scholarly journals Serum levels of testosterone and performance of surgical or immunocastrated beef steers

2018 ◽  
Vol 9 (3) ◽  
pp. 303-311
Author(s):  
Diego Soares Machado ◽  
Dari Celestino Alves Filho ◽  
Flânia Mônego Argenta ◽  
Ivan Luiz Brondani ◽  
Ana Paula Machado Martini

The objective of the present study was to evaluate the serum concentration of testosterone and the performance of beef steers submitted to different surgical or immunological castration strategies. Forty- eight Aberdeen Angus calves were randomly distributed in the following treatments: surgical castrated at birth; surgical castrated at weaning; immunocastrated with three doses of Bopriva® vaccine; immunocastrated with four doses of Bopriva® vaccine. The hormonal dosages were performed through ELISA Test by “In vitro” competition. The weighing and body condition score of the animals were determined at the beginning and at the end of each evaluated phase. The completely randomly experimental design was used. Data were submitted to variance analysis by F test, being the averages compared by Tukey test with α=0.05. There was an interaction between treatment and collection date (P<0.05) for the serum levels of testosterone. By occasion of the slaughter, all the animals presented a similar serum concentration of testosterone, characterizing them as castrated. Animals immunological castrated with three doses of Bopriva® presented higher daily average gain and total weight gain on finishing phase than the ones surgical castrated at weaning. The immunological castration shows a viable alternative in relation to surgical castration.

1985 ◽  
Vol 40 (1) ◽  
pp. 101-109 ◽  
Author(s):  
R. J. Orr ◽  
T. T. Treacher ◽  
V. C. Mason

ABSTRACTFinnish Landrace × Dorset Horn ewes were offered 300, 600 or 900 g fresh weight per day of concentrates and forage ad libitum from day 105 of pregnancy until lambing. Spring barley straw (S) or hay (H) was offered either untreated (U) or following treatment with anhydrous ammonia in an oven (T). Organic matter digestibilities (in vitro) were 0·42, 0·58, 0·42 and 0·60 and nitrogen contents were 7·2, 18·6, 12·0 and 25·0 g/kg dry matter for US, TS, UH and TH respectively. Forage intake did not differ between ewes carrying two or more foetuses but the small number of ewes carrying one foetus ate more straw (6·8 v. 4·5 g organic matter (OM) per kg live weight) than ewes carrying two or more foetuses. Ammonia treatment increased intake; the increase was larger on straw (4·6 v. 100 g OM per kg live weight) than on hay (9·0 v. 10·7 g OM per kg live weight). Replacement rates of forage by concentrates were -0·21, +0·06, -0·48 and +0·08 kg forage per kg concentrates for treatments US, TS, UH and TH respectively; only the value for treatment UH differed significantly from zero. On most treatments forage intake decreased as pregnancy progressed and the declines were greater when treated forages were offered. Concentrate level had a large effect on most aspects of ewe performance. Ewes offered treated forage gained slightly more weight in pregnancy (138 v. 104 g/day), had a slightly smaller decrease in body condition score (-0·54 v. -0·68) between day 105 and lambing but did not have greater lamb birth weights than ewes on untreated forage.


2018 ◽  
Vol 19 (1) ◽  
pp. 125-135 ◽  
Author(s):  
Urias Fagner Santos Nascimento ◽  
Gladston Rafael de Arruda Santos ◽  
Camilo Santos Azevedo ◽  
Francisco de Assis Fonseca Macedo ◽  
Telisson Ribeiro Gonçalves ◽  
...  

