Effect of plane of nutrition during the first 12 weeks of life on growth, metabolic and reproductive hormone concentrations, and testicular relative mRNA abundance in preweaned Holstein Friesian bull calves.

ABSTRACT: The objective of this study was to examine the effect of nutrition during the first 12 wk of life on aspects of the physiological and transcriptional regulation of testicular and overall sexual development in the bull calf. Holstein Friesian bull calves with a mean (SD) age and bodyweight of 17.5 (2.85) d and 48.8 (5.30) kg, respectively, were assigned to either a high (HI; n = 15) or moderate (MOD; n = 15) plane of nutrition and were individually fed milk replacer and concentrate to achieve overall target growth rates of at least 1.0 and 0.5 kg/d, respectively. Throughout the trial, animal growth performance, feed intake, and systemic concentrations of metabolites, metabolic hormones, and reproductive hormones were assessed. Additionally, pulsatility of reproductive hormones (luteinizing

SUBMITTER: Coen SP 

PROVIDER: S-EPMC8355607 | biostudies-literature | 2021 Aug

REPOSITORIES: biostudies-literature