• Asian-Australasian Journal of Animal Sciences
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• v.25 no.9
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• pp.1338-1350
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• 2012

This review focuses on the nutritional effects from birth until age at first calving on growth, mammary developmental changes, and first-lactation milk yield in heifer calves. The advancement in the genetic potential and the nutritional requirements of the animals has hastened the growth rate. Genetic selection for high milk yield has suggested higher growth capacity and hence increasing nutritional inputs are required. Rapid rearing by feeding high energy or high concentrate diets not only reduces the age of sexual maturity but also lowers the time period of attaining the age of first calving. However, high energy diets may cause undesirable fat deposition thereby affecting future milk yield potential. Discrepancies exist whether overfed or overweight heifers at puberty can influence the mammary development and future milk yield potential and performance. The data on post-pubertal nutritional management suggested that body weight at calving and post-pubertal growth rate is important in first lactation milk yield. There is a continuous research need for strategic feeding that accelerates growth of dairy heifers without reduction in subsequent production. Nutritional management from birth, across puberty and during pregnancy is critical for mammary growth and for producing a successful cow. This review will mostly highlight studies carried out on dairy breeds and possible available opportunities to manipulate nutritional status from birth until age at first calving.

• Asian-Australasian Journal of Animal Sciences
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• v.12 no.6
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• pp.850-853
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• 1999

Angus postweaning daily gain (PWDG) was analyzed to investigate effects of the heterogeneous variance and the genotypes by sex interaction on prediction of EBVs with data sets of various environmental levels. A whole data (16,239 records) was divided into six data sets according to averages of the best linear unbiased estimator (BLUE) of herd environment. The results comparing prediction models showed that single-trait model is adequate for most of the data sets except for the data set of poor environment for both of the bulls and the heifers where the heterogeneity of variance and the genotypes by sex interaction exists. In the prediction with the data set of the low environment level, the bull's EBVs by single-trait models had high product moment correlations with male EBVs of the bulls by the multitrait model. Whereas the heifer's EBVs had moderate correlations with female EBVs by the multitrait model. This moderate correlation seems to be resulted by the heterogeneity of variance and low heritability of the heifer's PWDG. The prediction models with heterogeneity of variance had little effect on the prediction of EBVs for the data sets with moderate to high genetic correlations.

• Asian-Australasian Journal of Animal Sciences
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• v.7 no.2
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• pp.255-260
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• 1994

Calving records of 107 heifers from two breed groups were used to identify the major factors contributing to calving difficulty (dystocia) and compare the influence of pelvic diameters, weight and height of heifers measured after breeding and before calving on dystocia. The horizontal and vertical pelvic diameters, hip height and weight of heifers were measured two months after breeding and again two months before calving. Snell transformed calving difficulty scores (0 = normal to 100 = surgical intervention) were used in analyzing the data by analysis of covariance. Body condition score of the heifer, sire birth weight of the calf, birth weight of the calf, and ratio of calf birth weight to pelvic area all had significant effects on dystocia. Calf birth weight, ratio of calf birth weight to pelvic area, and heifer's condition score were especially important. However, sex of calf did not have a significant influence on dystocia. Generally, the variables measured before calving accounted for a higher proportion of variation in dystocia than those measured after breeding. Thus, based on the relative importance of the major factors affecting dystocia, it is suggested that selection of bulls with low birth weight for breeding on normal size heifers with optimum body condition score, and well developed pelvic opening, would be effective in reducing the incidence and severity of dystocia in beef heifers.

• Korean Journal of Animal Reproduction
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• v.17 no.4
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• pp.295-303
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• 1994

The present study was conducted to examine the reprodutive performance and organs autopsy of culled dairy cows at alpine area. 795 culled dairy cows were managed and 206 culled dairy cows were examined by autopsy of reproductive organs at above 800m of sea level around the Daegwallryoung alpine area. The results of this study were at follows ; 1. Age and parity of culled dairy cows were 60.8 months and 3.0, respectively. 2. Age of first AI of heifer was 18.7 months, and age of pregnancy and parturition of heifer were 19.5 months and 28.6 months, respectively. 3. Al time per pregnancy was 1.7 and time of pregnancy after parturition, pregnancy period and calving interval were 140.9, 279.6 and 424.9 days, respectively. 4. Culled months after last parturition was 4.3 and the highest urogenital deseases of culled reason were 358(45.0%). 5. Reproductive organs deseases by autopsy were 120(58.4%), the highest ovary disease were 75(43.6%). 6. The highest ovary adhesions of reproductive organ diseases were 46(26.7%), infundibulum adhesion, obstruction of the oviduct and endometritis were 38(22.1%), 15(8.7%), and 14(8.2%), respectively. 7. In culled dairy cow for the reproductive organ disease, parity, age, culled months and AI number after last parturition were 3.2, 66.5 months, 7.9 months and 2.1, respectively.

