Effect of pre-partum feeding of crossbred cows on growth performance, metabolic profile and immune status of calves

The effects of pre-partum feeding management in terms of birth weight, growth, metabolic profile and immunity of calves were studied using 24 crossbred (Bos taurusxBos indicus) cows, divided into three equal groups. The dietary-treatments included feeding of either 3.0 kg concentrate/head/d throughout the 60 d pre-partum, (T-1), or 3.0 kg concentrate during 60-22 d pre-partum and thereafter at an increased allowance at 0.25 kg/d during the next 21 d till it reached 1% of live weight (T-2). The third group of cows was fed similar to T-2, except that the concentrate feeding during 60-22 d pre-partum was reduced to 2.0 kg (T-3). All the groups had access to ad libitum green fodder throughout. The results revealed that the mean daily dry matter (DM) intake by the cows was similar (p > 0.05) among the three groups during the 60 days of the pre-partum but T2 animals tended to gain more live weight (41.25 kg) than T-1 (38.12 kg) and T-3 (36.25 kg). The body condition score of the cows did not change appreciably over the experimental period. The mean birth weight of the calves was 24.00 +/- 1.10, 24.63 +/- 1.17 and 23.25 +/- 1.19 kg for the three groups, respectively, with the corresponding average daily gain of 154.2, 155.0 and 169.7 g during the subsequent 60 days; both these parameters did not vary significantly ascribable to pre-partum feeding regimens of their dams. The total immunoglobulin (Ig) concentration in the colostrum was 6.31 +/- 0.34, 5.80 +/- 0.21 and 6.13 +/- 0.30 g/dl for the three groups, respectively, showing no influence of dietary treatments. The mean serum Ig levels (T-1 2.10 +/- 0.09, T-2 2.05 +/- 0.09 and T-3 2.10 +/- 0.12 g/dl) of calves at 5 d of age were similar among the dietary groups as was the case with various serum biochemical constituents. It is concluded that the variations in pre-partum dietary management elicited no significant influence on the calf performance including the immune status.