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Creep feeding effects on male Nellore calves influencing behavior and performance of their dams

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Abstract

The objective of the present study was to evaluate the effect of different schemes of calves’ supplementation in a creep feeding system, on the behavior of Bos indicus calves and dams, and also the influence of the calves’ supplementation on dams’ performance. Forty-eight Nellore male calves (147 ± 7 kg body weight and 3 months of age) in the suckling phase and their dams (476 ± 9 kg and 6 years of age) were studied in a completely randomized design. The experiment was divided into two periods of 71 days. The treatments were 5- and 10-g supplement dry matter (DM)/kg BW day offered in periods 1 and 2, respectively (5S/10S); 10- and 5-g supplement DM/kg BW day offered in periods 1 and 2, respectively (10S/5S); 7.5-g supplement DM/kg BW day in both periods 1 and 2 (7.5S); and mineral mix ad libitum in both periods 1 and 2 (MM). No differences (P < 0.05) in body condition score (BCS), final body weight (FBW), and average daily gain (ADG) were found in dams’ performance. Calves from MM treatment spent more time (P < 0.05) grazing than the supplemented calves from 5S/10S and 10S/5S treatments, in the first period. No difference in suckling time was found between the treatments (P > 0.05) in the first evaluated period. Calves from 10S/5S treatment spent more time suckling and less time eating supplements (P < 0.05) than 5S/10S treatment animals, in the second evaluated period. Dams of MM treatment’s calves had more idle time and lower grazing time when compared with the mothers of calves from 5S/10S and 10S/5S treatments. It was concluded that different schedules of Nellore calves’ supplementation on pasture do not affect their mothers’ performance, and supplementation decreases the grazing time of calves in the suckling phase.

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Acknowledgements

The authors thank the Universidade Federal de Viçosa and the Conselho Nacional de Desenvolvimento Científico e Tecnológico (CNPq) for the award of scholarship. Fundação de Amparo à Pesquisa do estado de Minas Gerais (FAPEMIG) for funding of this research. The authors also thank Professors Ériton Egídio Lisboa Valente and Lívia Vieira de Barros.

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Authors and Affiliations

  1. Animal Science Department, Universidade Federal de Viçosa, Avenida Peter Henry Rolfs, Viçosa, MG, CEP: 36570-900, Brazil

    Leandro Soares Martins, Mário Fonseca Paulino, Luciana Navajas Rennó, Edenio Detmann, Daniel Mageste de Almeida, Roman Maza Ortega, Deilen Paff Sotelo Moreno & Javier Enrique Garces Cárdenas

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  1. Leandro Soares Martins
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  2. Mário Fonseca Paulino
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  3. Luciana Navajas Rennó
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  7. Deilen Paff Sotelo Moreno
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  8. Javier Enrique Garces Cárdenas
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Correspondence to Leandro Soares Martins.

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Martins, L.S., Paulino, M.F., Rennó, L.N. et al. Creep feeding effects on male Nellore calves influencing behavior and performance of their dams. Trop Anim Health Prod 49, 1669–1676 (2017). https://doi.org/10.1007/s11250-017-1375-8

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