F. Anez-Osuna1, 2, H.A. (Bart) Lardner1, 2, G. Penner 2, P. Jefferson 1, J. Campbell 3,

C. Fitzsimmon 4 and J. McKinnon2

1Western Beef Development Centre, 2Department of Animal and Poultry Science,

3Western College of Veterinary Medicine, 4University of Alberta

FAT SUPPLEMENTATION FOR BEEF CATTLE: EFFECT ON REPRODUCTIVE EFFICIENCY AND

CALF GROWTH

DAM NUTRITION DURING GESTATION AFFECTS OFFSPRING PERFORMANCE OF MANY MAMMAL SPECIES, INCLUDING

BEEF CATTLE

FAT IN RUMINANT DIETS

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• Precursors/inhibitors of hormones

• Increases diet energy density • Improve energy balance during

lactation

• Increase proprionate production

POTENTIAL EFFECTS OF FAT SUPPLEMENTATION

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• Body Weight

• Condition Score

• Milk Production

• Milk Composition

• Conception Rate

• Pubertal Age

• Mammary Develop.

• Cold Tolerance

• Birth Weight

• Weaning Weight

SOURCES

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• Soybeans

• Sunflower

• Flax

• Safflower

• Canola

• Tallow

FAT IN RUMINANT DIETS

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It is well established that under-nutrition in postpartum beef cows increases the time to onset of ovarian activity and first oestrus (Randel 1990; Short et al. 1990)

Studies suggest direct positive or no effect on reproduction (Bellows et al. 1999)

FAT SUPPLEMENTATION PREPARTUM

FIRST CALF HEIFERS SUPPLEMENTED 65 D PREPARTUM

Diet BCS %

Cycling Preg Rate WW

Control 5.6 68 79 402

Safflower 6.0 85 94 427

Soybean 5.8 76 90 435

Sunflower 6.0 76 91 434

Bellows et al., 1999

BACKGROUND

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• Supplementing PUFA inhibits the secretion of PGF2α increasing the survival of the corpora lutea and progesterone level (improve embryo survival)

(Staples et al., 1998; Mattos et al. 2000)

• Fat type in ruminants’ diets has shown to have an effect on the fatty acid profile of milk

FIRST CALF HEIFERS SUPPLEMENTED 68 D PREPARTUM

Diet BCS % Cycling %

Pregnant

Control 5.0 66 90

Sunflower 4.9 55 88

Bellows et al., 2001

BACKGROUND

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High fat supplements (5.2 %) had greater positive effect on cow reproductive performance compared to low-fat supplements (3.7 %) with similar energy content

High fat supplemented (5.2 %) cows tended to have:

• Greater medium sized follicular populations and plasma metabolite concentrations

• Increased circulating concentrations of insulin, estradiol, and progesterone

Lammoglia et al. (1997)

EFFECTS OF FAT & TYPE OF FATTY ACID

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Study 1 - Can supplementing beef cows post-partum with fat source

improve reproductive performance of the dam and progeny performance?

- Will including a fat source high in PUFA (flax seed) positively affect reproductive performance compared to a source high in MUFA (canola seed)?

Study 2 - Can feeding differing fat source (flax or canola) to

pregnant beef cows (during 2nd and 3rd trimester) affect cow and calf performance?

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STUDY 1

EFFECTS OF TYPE AND FORM OF FATTY

ACID SUPPLEMENTED POSTPARTUM

ON BEEF COW & CALF PERFORMANCE

SUPPLEMENT IN COW-CALF SYSTEMS

MATERIALS & METHODS

Over 3 yr, 108 (2nd calf) cows allocated to 1of 3 replicated (n=3) pelleted supplement strategies

1) NO SUPPLEMENT (CON)

2) CANOLA SEED (CAN) based pellet

3) FLAXSEED (FLX) based pellet

Amount of pellet offered to provide 300 g/cow/d of fat

SUPPLEMENT IN COW-CALF SYSTEMS

• Calf growth

• Pregnancy diagnosis at 45 d following breeding

• Calving dates and calf birth BW

MATERIALS & METHODS

Supplementation period (42 d) Breeding season (63 d)

T1 T2 T3

Forage quality BW, BCS, SCFT Cyclicity Blood metabolites

BW, BCS, SCFT Cyclicity

Blood metabolites

BW BCS

SCFT

Table 1. Ingredient and nutrient composition of high-fat pelleted feeds.