SUMMARY The aim of this study was to evaluate the effect of subcutaneous fat thickness (SFT) on slaughter in lambs ½ Dorper + ½ Santa Inês (DSI) on performance, carcass characteristics and commercial cuts. It was used twenty-four lambs, slaughtered with 2mm, 3mm and 4mm SFT. There was an effect of SFT on performance: for days of confinement (2mm = 51.38, 3mm = 66.50, 4mm = 91.63 days), age at slaughter (2mm = 139.38, 3mm = 159.88, 4mm = 171.00 days), final body weight (2mm = 33.50, 3mm = 42.81, 4mm = 46.19 kg), total weight gain (2mm = 18.75, 3mm = 25.08, 4mm = (2mm = 0.44, 3mm = 0.39, 4mm = 0.28kg), slaughter weight (2mm = 32.76, 3mm = 39.79, 4mm = 44.88 kg), body condition score (2mm = 2.97, 3mm = 3.13, 4mm = 3.56); for carcass characteristics: warm carcass weight (2mm = 15.33, 3mm = 19.16, 4mm = 21.90 kg) and cold (2mm = 15.03, 3mm = 18.75, 4mm = 21.47), cooling losses (2mm = 0.00234; 3mm = 0.00333; 4mm = 0.00201 kg), carcass yields: in the refrigerator (2mm=46,79; 3mm=48,30; 4mm=48,79%); commercial (2mm = 45.88, 3mm = 47.25, 4mm = 47.82%) and true (2mm = 52.93, 3mm = 54.51, 4mm = 55.67%); carcass compactness index (2mm= 0,250; 3mm=0,30; 4mm=0,33 kg/cm) for cut weights; neck (2mm=0,44; 3mm=0,55; 4mm=0,56 kg); palette (2mm=1,38; 3mm=1,61; 4mm=2,14 kg), flank steak (2mm=2,16; 3mm=2,73; 4mm=3,19 kg), loin (2mm=0,93; 3mm=1,14; 4mm=1,25 kg), and leg (2mm=2,68; 3mm=3,20, 4mm=3,76 kg). For the tissue composition of only the muscular cuts of the neck (2mm = 50.24, 3mm = 51.44, 4mm = 55.34%), bone of the neck (2mm = 30.24, 3mm = 29.63, 4mm = 25.91%), of the loin (2mm=15,05; 3mm=24,63; 4mm=24,71%) and the leg (2mm=11,38; 3mm=13,33; 4mm=13,13%), they presented differences between the SFT (p> 0.05). It is recommended to slaughter lambs ½ Dorper + ½ Santa Inês with 3mm of SFT.


2018 ◽  
Vol 42 (6) ◽  
pp. 649-657
Author(s):  
Arpan SHARMA ◽  
Sandeep KASWAN ◽  
S. Siva KUMAR ◽  
Jaspal Singh LAMBA

2010 ◽  
Vol 50 (6) ◽  
pp. 508 ◽  
Author(s):  
D. R. Miller ◽  
G. J. Dean ◽  
P. D. Ball

The effects of end-grazing forage residual and continuous v. rotational grazing systems on prime lamb performance, grain yield and quality were examined in an irrigated dual-purpose winter wheat (cv. Mackellar) crop in Tasmania. The design was a two end-grazing residual (400 and 800 kg/ha of dry matter (DM) at Zadoks Growth Stage 30, Low and High respectively, 0.2 ha plots) × two grazing system (continuously, or rotationally grazed in four subplots) factorial, replicated three times. Mixed-sex, second-cross lambs [37 kg liveweight (LW), 2.5 body condition score, 45 kg DM/head initial feed allowance] grazed for a total of 46 days before removal. Initial feed availability was 1875 kg DM/ha, with final residuals of 520 ± 57 and 940 ± 70 kg DM/ha for the Low and High treatments respectively. Particularly for the Low residual, in vitro DM digestibility and crude protein at stem elongation were reduced (P < 0.05) by rotational compared with continuous grazing. The weekly lamb growth rate (g/day) during the first 5 weeks of grazing was linearly related to average weekly available DM in kg/ha (GR = 0.35 ± 0.041 × DM – 194 ± 49.0, P < 0.01, R2 = 0.56). Total LW produced (336 ± 11.7 kg/ha), and grain yield (6.9 ± 0.21 t/ha), protein (11.4%), screenings <2.2 mm (10.9%) and 100 grain weights (3.82 g DM) were not different between treatments. There were no advantages of rotational grazing compared with continuous grazing. Irrigated dual-purpose winter wheat can be continuously grazed by lambs up to a 500 kg DM/ha residual at stem elongation without compromising total LW produced, grain yields or grain quality.


2012 ◽  
Vol 24 (1) ◽  
pp. 196
Author(s):  
M. P. Palhão ◽  
E. R. Oliveira ◽  
M. M. Gioso ◽  
B. C. Carvalho ◽  
L. G. B. Siqueira ◽  
...  

