CSIRO PUBLISHING

Animal Production Science

https://doi.org/10.1071/AN18251

Effects of pre- and postpartum supplementation on

lactational and reproductive performance of grazing
Nellore beef cows

Daniel Mageste de Almeida A, Marcos Inácio Marcondes A,C, Luciana Navajas Rennó A
,
Leandro Soares Martins A, David Esteban Contreras Marquez A, Felipe Velez Saldarriaga A
,
Faider Alberto Castaño Villadiego B, Roman Maza Ortega A, Deilen Paff Sotelo Moreno A
,
Felipe Henrique de Moura A, Camila Soares Cunha A and Mário Fonseca Paulino A
A
Department of Animal Science, Universidade Federal de Viçosa, 36570-900, Viçosa, Minas Gerais, Brazil.
B
Department of Veterinary Medicine, Universidade Federal de Viçosa, 36570-900, Viçosa, Minas Gerais, Brazil.
C
Corresponding author. Email: marcos.marcondes@ufv.br

Abstract
Context. Few studies have evaluated the effects of providing concentrate pre- or postpartum, or during both of these
intervals, to beef cows grazing tropical pastures, even though this information is important for planning breeder herd
management.
Aims. A study was undertaken to examine the effects of supplementation with concentrates before calving
(prepartum), after calving (postpartum) or during both these intervals on production and reproductive efficiency in
Bos indicus beef cows grazing Urochloa decumbens pasture.
Methods. Nellore cows, initially 6 months pregnant (mean
s.e.), weighing 516
1.3 kg and body condition score
4.7
0.15 (1–9 scale), were used in an experiment with four treatments in a 2 · 2 factorial design with 20 animals per
treatment. The treatments comprised no supplementation or provision of a supplement (1 kg/cow.day containing 28%
crude protein) for 90 days prepartum only, 90 days postpartum only or during the pre- and postpartum intervals.
Key results. Responses could be described in terms of the main effects of providing the supplement pre- or post-
calving; the interactions were not significant (P > 0.05). Prepartum supplements increased the cow bodyweight at
calving by 29 kg, and calf birthweight by 3.7 kg (P < 0.05). Supplementation increased (P < 0.05) the final bodyweight,
average daily gain and final body condition score of the cows. Postpartum supplementation tended to increase milk
yield (P = 0.065), and increased milk protein concentration (P < 0.05). Prepartum supplementation increased serum
urea nitrogen, glucose and progesterone, and reduced non-esterified fatty acids (P < 0.05) and b-hydroxybutyrate
concentrations (P < 0.05) during lactation. Postpartum supplementation, but not prepartum supplementation, increased
the conception rate (P < 0.05).
Conclusion. In mature Nellore cows grazing Urochloa decumbens pasture, prepartum supplementation with 1 kg/cow.
day of concentrate with body condition score >4 did not change the response to postpartum supplementation.
Implications. Prepartum supplementation may increase cow performance and calf weight at birth, whereas postpartum
supplementation may improve the reproductive efficiency.

Keywords: animal nutrition, beef cattle, supplementation, tropical pastures.

Received 14 April 2018, accepted 17 September 2020, published online 22 October 2020

Introduction condition score (BCS) and bodyweight (BW; Fernandes

Weaning rates of breeder cows in tropical rangeland et al. 2015), and gains in BW and BCS are generally
systems are often much lower than the potential for each necessary for the resumption of the oestrous cycle after
cow to wean a calf annually (Vaz et al. 2010). A major nutritionally-induced anoestrus (Diskin and Kenny 2014). In
factor influencing cow fertility is nutrition, and the addition, nutrition has an indirect impact on the hormones and
provision of nutrients necessary for ovulation, fertilisation, metabolites required for these processes. Increased energy
embryonic survival and development (Robinson et al. 2006). intake can reduce postpartum anoestrus (Roberts et al.
The reproductive performance of beef cows is directly 1997), whereas inadequate energy intake is often associated
associated with productive parameters, including body with the delayed onset of puberty, prolonged postpartum

Journal compilation  CSIRO 2020 www.publish.csiro.au/journals/an

B Animal Production Science D. Mageste de Almeida et al.