CAN FLX

Yr 1 Yr 2 Yr 3 Yr 1 Yr 2 Yr 3

Ingredient (% as fed)

DDGS 4.0 4.0 4.0 4.0 4.0 4.0

Oat hulls 41.0 41.0 41.0 41.0 41.0 41.0

Wheat 40.0 40.0 40.0 40.0 40.0 40.0

Canola 15.0 15.0 15.0 - - -

Flaxseed - - 15.0 15.0 15.0

Nutrient (% DM)

CP 13.5 15.9 16.1 14.9 14.2 13.3

NDF 33.5 34.8 33.9 31.4 35.3 41.3

ADF 16.6 21.9 24.5 16.6 22.1 22.2

Starch 33.3 24.2 28.4 35.3 25.4 24.5

Fat 8.4 7.6 10.3 9.1 8.5 8.0

TDN 80.3 74.6 79.2 81.9 77.0 74.2

8.5 %

TABLE 2. FORAGE QUALITY AND QUALITY CRESTED WHEATGRASS/SMOOTH BROMEGRASS PASTURE

Con Can Flx P-value

ADF 42 43 42 0.90

NDF 65 65.3 65.4 0.86

Protein 12 12 12 0.75

Ca 0.40 0.39 0.39 0.83

P 0.16 0.17 0.16 0.56

Kg/Ha 1975 1895 2060 0.19

Anez et al. 2017 (unpublished)

Cows Supplemented 45 d postpartum

% mEq/ml % Diet BWstart BWend Cycling NEFA Preg Rate CON 555 608 72 560 93 CAN 553 606 81 459 97 FLX 553 608 73 494 97 CON:FAT 0.45 0.87 0.50 0.08 0.97 CAN:FLX 0.82 0.80 0.20 0.50 0.93

Anez et al. 2017. (unpublished)

Table 3. Effect of supplement strategy on cow performance Treatmentz Contrasts

Itemy CON CAN FLX SEM CON vs.

Fat CAN vs.

FLX

Start BW (kg) 555 553 553 9.8 0.54 0.82

End BW (kg) 608 606 608 14.1 0.87 0.80

105 d ADG (kg/d)

0.51 0.51 0.52 0.047 0.79 0.81

CALF PERFORMANCE (KG/D)

Dam Supp All Calves Steers Heifers CON 1.9 2.1 2.0 CAN 2.0 2.0 1.9 FLX 2.1 2.1 2.0 CON:FAT 0.95 0.57 0.54 CAN:FLX 0.01 0.03 0.51

Anez et al. 2017 (unpublished)

SUMMARY – STUDY 1

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• NO DIFFERENCE IN COW PERFORMANCE

• NUMERIC DIFFERENCE IN % CYCLING

• INCREASED NEFA LEVELS FOR CON COWS

• NO DIFFERENCE IN % PREGNANT

• CALF PERFORMANCE?

• DIETARY FAT MAY BE AN IMPORTANT ‘REPRODUCTIVE FUEL’

• YET EFFECTS OF SUPPLEMENTAL GESTATION FAT MAY BE MASKED WHEN ADEQUATE NUTRIENTS ARE AVAILABLE IN FORAGES CONSUMED POSTPARTUM

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STUDY 2

EFFECTS OF FAT AND TYPE OF FATTY ACID

IN BEEF COW DIET ON COW & CALF

PERFORMANCE

SUPPLEMENT IN COW-CALF SYSTEMS

FETAL PROGRAMMING/EPIGENETIC

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• Effects of maternal nutrition status during gestation on offspring performance have been attributed to fetal programming and/or epigenetic effects (Wu et al., 2006; Gicquel et al., 2008; Du et al., 2010)

• Fetal programming suggests those changes occurring during fetal development are based on dam nutrient supply (Gicquel et al., 2008)

• “Epigenetic” refers to alterations in gene expression due to environmental factors without involving changes in DNA sequence

MATERIALS & METHODS

Over 2 yr, 150 cows allocated to 1of 3 replicated (n=5) diets (treatments)

1) CONTROL, barley (CON)

2) CANOLA SEED (CAN) based pellet

3) FLAX SEED (FLX) based pellet

Amount of pellet offered daily calculated to provide 300 g/cow/d of fat

All treatment diets were formulated to be iso-caloric and iso-nitrogenous

SUPPLEMENT IN COW-CALF SYSTEMS

Table 4. Ingredient and nutrient composition of high-fat pellets

Ingredient (% as fed) CAN FLX

Yr 1 Yr 2 Yr 1 Yr 2

DDGS 2.0 2.0 2.0 2.0

Oat hulls 42.0 42.0 42.0 42.0

Wheat 41.0 41.0 41.0 41.0

Canola 15.0 15.0 - -

Flaxseed - - 15.0 15.0

Nutrient (% DM)

CP 12.0 12.6 12.7 12.0

NDF 36.6 47.1 32.8 48.2

ADF 20.9 28.9 20.1 25.3

Starch 27.2 20.6 30.3 20.3

Fat 7.5 8.8 6.2 7.5

TDN 69.7 71.6 76.7 67.4

7.5 %

Table 5. Ingredient composition of diets fed during gestation

Ingredient (% DM) CON CAN FLX

Yr 1 Yr 2 Yr 1 Yr 2 Yr 1 Yr 2

Grass hay 32.6 35.5 27.5 26.9 29.7 27.1

Barley straw 33.2 42.8 28.7 42.9 29.2 38.1

Barley grain 34.0 21.7 12.0 4.9 1.2 4.9

Canola meal 0.2 - - - - -

Pellet - - 31.8 25.3 36.5 29.9

DIETS & DATA COLLECTION

• Cows housed in outdoor pens

• Body weight, BCS, US rib/rump fat

• Milk yield and composition

• Blood metabolites

• Calf birth BW, ADG, WW, Feedlot performance

• Adipose and muscle tissue (analyzed for expression on growth, myogenic and adpogenic genes)

