Role of ration in management of bovine fertility

Dr. K. B. PrajapatiResearch Scientist (LPM)

Livestock Research StationS.D.A.U., Sardarkrushinagar

Created by Dr. Nikhil Joshi

Adequate nutrition

Reproductive system

Fertility

• A very low protein diet: cessation of oestrous. (Agrawal et al. 2003)

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Nutrition and Reproduction

• Under feeding • Over feeding• Protein and vitamin deficiency• Imbalance of trace elements

Reproductive abnormalities

• A poor body condition score at

calving

Fertility

Increased post-partum interval Reduced conception rate More no. of services per conception

Nutrients essential for production and reproductionPolysaccharides

(Starch, cellulose, dextrin, hemicellulose, gum etc.)

Metabolic path and microbial digestion in ruminants

Production of volatile fatty acids-acetic propionic, butyric etc...

Main source of energy for ruminants

Influence the productive and reproductive performance of the animals.

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•The essential fatty acids are must in the diet for optimum animal performance. Most of the fatty acids are synthesized in animal body through carbohydrates. However, Linoleic and Linolenic acids are not synthesized and need to be supplied through diets. In the animal body, fat is one of the way in which energy is stored during unproductive or low producing period.•The proteins are required for basic physiologically processes

like, production and reproduction. •The amino acids, the basic unit for building up all cells and

tissues for growth, stored in animal body and hence a continuous supply of its necessary.•The minerals are associated with a number of enzyme systems

and are involved in the maintenance of osmotic relationship, acid base equilibrium and essential for irritability of muscles and nerves. Minerals are needed for bones, teeth, muscles, skin, hair and other tissues. Minerals are vitals for growth, milk production and reproduction

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• Protein deficiency: Late maturity, embryonic death, low pregnancy rate, low libido.

• Mineral deficiency: Excess of essential mineral have a direct detrimental or toxic effect. Fluorine, selenium, molybdenum and copper, the essential minerals become toxic when taken in excess.

Deficiency of calcium and phosphorous: Retardation of growth, loss of appetite and derange reproduction.

Deficiency of the phosphorous: Pica and uterine atony.

Iron, copper and cobalt's associated with many vital body functions. Copper is associated with reproductive efficiency. Apparently normal animal may not come to heat or settle.

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Zinc is needed in minute quantity for growth, reproductive and proper development of skin and hair growth. Improper development of gonads and deformity in spermatozoa might be due to zinc deficiency.

Iodine deficiency led to abortion, defective, weak or dead calf birth, loss of weight and anoestrous condition to animal.

Manganese deficiency also led to abortion, weak symptoms of oestrous, deformed calf birth etc in domestic animals.

Selenium is required for formation of glutathion peroxidase enzyme. Deficiency of selenium leads to reduced fertility, retention of placenta and muscular diseases in livestock.

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Conti…Slide.4

Deficiency of vitamins and their effects on reproduction

Normally all the vitamins (except 'A') synthesized in the rumen. Sufficient vitamins can be available through natural grasses.

Vitamin A, E and D(reproduction of dairy animals)

Vit. A deficiency• Late maturity, • Late conception,• Abortion,• Fetal deformities,• Retained placenta, • Uterine infection, • Reduction in libido

Vit. D deficiency• absorption of cal. and phos.,• Silent heat or anoestrous

Vit. E & Selenium deficiency

reproductive functions of animals

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Essentials of ration for reproduction

Animal nutrition has intensive interrelationship with animal reproduction and production efficiency. It is impossible to target one particular element for problems in reproduction and production.

Critical analysis of food and nutrients in feed stuff can solve the problems. In animal, certain critical stages, e.g. puberty, advanced pregnancy, service period should not suffer from nutritional deficiency. In such a condition challenge feeding should be followed.

• In balanced ration: sufficient and proportional quantity of available energy, nitrogenous elements (proteins), vitamins, minerals, dry matter, green and dry fodder for animals.

• Ration should be determined according to age, stage, growth rate, parity, maintenance, production level.

• The ration should contains,

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11 to 12 per cent nitrogenous substance for microbial development in rumen.

The proportion of vitamin 'A' 50,000 I.U. vitamin D 10,000 I.U. and vitamin E 13,000 I.U. should be maintained for reproduction.

The proportion of calcium and phosphorous should be 2:1. Daily 200 gm calcium is required for lactating animal.

Conti…Slide.7

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Ration for reproduction and fertility of livestock

Voluntary DMI per 100 kg body weight has been observed to range from 2.27 to 2.65 kg in growing buffalo heifers. (Pathak and Verma, 1993 and Kumar and Garg, 1995 & 1999)

Properly fed buffalo heifers may conceive at about 24 months of age and 350-400 kg body weight. (Mudgal 1979)

The nutritional requirements of the pregnant buffalo heifers are somewhat higher than adult buffaloes. Additional feeding is generally not required during first stage of gestation period, which increases to become about 50% higher than maintenance requirement during terminal trimester of pregnancy. DMI in lactating buffaloes has been found to range from 2 to 3.11 kg per 100 kg body weight. (Garg and Kumar 1994 and Sarvar et. al. 1999)

Feeding of heifers

An average 450-500 g/day gain in line-weight may be

considered optimum for Indian buffalo heifers. A 51.89/w0.75

kg DM for maintenance and 2.13 g/g gain DM is required for

100 kg growing buffalo. TDN requirements for maintenance

and growth are 47.0 g/w0.75 kg and 0.78 g/g gain respectively.