The ovarian follicular population has been used as a parameter to evaluate fertility and also the potential of donors undergoing assisted reproductive procedures in both human medicine and animal practice. There is a high correlation between follicular population and oocyte recovery by ovum pickup (OPU), but the relationship between oocyte recovery, embryo production and pregnancy rates may not be fully understood. The aim of the present study was to evaluate whether the conversion rate of oocytes to embryos and further pregnancies could be positively related to the number of cumulus–oocyte complexes (COC) recovered after OPU in cattle. For this purpose, records of 626 OPU sections from 251 nonlactating Gyr cows (dairy Zebu breed) were analysed. The animals had a good body condition score, were kept in a good feeding pasture (Brachiaria spp.) and were supplemented with corn silage and a mixture of corn, soybeans and vitamin and minerals, according to their nutritional requirements. For each ovarian aspiration, the ovarian follicular wave was previously synchronized with an auricular implant (Norgestomet-Crestar®), IM injections of 2 mg of oestradiol benzoate (Gonadiol®) and 0.25 mg of D-cloprostenol (Sincrocio®). The OPU procedures were performed using an ultrasound device (Aquila Vet, Esaote, São Paulo, Brazil) equipped with a vaginal sector 7.5-MHz probe, disposable 20 G needles and a vacuum pressure of 80 mmHg. The cows were ranked in quartiles regarding the total number of COC recovered. To reduce bias related to the eventual fluctuation of OPU results, for the present analysis the authors used only the recorded OPU session of each cow with the highest number of COC recovered. Viable COC were fertilized with sex-sorted (X) semen of Gyr bulls previously tested for in vitro embryo production. Conversion rates (%) of the total and viable oocytes to embryos, viable oocytes to pregnancy and embryo to pregnancy were evaluated for each quartile. Differences between the first and fourth quartiles were accessed by Fisher's exact test. In the 251 OPU, 4246 total and 3173 viable COC were recovered, resulting in the production of 1001 embryos (31.5%) and 453 pregnancies (45.3%). The cows ranked in the first, second, third and fourth quartiles produced >30 (41.6 ± 10.6), 21 to 30 (25.2 ± 3.0), 12 to 20 (15.9 ± 2.6) and <12 (6.7 ± 3.1) total oocytes. The average viable oocyte (29.1 ± 11.0, 18.1 ± 5.3, 11.1 ± 3.7 and 4.5 ± 2.7, respectively) and embryo production (8.6 ± 5.7, 5.2 ± 3.6, 3.8 ± 2.8 and 1.8 ± 1.8, respectively) were different (P < 0.0001) among all quartiles. Pregnancy rates, however, did not differ (46.0, 44.9, 43.9 and 45.6%, respectively; P > 0.05). Interestingly, the conversion rates (viable oocytes to embryos and viable oocytes to pregnancies) were higher (P < 0.0001 and 0.002) in cows from the last quartile (51.1 and 31.9%) compared with those from the first quartile (23.7 and 14.7%). In conclusion, the number of COC recovered by OPU (and consequently the ovarian follicular count) can further predict the total number of embryos and pregnancies produced, but it is not directly related to the oocyte development potential. Biotran and Fapemig Project CVZ APQ 01654/09 and BPD 0007/10.


2019 ◽  
Vol 1 ◽  
pp. 67-74
Author(s):  
Z Abubakar ◽  
R J Ombugadu ◽  
J D C Tongjura ◽  
G A Amuga ◽  
A B Yako

Bovine Fasciolosis is a vector – borne zoonosis and one of the most neglected tropical diseases that cause huge economic losses and poor animal conditions in Nigeria. The prevalence of Fasciolosis in Cattle slaughtered in the Federal Capital Territory, Abuja was investigated. Faecal samples were collected from the cattle antemortem and analysed using copro ELISA test-kits and gross lesions were inspected at postmortem. Out of one hundred and eighty six (186) faecal samples analysed, over-all prevalence was 98(52.7%). From each abattoir was 38 (38.8%), 36 (36.7%) and 24 (24.5%) at Karu, Dei-Dei and Gwagwalada abattoirs respectively. Based on body condition scoring, infection rates were 39 (58.2%), 45 (58.4%) and 20 (47.6%) from cattle with poor, moderate and good body conditions accordingly. Males had a higher prevalence rate of 48 (50%) than females with 40 (44.4%). Based on the breed of cattle, infection rate of the diseases was 41 (66.1%), 39 (62.9%) and 20 (32.3%) in White fulani, Sokotogudali and Red bororo accordingly. Out of 186 cattle inspected at postmortem, 47 livers were condemned totally due to the presence of liver flukes (Fasciola species) in the hepatic parenchyma, fluke tracts, livers were friable and chirrotic. This led to an estimated loss of about three million, one hundred and two thousand naira (3,102,000.00). There was no statistically significant association between the infection and breed, sex and body condition score (p>0.05). Treatment of all cattle with an effective flukicides, vector control, enlightening of cattle farmers for proper intervention against fasciolosis are recommended.