SUPPLEMENT IN COW-CALF SYSTEMS

Table 6. Effect of treatment on beef cow performance over 2 yr

Treatment Contrasts

Itemy CON CAN FLX SEM CON vs.

Fat CAN vs.

FLX

Start

Gestation (d) 99 100 98 2.3 - -

BW (kg) 665 661 665 19.0 0.40 0.32

Final

ADG (kg/d) 0.60 0.58 0.58 0.102 0.28 0.97

BW (kg) 758 750 753 4.6 0.19 0.55

Calving BW (kg)

705 701 708 5.9 0.90 0.31

Table 7. Effect of fat in diet during gestation on partial milk yield and milk composition of beef cows

Treatment Contrasts

Item CON CAN FLX SEM CON

vs. Fat CAN

vs. FLX

At 42 d post-calving

Yield (kg) 3.0 3.1 3.1 0.19 0.52 0.92

Lactose (%) 4.7 4.7 4.7 0.06 0.28 0.70

Protein (%) 2.9 2.9 2.9 0.08 0.42 0.17

Fat (%) 3.8 3.8 4.0 0.40 0.66 0.70

Total solids (%) 12.5 12.5 12.5 0.27 0.88 0.93

Table 8. Effect of treatments on performance of the STEER calves over 1 yr

Treatmentz Contrasts

Item CON CAN FLX SEM CON vs.

Fat CAN vs.

FLX

Birth weight (kg) 41.5 44.7 45.1 1.02 >0.01 0.70

At 21 d

ADG (kg/d) 1.05 1.11 1.07 0.045 0.53 0.51

BW (kg) 63.9 68.2 67.9 1.33 0.02 0.90

At 42 d

ADG (kg/d) 1.09 1.11 1.10 0.040 0.70 0.84

BW (kg) 87.2 91.3 92.4 1.93 0.06 0.69

At weaning (180 d)

ADG (kg/d) 1.16 1.19 1.10 0.049 0.67 0.06

BW (kg) 286 294 278 9.6 0.98 0.08

Table 9. Effect of treatments on performance of HEIFER calves over 1 yr

Treatmentz Contrasts

Item CON CAN FLX SEM CON vs.

Fat CAN vs.

FLX

Birth weight (kg) 39.1 40.5 41.0 1.60 0.23 0.75

At 21 d

ADG (kg/d) 1.04 0.94 1.08 0.069 0.74 0.17

BW (kg) 59.6 62.7 62.8 2.35 0.27 0.97

At 42 d

ADG (kg/d) 1.02 1.01 1.06 0.063 0.85 0.50

BW (kg) 81.5 84.5 85.2 2.89 0.34 0.86

At weaning (180 d)

ADG (kg/d) 1.13 1.17 1.11 0.074 0.54 0.07

BW (kg) 276 287 275 14.2 0.36 0.09

SUMMARY – STUDY 2

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• NO DIFFERENCE IN COW PERFORMANCE, MILK YIELD OR COMPOSITION

• STEER CALVES FROM CAN SUPPLEMENTED COWS HAD GREATER WEAN WEIGHTS (8-16 KG) THAN FLX OR CON

• HEIFER CALVES FROM CAN SUPPLEMENTED COWS HAD GREATER ADG AND WEAN WEIGHTS (12 KG) THAN FLX OR CON

• WORK CONTINUES ON EXPRESSION OF MYOGENIC AND ADIPOGENIC GENES – EFFECT OF FETAL PROGRAMMING

BEEF SYSTEMS

RESEARCH

APPLIED BEEF & FORAGE RESEARCH

STAY CONNECTED

@DrBart_Beef @kathywbdc

THANKS

FAT SUPPLEMENT IN COW-CALF SYSTEMS

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Flax – PUFA has > omega 3:6 ratio - Decrease fiber dig - High omega 3 supp increase embryo survival and

implantation

MUFA or SFA >6% fat total diet – dec fiber dig Pellet was 8% fat Fed approx 3% total diet Minimum level where saw effect – could feed higher ?

INTRODUCTION

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REQUIREMENTS FOR PROTEIN AND TDN

Protein TDN TDN:CP Ratio

800 lb heifer, not pregnant

7 54 7.7

Pregnant heifer, 1.25 lb/d gain

8 55 6.9

Lactating cow, 15 lb milk/d

11 62 5.6

MOORE AND KUNKLE 2000