| Title: | Effect of biostimulation on growth rate and reproductive development of Bos indicus dairy heifers |
| Author(s): | Choudhary S; Kamboj ML; Sahu D; Dutt S; Magotra A; Singh P; Kumar N; Ungerfeld R; Kotresh Prasad C; |
| Address: | "Livestock Production Management Division, ICAR-National Dairy Research Institute, Karnal, Haryana, 132001, India. Department of Animal Genetics and Breeding, Lala Lajpat Rai University of Veterinary & Animal Sciences, Hisar, Haryana, India. Departmento de Biociencias Veterinarias, Facultad de Veterinaria, Universidad de la Republica, Montevideo, Uruguay. rungerfeld@gmail.com" |
| DOI: | 10.1007/s11250-022-03129-3 |
| ISSN/ISBN: | 1573-7438 (Electronic) 0049-4747 (Linking) |
| Abstract: | "The present study aimed to compare the growth rate, feeding behavior, reproductive development, and concentrations of GH and leptin in Sahiwal heifers exposed to direct bull contact, bull contact through a fenceline, or isolated from bulls. Overall, 24 heifers were allotted to three treatment groups (n = eight/group) based on birth weight, body weight, and age. Heifers from the non-exposed group (NBE) remained isolated from bulls; heifers stimulated by fenceline bull contact (FBE) remained continuously exposed to bulls through a fenceline, and heifers with direct bull contact (DBE+FBE) had direct contact with a bull during 6 h/day plus continuous fenceline bull exposure for the entire 24 h period. It was considered that heifers attained puberty when progesterone concentration was >1 ng/mL. Biostimulated heifers achieved puberty at both a lower age and body weight (P < 0.05) than NBE heifers. Overall, average daily gain (g/day) was greater in DBE+FBE (516.3 +/- 4.5) and FBE (501.6 +/- 4.3) than in NBE (441.8 +/- 2.9, respectively; P < 0.01). Leptin and growth hormone concentrations were significantly greater in FBE and DBE+FBE than NBE heifers. Both groups of biostimulated heifers devoted more time eating than NBE heifers, P < 0.05). In conclusion, biostimulation of Sahiwal heifers, either by exposing them to bulls through a fenceline or by both fenceline exposure and direct contact, reduced the age of puberty and increased growth performance. Overall, fenceline bull exposure can be recommended as an easy handling management to stimulate reproductive precocity and growth rate in heifers" |
| Keywords: | Animals Cattle Female Male Progesterone/pharmacology *Reproduction *Sexual Maturation Dairy heifers Growth rate Metabolic hormones Pheromones Puberty Socio-sexual stimulus; |
| Notes: | "MedlineChoudhary, Sanjay Kamboj, M L Sahu, Dharma Dutt, Sunil Magotra, Ankit Singh, Pawan Kumar, Nishant Ungerfeld, Rodolfo Kotresh Prasad, C eng 2022/03/22 Trop Anim Health Prod. 2022 Mar 21; 54(2):138. doi: 10.1007/s11250-022-03129-3" |