intervals and decreased conception rates (Looper et al. 2003). synchronisation protocol was performed as follows: an
It is estimated that perhaps 50% of beef cows in extensive intravaginal device of progesterone release (Tecnopec
systems in Brazil do not receive adequate nutritional Primer, São Paulo, Brazil) was introduced and cows
management (Madureira et al. 2014), and similar problems received an intramuscular injection of 2.0 mg of oestradiol
have been reported for other tropical rangelands (Dixon et al. benzoate (Tecnopec Primer, São Paulo, Brazil) on Day 0. The
2011; Tinoco-Magaña et al. 2012; Rosales-Torres et al. 2017). intravaginal device was removed on Day 7, and cows were
Consequently, protein and energy supplementation are often administered a 2-mL injection of cloprostenol sodium (MSD
beneficial for breeder cows grazing tropical forages. Studies Saúde Ciosin Animal, São Paulo, Brazil). On Day 8, cows
have reported the benefits of prepartum supplementation received 0.5 mL of oestradiol cypionate via intramuscular
(Alexander et al. 2002; Small et al. 2004) and of injection (Zoetis-Pfizer E.C.P., Campinas, Brazil).
postpartum supplementation (Hawkins et al. 2000; Ciccioli Animals were randomly distributed to four treatments, and
et al. 2003), but few studies have compared these effects both grazed four homogeneous paddocks each of 17 ha with
pre- or postpartum. Urochloa decumbens pasture. Animals groups were rotated
The present study was undertaken to examine the effects of around the paddocks every 7 days to alleviate possible
prepartum and/or postpartum supplementation on plasma paddock effects. The experiment was for 90 days before
metabolites and reproductive performance in Bos indicus beef calving (prepartum) and 90 days after calving (postpartum).
cows grazing a tropical grass pasture. Water and supplement feed troughs (>0.5-m trough per
animal) were available in each paddock. The experimental
Material and methods design was a completely randomised 2 · 2 factorial with
Location and weather conditions four treatments and 20 replications. The treatments
were concentrate supplementation prepartum (P-M),
The experiment was performed at the Beef Cattle Farm of
supplementation postpartum (M-P), supplementation both
Animal Science Department of Universidade Federal de
prepartum and postpartum (P-P) or no concentrate
Viçosa, Viçosa-MG (20450 S, 42520 W), Brazil, between
supplementation (M-M), where only a mineral mixture was
July and December during the dry season and the dry–wet
provided ad libitum during both pre- and postpartum,
transition seasons. The experimental area is located in a
(Table 1). Concentrate supplements (1 kg as-fed/cow.day)
mountainous region (670 m altitude) with an average
were provided daily at 1000 hours. Mineral supplements
annual precipitation of 1300 mm. All animal care and
were offered to the P-M and the M-P when no concentrate
handling procedures were approved by the Animal Care and
supplement was being fed. The supplement fed both pre- and
Use Committee of the Universidade Federal de Viçosa, Brazil
postpartum contained (g/kg; Table 1) 247 ground corn grain,
(protocol CEUAP-UFV 08/2015), according to the ethical
247 ground sorghum grain, 457 soybean meal and 50 mineral
principles of animal experimentation established by the
mixture, and contained 28% of crude protein (CP). The mineral
National Council of Animal Experimentation Control.
mixture contained (g/kg) 500 dicalcium phosphate, 472 sodium
chloride, 15 zinc sulfate, 7 copper sulfate, 0.5 cobalt sulfate,
Animals, experimental design and supplements
0.5 potassium iodate and 5 manganese sulfate.
A total of 80 multiparous Nellore cows at 6 months of
gestation (all cows were inseminated on the same day
following a synchronisation protocol) with an initial BW Experimental procedures and sampling
(mean
s.e.) of 516
1.3 kg and initial BCS (on a 1–9 Cows were weighed after a 14-h fast, and BCS was evaluated
scale) of 4.7
0.15 respectively were used. The at the beginning of the experiment, 5 days before the expected

