TDK conference 2019

In the last years, demand for quality beef has increased. In parallel, hungarian beef cattle population also increased. As stands grow, different animal health problems become more frequent. Production is mainly affected by reproduction, which is closely linked to nutrition and possible metabolic disturbances. Therefore our aim was to define metabolic parameters that could be used to detect possible metabolic problems in beef herds, thereby improving fertility.

In our studies, blood samples were taken from 152 cows (11 herds) in the first 3 months of 2019 in Hungary. Cows were in different physiological stages, so 5 groups have been formed. We have measured those parameters, which are routinely used in dairy cattle (non-esterified fatty acids (NEFA), ß-hydroxybutyrate (BHB) and beta-carothene). We also tried to gather information about fertility of the used animals and herds. Based on our results it can be concluded, that plasma NEFA, BHB and beta-carotene concentrations are equally suitable for monitoring animal nutrition problems as dairy cows, but fertility is likely to be less affected. Long term effects are hard to determine, due to the different farm management, nutrition and few data.

In summary, the negative energy balance affects fertility like in dairy cattle, but there could be other parameters that can be used to refine the impact of this effect. Our long-term goal is to develop a more uniform reproduction monitoring system that ensures better handling of animals fertility.