47. Effects of Mild Nutritional Restrictions During Mid-gestation on Neonatal Calf Performance and Placental Function in Extended-grazed Beef Cows.

Clicks: 10
ID: 330102
2026
Free PDF
Article Quality & Performance Metrics
Overall Quality
Not rated
Combines reader engagement with the AI quality analysis. This article has not been analysed, so there is no overall score — reader engagement is measured and shown alongside.
AI Quality Assessment
Not analyzed
Readership in this journal
Steady

Ranked #769 of 847 articles by views in italian journal of animal science

Most read Least read

Bar heights use a square-root scale. Only the 120 most-read articles are drawn; the journal has 847 in total.

Mint this article as an NFT
Not yet minted

Create a permanent, verifiable on-chain record of this article on the Scimatic Network. The NFT is held in your Journament account, and you can withdraw it to your own wallet at any time.

5 SUSD one-off · no wallet required
Sign in to mint
Abstract
Abstract Extended grazing (EG) is a cost-effective and sustainable winter-feeding strategy for the management of pregnant beef cows. In spring calving herds, EG often overlaps with mid-gestation, exposing cows to mild protein restrictions, potentially affecting placental development and fetal growth. This study investigated whether protein supplementation during EG enhances placental morphology and health, and how these changes relate to calf vigor, birth weight, and growth. Angus cows (n = 32) were assigned to two groups during a simulated EG to either receive an individual protein supplement (S; n = 16) or remain unsupplemented (NS; n = 16). Treatments were applied during mid-gestation (86.0 ± 3.5 to 176.0 ± 3.5 days of gestation), during which S and NS cows were provided either 100% or 80% of their crude protein (CP) requirements, respectively. During early (<86 days) and late (>176 days) gestation, all cows were managed on pasture under similar conditions. Cows were sampled from the start of supplementation until calving to measure serum bovine pregnancy-associated glycoprotein (bPAG) concentrations as an indicator of placental health, and placental cotyledon tissues were collected at calving for histological assessment of vascularization and collagen distribution within the cotyledon tissue. Additionally, calf birth weight, vigor, and weaning weight were recorded. Repeated measures data were analyzed using a generalized linear mixed model approach, while variables measured at a single time point were analyzed using either Student's t-tests or Wilcoxon rank sum tests in R. Mild protein restriction (20% CP decrease) during mid-gestation did not affect calf birth weight, vigor, weaning weight, ADG, or maternal serum bPAG concentrations during gestation (p > 0.05). However, cotyledon vascular area density (NS: 14.01 ± 1.88% vs. S: 9.60 ± 1.16%; p = 0.04) and collagen distributed area fraction (NS: 24.78 ± 3.99% vs. S: 13.35 ± 2.62%; p = 0.01) were significantly higher in NS than S. These findings suggest a compensatory increase in placental vascularization along with an increase in extracellular connective tissue surrounding blood vessels, under protein-restricted conditions. Overall, mild protein restriction during mid-gestation did not affect calf outcomes, possibly due to compensatory placental adaptations. Because these mild restrictions do not produce immediate effects that producers can detect in calves, it remains important to determine whether these compensatory mechanisms occur at the expense of long-term calf health. Therefore, ongoing investigations will evaluate the effects of mild nutrient restrictions during EG on calf immune priming.
Reference Key
openalex_W7214701743 Use this key to autocite in the manuscript while using SciMatic Manuscript Manager or Thesis Manager
Authors Gayathri Dhanushka Diddeniya Diddeniyage, Nilusha Malmuthuge, Juan H. Hernandez-Medrano
Are you one of these authors? Claim your profile
Journal italian journal of animal science
Year 2026
DOI
10.1093/jas/skag272.097
URL
https://doi.org/10.1093/jas/skag272.097
Keywords Keywords not found

Citations

No citations found. To add a citation, contact the admin at info@scimatic.org

Comments

No comments yet. Be the first to comment on this article.