2017 ◽  
Vol 29 (1) ◽  
pp. 160
Author(s):  
A. Tribulo ◽  
A. Cedeño ◽  
B. Bernal ◽  
S. Andrada ◽  
J. L. Barajas ◽  
...  

A retrospective analysis evaluated pregnancy rates and embryo losses with in vitro-produced embryos in a commercial embryo transfer program on 15 different beef farms. Recipients were beef cows and heifers (n = 1841) that were synchronized with 5 different protocols and transferred at a fixed-time (FTET). Recipients were examined by ultrasonography on Day 0, and those with a corpus luteum (CL) or a follicle ≥8 mm in diameter and with body condition score 2 to 4 (1 to 5 scale) were synchronized. The synchronization treatments were as follows. (T1) Recipients received an intravaginal device with 0.5 g of progesterone plus 2 mg of oestradiol benzoate on Day 0; device removal, plus 500 μg of cloprostenol (prostaglandin F2α), 400 IU of eCG, and 0.5 mg of oestradiol cypionate on Day 8; and FTET on Day 17. (T2) This treatment was similar to T1 but 1 mg of oestradiol cypionate was injected at device removal instead of 0.5 mg of oestradiol cypionate. (T3) This treatment was similar to T1 except that animals were tail-painted on Day 8 and observed on Day 10. Those with the tail-paint intact on Day 10 received 100 μg of gonadorelin (gonadotropin-releasing hormone) and all recipients were FTET on Day 17. (T4) Recipients received a progesterone device on Day 0; device removal, prostaglandin F2α, and eCG on Day 5; gonadotropin-releasing hormone on Day 8; and FTET on Day 15. (T5) Recipients received a progesterone device and 2 mg of oestradiol benzoate on Day 0; device removal, prostaglandin F2α, and eCG on Day 6; gonadotropin-releasing hormone on Day 9; and FTET on Day 16. On the day of FTET all recipients with CL ≥18 mm in diameter (G1), ≥16 and <18 mm in diameter (G2), and ≥14 mm and <16 mm in diameter (G3) received in vitro-produced fresh embryos. Pregnancy was diagnosed by ultrasonography at 30 and 60 days of gestation, and data were analysed by logistic regression. The overall proportion of recipients synchronized that were FTET was 80.8% (1487/1841), with a 30-day pregnancy rate to FTET (P/FTET) of 45.6% (678/1487) and the rate of 30- to 60-day embryo/fetal loses on the 528 recipients that were re-checked at 60 days was 12.8% (68/528). There were no significant differences in P/FTET among operators, animal category, time of the year, embryo stage, or body condition score; however, there was a significant effect of farm (P < 0.001) and CL diameter (P < 0.05), but no interaction between CL diameter and farm or treatment (P > 0.1). Recipients with G1 (443/953, 46%) and G2 (221/462, 47%) CL had higher pregnancy rates than those with G3 CL (23/71, 32%). There was a significant effect of synchronization treatment on the proportion of recipients transferred and on P/FTET (P < 0.01) that was highly influenced by farm (farm by treatment interaction P < 0.01). The proportions of recipients selected for embryo transfer were as follows: T1: 386/486, 79.4%; T2: 233/331, 70.3%; T3: 342/377, 90.7%; T4: 126/160, 78.7%; and T5: 400/487, 82.1%. The P/FTET were as follows: T1: 190/386, 49.2%; T2: 96/233, 41.2%; T3: 175/342, 51.1%; T4: 49/126, 38.8%; and T5: 168/400, 42.0%. Although 30- to 60-day embryo/fetal losses were not influenced by synchronization treatments, they were highly influenced by farm (P < 0.001) and ranged from 0 to 34.5%. In conclusion, P/FTET in a commercial program with beef in vitro-produced embryos was influenced by factors related to the recipient (CL diameter) and the environment (farm), whereas embryo/fetal losses were influenced by farm but not treatment or recipient factors.


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