Table 1. Nutrient content of dietary supplement offered and pastures available to cows during the pre- and
postpartum intervals
NDIN, neutral detergent insoluble nitrogen; apNDF, neutral detergent fibre corrected to ash and protein; NFC, non-fibrous
carbohydrates; iNDF, indigestible neutral detergent fibre

Pastures (day relative to calving)

Item Supplement –75 –45 –15 +15 +45 +75
DM 887 455 588 469 356 275 252
Organic matterA 919 918 913 929 915 921 924
Crude proteinA 286 80 62 70 87 99 109
NDINB 372 295 354 284 281 262 228
Ether extractA 25 9 8 11 12 12 12
apNDFA 156 613 652 637 622 609 587
NFCA 452 216 191 211 195 201 216
iNDFA 28 321 402 342 253 214 184
Metabolisable energyC 14 – – – – – –
A
g/kg of DM.
B
g/kg of total nitrogen.
C
MJ/kg of DM.
Performance and reproductive efficiency of cows Animal Production Science C

calving date, 5 days after calving and ~90 days after calving. indigestible NDF (Paulino et al. 2008). Milk was analysed
Because of the fixed-time artificial insemination, it was for protein, fat, lactose, total solids and solids-non-fat contents
possible to perform all the evaluations and sampling using spectroscopy (MilkoScan FT120; Foss, Hillerød,
individually, according to the expected calving day of each Denmark). Serum concentrations of urea and glucose were
cow in each group. The prepartum period was ended for each measured using kits (K056 and K082; Bioclin Diagnostics,
cow 5 days before the expected date to calving according to Belo Horizonte, Brazil). Serum NEFA was analysed
the fixed-time artificial insemination (on average). Cows that colorimetrically (FA115; Randox Laboratories, São Paulo,
had calved were fed the prepartum supplement until all Brazil) and BHB by a kinetic enzymatic method (RB1007;
cows from the group had calved, and the postpartum Randox Laboratories, Antrim, UK) using an autoanalyser
supplementation was initiated for all cows within a group (BS-200E; Mindray, Shenzhen, China). Progesterone was
5 days after the last cow had calved. Calves were weighed analysed by chemiluminescence (Access Progesterone
immediately after birth and at the end of the experiment. BCS Reagent Ref. Number 33550 System (Beckman Coulter,
was evaluated by four trained evaluators using a 1–9 scale Brea, CA, USA).
(National Research Council 1996) at each measurement and
the scores averaged. Statistical analyses
Milk yields were measured at 45 days postpartum. Calves
Data were analysed using an analysis of variance (ANOVA) in
were separated from the cows at 1730 hours and the cows were
a 2 · 2 factorial with the initial BW as a covariate when
machine milked at 0530 and 1730 hours on the following day
significant using the PROC MIXED procedure of the SAS
(MB 300–1, Milkban,; Rio de Janeiro, Brazil) after injection of
software (version 9.4; SAS Institute, Cary, NC, USA). The
oxytocin (10 IU/mL; Ocitovet, Jacareí, Brazil) into the
sequential measurements were considered as repeated
mammary artery to initiate milk secretion. Milk samples
measures over time. The Tukey test was used to test
were preserved (10 mg bronopol/40 mL milk) and
differences between means, except for the conception rate,
subsequently analysed for protein, fat, lactose, total solids
where the Chi-square test was used.
and solids-non-fat.
Forage was sampled (10 samples per paddock) by hand-
plucking each 15 days to evaluate the pasture available. Results
Samples were oven-dried (SOLAB, Ar SL-102; Piracicaba, The average availabilities of total Urochloa decumbens forage
