Affiliation:
1. Department of Animal Sciences, North Dakota State University, Fargo, ND, USA
2. Carrington Research Extension Center, North Dakota State University, Carrington, ND, USA
3. Current address: Department of Animal Sciences and Industry, Kansas State University, Manhattan, KS, USA
Abstract
Ilse, B. R., Anderson, V. L., Buchanan, D. S., Odde, K. G., Lardy, G. P. and Vonnahme, K. A. 2012. Short Communication: Growth and attainment of puberty in calves from cows supplemented with linseed meal during late gestation and early lactation. Can. J. Anim. Sci. 92: 443–447. To test the objective that a linseed meal (LSM) supplement in beef cows during late gestation and early lactation would impact offspring growth performance, steer carcass composition, and attainment of puberty in heifer calves, multiparous beef cows received either LSM or a control supplement for the last 60 d of gestation (exp. 1; n=72) or during the first 60 d of lactation (exp. 2; n=91). In both experiments, birth weight, weaning weight, and ADG of calves were not affected (P>0.31) by LSM supplementation. There was no effect (P>0.09) of supplementation on carcass characteristics of steer progeny fed to market weight. In exps. 1 and 2, attainment of puberty in heifer calves was not influenced (P>0.58) by supplement type. Linseed meal supplementation during late gestation or early lactation does not appear to affect calf growth, onset of puberty in heifer calves, or steer carcass quality.
Publisher
Canadian Science Publishing
Subject
Animal Science and Zoology,Food Animals