Abstract

Milk yield (MY) and composition were measured on one day in Weeks 7, 9 and 11 in 17 offspring of Angus cows fed for high (1.2 kg/d; HB) or medium (0.5 kg/d; MB) liveweight gain (LWG) for 10 days before insemination and medium (0.5 kg/d; MA) or low (0.01 kg/d; LA) LWG during gestation. Mean MYs in the progeny were; Week 7: 5790 ± 420 g/d, Week 9: 7418 ± 447 g/d, Week 11: 6244 ± 392 g/d. Better feeding before mating had little effect on MY or milk crude protein (CP%) in the progeny but tended to reduce the milkfat% (Week 9; HB (n = 8) 3.50 ± 0.17% versus MB (n = 8) 3.74 ± 0.22%) (P <0.19), casein (Week 11; HB 2.59 ± 0.03% versus MB 2.68 ± 0.04%) (P = 0.11) and lactose (Week 11; HB 5.18 ± 0.13% versus MB 5.42 ± 0.05%) (P = 0.075). Better feeding of the dam after artificial insemination did not significantly increase MY of the progeny (Week 9; MA (n = 9) 7972 ± 378 g/d versus LA (n = 8) 6794 ± 826 g/d) (P = 0.23), or milkfat%, decreased CP (Week 9; MA 3.22 ± 0.07% versus LA 3.41 ± 0.08%) (P <0.09) and casein% (at Weeks 7 and 9 identical values of MA 2.52 ± 0.06% versus LA 2.69 ± 0.07%), but increased lactose% after the peak of lactation (Week 11 MA 5.42 ± 0.06% versus LA 5.15 ± 0.14%) (P <0.08). Feeding before and after conception may affect the nutrition of the grand generation

SW, Peterson, CMC Jenkinson, RE Hickson, ST Morris, HT Blair, and PR Kenyon

Proceedings of the New Zealand Society of Animal Production, Volume 70, Palmerston North, 194-198, 2010