Brazil) at 60C for 72 h and then ground (Wiley TE-680; was 4930 and 4010 kg DM/ha, and the forage contained 71 and
ReinaLAB, Piracicaba, Brazil). Pasture mass on offer was 98 g of CP/kg DM before and after calving respectively
measured each 30 days in each paddock with four 0.5 · 0.5-m (Table 1). The effects of supplementation could be
quadrat samples cut ~1 cm above ground level. Subsamples described as responses to the main effects during the pre-
(200 g) were oven-dried and then ground, as described above. and postpartum treatments intervals; there were no interaction
Jugular blood samples were collected at 0700 hours, and 30, effects (P > 0.05). Prepartum supplementation increased cow
45, 60 and 75 days postpartum, using vacutainers (BD BW and BCS at calving, and also calf birthweight
Vacutainer SSTIIAdvance; BD, São Paulo, Brazil). The blood (Table 2; P < 0.05). Pre- or postpartum supplementation
was centrifuged (3600g for 20 min) and stored at increased the final BW and BCS, and average daily gain
–20C. Subsequently, the samples were analysed for serum (ADG) of the cows (P < 0.05; Table 3).
urea nitrogen (SUN), glucose, non-esterified fatty acids Postpartum supplementation tended to increase the milk
(NEFA) and b-hydroxybutyrate (BHB) and progesterone yield from 7.8 to 8.2 kg/day (Table 3; P = 0.065), and
concentrations (Days 30, 45 and 60 postpartum only). significantly increased (P < 0.05) milk protein
On Day 80 postpartum, the cows were synchronised, as concentration. On average, the milk yield at 45 days
previously described. Semen from five Nellore bulls was postpartum was 7.9 kg/day, and contained 30.6 g/kg milk
randomly assigned to each cow, and pregnancy was protein, 46.6 g/kg milk fat, 45.3 g/kg lactose, 133.3 g/kg
determined by transrectal ultrasonography 30 days after total solids and 86.7 g/kg solids-non-fat. Postpartum
insemination. supplementation increased the ADG of calves from 0.86 to
0.92 kg/day (P < 0.05). Among the blood metabolites, only the
NEFA concentration was affected (P < 0.001) by prepartum
Chemical analysis supplementation, which caused a decrease (P < 0.001;
DM, CP and ether extract in the supplement and pasture Table 4). Postpartum supplementation increased the SUN,
samples were analysed according to the Association of glucose and progesterone concentrations, and reduced the
Official Analytical Chemists (AOAC 1990). Neutral BHB and NEFA concentrations (P < 0.05). The day of
detergent fibre corrected for ash and protein was measured lactation also affected (P < 0.001) each of these blood
according to Mertens (2002) using thermostable a-amylase metabolites (Fig. 1). There was an interaction effect of the
and without using sodium sulfite. Indigestible NDF obtained postpartum day and treatments on BHB, NEFA and
after in situ incubation in F57 Ankom bags for 288 h was progesterone concentrations (P < 0.05). Postpartum-
analysed, as described by Valente et al. (2011), and insoluble supplemented cows had, on average, a conception rate of
NDF content of nitrogen was analysed with ash corrections, as 85% after the fixed-time artificial insemination protocol
described by Van Soest and Robertson (1985). The potentially (Table 4), higher than the 57% conception rate observed in
digestible DM (pdDM) was estimated from NDF and non-supplemented postpartum animals (P < 0.05).
D Animal Production Science D. Mageste de Almeida et al.

