of colostrum is crucial for the transfer of immunoglobulin to support calf health and survival. However, colostrum also contains numerous bioactive proteins, lipids, and carbohydrates that may play key roles in calf growth and health. Extending the delivery of these bioactive compounds to the calf through a gradual transition from colostrum to milk (i.e., extended colostrum or transition milk feeding) may confer benefits in the first days and weeks of life to prepare the calf for the preweaning period. Similarly, optimal nutrition during the preweaning period is vital. Preweaning calves are highly susceptible to health challenges, and improved calf growth and health can positively influence future milk production. Throughout the world, the majority of dairy calves rely on milk replacer to supply adequate nutrition. Recent research has started to re-evaluate traditional formulations of milk replacers, which can differ significantly in composition compared with whole milk. Transitioning from a milk-based diet to solid feed is critical in the development of mature ruminants. Delaying weaning age and providing long and gradual step-down protocols have become common to avoid production and health challenges. Yet, determining how to appropriately balance the amount of energy and protein supplied in both liquid and solid feeds based on preweaning milk allowances, and further acknowledging their interactions, shows great promise in improving growth and health during weaning. After weaning and during the onset of puberty, heifers are traditionally offered high-forage diets. However, recent work suggests that an early switch to a high-forage diet will depress intake and development during the time when solid feed efficiency is greatest. It has become increasingly clear that there are great opportunities to advance our knowledge of calf nutrition; yet, a more concentrated and rigorous approach to research that encompasses the long-term consequences of nutritional reg...

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“…At the same time, calves born from cows with a shorter dry period (0-30 days) had a lower birth weight (42.6 kg) compared to calves born from cows with a longer dry period (44.6 kg for cows with 30-60 days, and 45.5 for cows with > 60 days).Additionally, calves delivered by first parity cows had a significantly lower birth weight (41.4 kg) compared to calves delivered by multiparous cows (43.6 kg for second parity cows, 45.3 kg for third parity cows, and 46.1 kg for cows with parity 4-10). These findings are supported by previous studies, where a shorter DPL and primiparity of cows contributed to a lower birth weight of calves(Kamal et al, 2014;van Eetvelde and Opsomer,…”

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confidence: 91%

A journey to improve robustness of veal calves

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Veal calves undergo many challenges in the early stages of their life. Such challenges, including mixing procedures and transportation of calves to the veal farm, may have a negative influence on growth rate, feed intake, metabolism, immunity and disease susceptibility of calves. As a consequence, many hematological, physiological, metabolic and immunological parameters of stressed calves might be altered on arrival at the veal farm. Some of these response variables might be useful as biomarkers of performance of calves at the veal farm as they might provide information about an ongoing disease process, or may predict future diseases. Biomarkers might be helpful to group and manage calves in different risk categories after arrival. By adopting treatment decisions and protocols on a risk-group or individual basis, it would be possible to improve animal health and reduce both disease incidence and antibiotic use. Moreover, the use of biomarkers might be an economically feasible approach as some of them do not need invasive techniques and others can be measured in blood already taken during routine checks. Previous literature mainly assessed the physiological responses of calves to transportation. However, information on the link between on-farm arrival data and future health and performance of veal calves is limited. This review, therefore, examined a wide range of papers and aimed to identify potential biomarkers of future health and performance.

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Prenatal programming of later performance in dairy cattle

Cited by 9 publications

References 73 publications

Calf and dam characteristics and calf transport age affect immunoglobulin titers and hematological parameters of veal calves

Calf and dam characteristics and calf transport age affect immunoglobulin titers and hematological parameters of veal calves

ADSA Foundation Scholar Award: New frontiers in calf and heifer nutrition—From conception to puberty

A journey to improve robustness of veal calves

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