Similarly CP and DCP requirement for maintenance and gain

are 7.64 g / w0.75 kg and 5.05 g / w0.75 kg and 44g / g gain and

0.27 g / g gain respectively. NRC (1988) recommended 3.2

kg DM, 1.88 kg TDN and 4229 protein for 100 kg heifer

growing at the rate of 500 g / day.

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Feeding of lactating buffaloes

A buffalo of 500 kg body weight-producing 10 litres of milk having 7

% fat will require 10.50 kg DM, 8.3 kg TDN and 0.93 kg DCP. This

requirement can be fulfilled through different combination of feed and fodders

like wheat straw + concentrate mixture, green fodder + wheat straw +

concentrate mixture for example 20.00 kg green oat + 5 kg wheat straw + 4 kg

concentrate mixture (15% DCP, 73% TDN) will meet out above requirements.

If lactating animal is in advanced stage of pregnancy than 140 g DCP

and 700 g TDN is also required as pregnancy allowance (Udaybir et al. 2003).

The protein requirement in pregnancy is more than that of energy requirements.

Normally 50% DCP and 25% TDN of the maintenance are fed, above the

additional ration. These requirements are fulfilled by feeding an additional

quantity of 1 to 1.5 kg concentrate mixture (Udaybir et al. 2003). 11

Alfalta or legume forage based rations will provides more benefit

from supplementation with low degradable protein sources than from

silage based ration. Heat damage will lower crude protein degradability.

Adequate non-structural carbohydrates (starch and slogans) might be

available for efficient utilization of rumen degradable protein. Diets

containing 40% non-structural carbohydrates have shown to maximize

milk yield. It is possible to meet all the supplementary protein needs of

high producing cows through the use of high protein forages. When 60%

protein alfalta dry matter was fed with 20% maize silage dry matter, only

20% grain dry matter with no protein supplement added was needed to

support 305 days lactation of 7727 kg of milk.

Conti…Slide.11

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Some feeding strategies (ration) for optimum reproduction in daily animals

(i) Cow weight 309-440 kg, yield 6.33 to 13.8 kg milk daily.DM intake/day 8.0 to 11.7 kg, DCP 700 to 772 gm., TDN 6.1 to 7.0 kg/day.

Metabolizable energy 95 MEMJ to 109 MEMJ. (Sampath et al. 1978)(ii) Ad lib. fodder maize:

(iii)

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Concentrate Mixture made of -

25% GNC40% Maize31 % Wheat2 % mineral mixture2 % common salt

If add lucerne hay (30 %) than concentrate mixture -

9 % GNC 34% Maize 24 % Wheat 2 % mineral mixture 2 % common salt

(iv) Cow receiving concentrate mixture containing 19.8% protein feed responded to AI/service for better fertility.

(v) Feeding optimum green (20 + 25 kg/day) with concentrate @1 kg/3 kg milk would allow optimum milk yield. Addition of Lucerne hay at 30% of ration reduced cost of milk production from 30 to 50%.

(Sampath et al. 1978)

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Conti…Slide.13

(vi) Ration for lactating cow.

The reduction in the quantity of green fed to cows lowered milk production and cows recorded the negative Ca balance.

 (vii) The cow producing 10.00 kg milk daily can be fed with 28 kg green with 04 kg straw and 3.14 kg concentrate maintain the milk yield. DCP level in concentrate should be 18%, rate 1 kg/3 kg milk yield. When the dairy animal yields are over 15 liters, the concentrate mix may be kept at 22% DCP and fed at 1 kg for energy 3.5 kg milk yield (Crossbred cows).

Green Milk yield (kg) Concentrate (kg) Yield/lactation (kg)20 kg 7.50 2.50 231110 kg 7.98 2.67 24592.5 kg 6.96 2.32 2145Lucerne 15 kg 7.64 1.00 2352No grass 7.04 2.35 2169

Conti…Slide.14

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(viii)Feeding of low quality proteins will results in loss of nitrogen as urea and poor utilization of the amino acids for synthesis of body proteins, hormones, enzymes, purine and so on. However, it is important to feed two or more protein having poor or fair quality becomes good quality when ingested together, as they can complement each-other in meeting the needs of necessary amino acids.

(ix) Feeding of leguminous tree leaves (Sesbania, drumstick, leucaena, mulberry, sun hemp) at the rate of 2-3 kg as crop residue or 6.8 kg green is advantages for fertility. When leguminous component not in the ration, addition of 15 gm slaked lime will be a good source of calcium.

Conti…Slide.15

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(x) Varieties of oil cakes instead from single source help in supplement of by pass protein to animals.

(xi) By products such as wheat bran, rice bran are rich source of phosphorus should be added in considerable quantities in concentrate mixture.

(xii) If maize/Jowar fodder is not fed to high yielders the grain protein of concentrate to be increased from 10 percent to15-20 percent in the concentrate mixture.

(xiii) Mineral mixture supplement will have to be added at 2 percent for medium yielders and 2.5 percent for high yielders. Salt may be incorporated at 2 % for medium yielders and 3 % for high yielder in the concentrate

mixture. When green fodder are inadequate, vitamin-A supplement is a must.

Conti…Slide.16

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Requirements DM (kg) DCP (kg) TDN (kg) ME (M Cal)(A) Pregnant heifer - 400 kg B.wt.(i) Growth 12.0 0.42 4.6 16.7(ii) For reproduction -- 0.24 2.4 08.7

Total 12.0 0.66 7.0 25.4(B) Pregnant cow – 400 kg B.wt., 6 lit. milk/day with 4.5% fat, 3 months before calving(i) Maintenance 12.5 0.30 3.45 12.50(ii) Milk production -- 0.36 2.70 09.72(iii) For reproduction -- 0.25 2.80 09.80

Total 12.5 0.91 8.95 32.02

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