Table 2. Performance and body condition score of Nellore cows supplemented or not
supplemented during the prepartum period

Item Supplementation s.e.m. P-value

(90 days prepartum)
Minus Plus
Initial bodyweight (kg) 516 515 1.80 0.887
Final bodyweight (kg) 499 528 2.20 0.001
Average daily gain (g/day) –182 149 24.03 0.001
BCS at calving 4.3 5.1 0.04 0.001
Calf birthweight (kg) 30.6 34.3 0.75 0.001

Table 3. Postpartum performance, body condition score and milk yield of Nellore cows supplemented or non-supplemented
in pre- or postpartum and performance of their progeny
BW, bodyweight after calving; ADG, postpartum average daily gain; BCS, postpartum body condition score; M-M, not supplemented;
P-M, supplemented prepartum only; M-P, supplemented postpartum only; P-P, supplemented both pre- and post-calving

Supplementation treatmentA P-valueA

Item M-M P-M M-P P-P s.e.m. Pre Post Pre · Post
Initial BW (kg) 474 486 467 494 – – – –
Final BW (kg) 475 499 487 517 4.58 0.001 0.001 0.532
Final ADG (g/day) 16 136 204 257 28.23 0.003 0.001 0.245
Final BCS 4.3 5.1 4.9 5.5 0.10 0.001 0.001 0.203
Calves ADG (g/day) 897 819 920 912 41.15 0.129 0.008 0.217
Milk yield (kg/day) 8.0 7.5 8.3 8.1 0.40 0.263 0.065 0.626
Milk fat (g/kg) 43.3 49.3 47.4 46.4 0.15 0.118 0.716 0.097
Milk protein (g/kg) 29.8 29.5 31.7 31.4 0.05 0.237 0.003 0.487
Milk lactose (g/kg) 45.9 45.5 45.1 44.8 0.05 0.473 0.104 0.896
Total solids (g/kg) 130.4 134.8 135.1 132.9 0.18 0.547 0.428 0.094
Solids non-fat (g/kg) 87.0 85.4 87.7 86.6 0.08 0.101 0.282 0.811
A
Probability of the main effects of prepartum (Pre) and postpartum (Post) supplementation, and interaction between pre- and
postpartum supplementation (Pre · Post).

Table 4. Postpartum concentration of progesterone and metabolites in Nellore cows not supplemented or supplemented during the pre- or
postpartum intervals
NEFA, non-esterified fatty acids; BHB, b-hydroxybutyrate; M-M, not supplemented; P-M, supplemented prepartum only; M-P, supplemented postpartum
only; P-P, supplemented both pre- and post-calving

Supplementation strategy P-valueA

Item M-M P-M M-P P-P s.e.m. Pre Post Pre · Post Day Pre · Day Post · Day Pre · Post · Day
Serum urea N (mmol/L) 3.29 3.18 4.00 4.25 0.580 0.412 0.001 0.113 0.001 0.956 0.105 0.564
Glucose (mmol/L) 2.55 2.84 2.99 2.95 0.860 0.172 0.003 0.106 0.001 0.871 0.719 0.864
NEFA (mmol/L) 0.42 0.30 0.31 0.21 0.021 0.001 0.001 0.449 0.001 0.117 0.001 0.627
BHB (mmol/L) 0.57 0.51 0.37 0.35 0.022 0.103 0.001 0.442 0.001 0.402 0.001 0.895
Progesterone (ng/mL) 1.51 2.20 3.28 3.60 0.277 0.210 0.001 0.638 0.001 0.702 0.001 0.791
Conception rate (%) 50 63 84 85 – 0.407 0.005 0.494 – – – –
A
Probability of the main effects of prepartum (Pre) and postpartum (Post) supplementation and interaction between pre- and postpartum supplementation
(Pre · Post).

Discussion study the average availabilities of pdDM were 91.7 and

75.6 g/kg BW during the pre- and postpartum periods
As the availability of 40–50 g of pdDM/kg BW is likely to respectively, the amount of forage available is not likely to
provide sufficient pasture on offer for satisfactory performance have limited animal performance. Also, the CP content of the
of grazing animals (Paulino et al. 2008), and in the present forage (Table 1) was above the minimum 7% CP in the pasture
Performance and reproductive efficiency of cows Animal Production Science E

reported by Lazzarini et al. (2009) to be sufficient for the 0.7 (a)

adequate utilisation of the NDF in the forage as the main
source of energy for grazing animals. However, these values
0.6
are below the 10% CP reported by Sampaio et al. (2009) as the
concentration required to optimise the use of the energetic
substrates of the forage. If the latter is the required value, then 0.5

NEFA (mmol/L)
a high CP content supplement would be required to optimise
forage utilisation and animal performance.
0.4

Effects of supplementation 0.3

The increase of cow BW by 29 kg and also of BCS at calving, and
the 3.7-kg increase in calf birthweight, with prepartum 0.2
supplementation were most likely associated with higher ME
intake, but there may also have been an increase in the efficiency
of use of nutrients. Previous studies in which cows were 0.1
supplemented during the third trimester (Loerch 1996;
0.7 (b)
Radunz et al. 2011; Winterholler et al. 2012) also reported
increases in calf birthweight due to supplementation, with
potential benefits for calf survival and herd productivity.
The tendency for higher milk yield by the postpartum- 0.6
supplemented cows was the most likely explanation for the
small increase in calf ADG from 860 to 910 g/day. This was
also possibly associated with the increase in milk protein BHB (mmol/L)
concentration. Previous studies have also reported increases in 0.5
milk production and calf growth in response to protein
supplementation (Charmley and Duynisveld 2004), especially
with low-protein diets (De Garcia and Ward 1991; Dhuyvetter
et al. 1993). 0.4
The higher plasma concentrations of NEFA and BHB in
the cows not supplemented postpartum (Table 4) indicated
increased adipose tissue mobilisation due to the negative 0.3
energy balance associated with inadequate nutrition
(Chapinal et al. 2011; Mulliniks et al. 2013). The increase 6.0 (c)
in NEFA and BHB concentrations from Day 30 to Day 45
postpartum was most likely due to the reduced intake of feed
after calving and the progressive increase in energy demand 5.0
Progesterone (ng/mL)

up to the peak of milk production. The decrease after this

period may be indicative of the recovery of the nutritional 4.0
status of beef cows (Ndlovu et al. 2007). This may have
occurred, despite the increase in BW for all feeding
strategies (Table 3), due to the weighing dates not coinciding 3.0
with the period of greatest effect of negative energy balance
and/or to differences in the energy content of the cows by the end 2.0
of the postpartum interval, so that the overall ADG was not a
good indicator of a negative energy balance.
An increase in SUN concentrations (Table 4) was observed 1.0
as dietary protein content increased. Nevertheless, the average
SUN concentration of the postpartum-supplemented group 30 45 60 75
(4.13 mmol/L) was <4.69–5.41 mmol/L, as suggested by Days after calving
Valadares et al. (1997) to correspond to the maximum Fig. 1. Concentrations of (a) non-esterified fatty acids (NEFA), (b) beta-
microbial efficiency in steers fed 62.5% of digestible hydroxybutyrate acid (BHBA) and (c) progesterone in supplemented beef
organic matter. This highlighted the need for greater protein cows ( ~ ) and non-supplemented beef cows ( & ) in postpartum,
intake through either forage or supplement to improve relative to days of parturition. Days followed by * indicate difference at
microbial efficiency and, consequently, the performance of P < 0.05.
these animals. Postpartum supplementation was associated
with an increase in glucose concentrations from 2.69 (non- may have been associated with increased nutrient intake
supplemented) to 2.97 mmol/L (Cappellozza et al. 2015), and (Vizcarra et al. 1998). The average value found when cows
F Animal Production Science D. Mageste de Almeida et al.

were supplemented postpartum (2.97 mmol/L) is in agreement Conclusions

with Cappellozza et al. (2015), and within the range suggested Under grazing conditions with a tropical grass forage,
by Kaneko et al. (2008; 2.50–4.16 mmol/L). prepartum supplementation with a high-protein concentrate
It is generally considered that body energy reserves at for prepartum cows increased cow BW and calf birthweight.
calving are the most important factor affecting the calving- However, there was little benefit in cows with BCS 4.
to-conception interval in beef cows (Wettemann et al. 2002; Postpartum supplementation may improve the BW and
Crowe et al. 2014). In this study, the greater ME intake by reproductive efficiency of grazing Nellore cows.
prepartum supplemented cows improved BCS, so that the
supplemented animals had a high BCS (mean 5.1) at Conflicts of interest
calving (Table 2). Also, supplemented cows had higher
concentrations of progesterone from 45 days postpartum The authors declare no conflicts of interest.
(Fig. 1c), which indicated that a higher proportion of these
cows were reproductively active. Lents et al. (2000) reported Acknowledgements
that a BCS 5 at calving reduced the number of days to first This research was funded by the Fundação de Amparo à Pesquisa do Estado
oestrus and ovulation by 15 and 35% respectively, relative to de Minas Gerais (FAPEMIG), National Counsel of Technological and
cows calving with a BCS <5. Charmley et al. (1999) observed Scientific Development (CNPQ), and Coordenação de Aperfeiçoamento
similar responses, and the difference in BW change is de Pessoal de Nível Superior (CAPES).
consistent with the shortfall in dietary ME intake (Charmley
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