• Journal of Animal Environmental Science
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• v.12 no.3
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• pp.123-132
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• 2006

This study was conducted to determine the volume of Holstein heifers manure excreted and its characteristics. The average dry matter intake of heifers was 6.7 kg/head/day. The intake rate was lowest in spring among four seasons. The average dry matter intake rate during spring, summer, fall, and winter was 4.6, 8.3, 7.1, and 6.8 kg/head/day, respectively. The average water intake of heifers was $19.3{\ell}/head/day$. The wale. consumption was highest value ($21.8{\ell}/head/day$) in summer and lowest values ($18.3{\ell}/head/day$) in spring and winter. Values were found not to be statiscally different for the four seasons. The average manure production of heifers (average live weight was 363.1 kg) was 20.3 kg/head/day and it was 5.6% of live animal weight. The manure production during spring, summer, fall, and winter was 13.7, 23.5, 25.0, and 20.2 kg/head/day, respectively. Production during spring was lower than the other seasons (p<0.05). A higher correlation between live weight and manure production ($R^2=0.7816$) and between live weight and feed intake ($R^2=0.7296$) was observed for heifers. Correlations between manure production and water intake and between manure production and feed intake were found to be relatively low for heifers. The moisture content of feces was 83.5% and that of urine 94.6%. The pH of feces and urine were in the ranges of 7.4 and 7.5, respectively. The $BOD_5$, COD, SS, T-N, T-P concentrations of the heifer feces were 18,048, 50,114, 119,833, 2,519, and $427mg/{\ell}$, respectively. Heifer urine showed lower levels of $BOD_5(5,434mg/{\ell})$, COD$(6,550mg/{\ell})$, SS$(825mg/{\ell})$, T-N$(3,616mg/{\ell})$, and $T-P(28mg/{\ell})$ than feces. The fertilizer nutrient concentrations of heifer feces was 0.25% N, 0.1% $P_2O_5$ and 0.14% $K_2O$. Urine was found to contain 0.36% N, 0.006% of $P_2O_5$ and 0.31% $K_2O$.

• Journal of Practical Agriculture & Fisheries Research
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• v.20 no.2
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• pp.49-56
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• 2018

Recently, attempts have been made by dairy farms to shorten the time until the first estrus by feeding animals a high-energy diet during the heifer period. Energy consumption during the heifer period has been shown to be related to milk yield and reproductive performance. The present study was conducted to analyze the relationship between reproductive performance and energy intake in heifers. There were no differences in height or body weight between animals that were fed the Korean standard diet versus a high energy diet (110% of the Korean standard). However, there was a difference in the timing of the first estrus: 329.3 days under normal energy conditions versus 311 days under high energy conditions. There was no difference in the number of artificial insemination per gestation, but both the rate of female calf production and the weight of individual female calves increased in response to the high energy diet. Based on these results, it may be predicted that the reproductive performance of dairy cows will increase when the animals are fed a high energy diet (110% of the Korean standard). These results demonstrate a correlation between the amount of energy consumed and reproductive performance, and will be of great value to the dairy farming industry.

• Journal of Animal Science and Technology
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• v.57 no.1
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• pp.3.1-3.6
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• 2015

This study investigated the effects of feeding by-product feed (BF)-based silage on the behavior of growing Hanwoo heifers. Twelve Hanwoo heifers (13.2 months-old, 315 kg body weight; four heifers per pen) were assigned to three diets: a rice straw (RS) diet (concentrate mix and free access to RS), a RS and BF-based silage (RSBFS) diet (concentrate mix and free access to RS and BF-based silage), and a BF-based silage (BFS) diet (concentrate mix and free access to BF-based silage). Behavior was recorded for 5 days using camcorders. Compared to the RS group, the BFS group showed 21.7% higher dry matter intake, shorter feeding, rumination, and chewing times, as well as longer resting time (p < 0.05). Although all groups exhibited similar drinking, urination, and defecation frequencies, the BFS group exhibited higher feeding rates, rumination efficiency, and chewing efficiency than the RS group (p < 0.05). Compared to the BFS group, the RSBFS group showed higher $peNDF_{8.0}$ intake (15.2% vs. 25.0% dry matter intake), longer feeding and sitting times, lower defecation frequency (p < 0.05), and similar rumination efficiency. In conclusion, complete replacement of conventional RS with BF-based silage reduced rumination and chewing activity in growing Hanwoo heifers, and BF-based silage feeding with large-particle straw is an effective approach in improving heifer behavior.

• Asian-Australasian Journal of Animal Sciences
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• v.4 no.4
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• pp.341-351
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• 1991

Sixteen Holstein heifer calves were used in an 112-day trial to study the effects of probiotic supplementation on growth performance and rumen metabolism. Calves were divided into four groups of four calves each, with two groups receiving the probiotic supplement and two groups serving as controls. Calves were limited to 1.6 kg dry matter of a corn-barley based grain mix per day. Long-stem bromegrass hay was fed as forage the first 56 days and bromegrass silage the last 56 days of the trial. Probiotic (28 g/d/calf) was fed along with the grain mix twice daily. Data were analyzed for the entire trial and also for the separate hay and silage feeding periods. Total weight gain and average daily gain were not affected (p>.05) by probiotic supplementation. Dry matter intake was lower (p<.05) and feed efficiency (kg feed/kg weight gain) was improved slightly during the hay feeding period for the probiotic-supplemented calves. Wither height gain was greater (p<.05) during the hay period and lower (p<.05) during the silage period for probiotic-supplemented calves. Heart girth gain was improved (p<.07) by probiotic supplementation, particularly during the hay feeding period (p<.05). Total rumen volatile fatty acid (VFA) concentration was higher (p<.05) with the probiotic-supplemented calves. Molar proportions of individual VFA were not affected (p>.05). Rumen ammonia-N and plasma urea-N concentration were lower (p<.05) for probiotic-supplemented calves during the hay feeding period. Total tract nutrient digestibility was not affected (p>.05). Some improvements in animal performance and changes in rumen and blood metabolites were observed when calves were supplemented with probiotic. Effects due to probiotic supplementation were most pronounced during the hay feeding period.

• Asian-Australasian Journal of Animal Sciences
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• v.10 no.5
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• pp.471-477
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• 1997

A study detennined whether certain biochemical and physiological variables were altered during marginal Zn deficiency. Ten weaned crossbred Hereford Angus heifer calves, weighing $163{\pm}2kg$, were utilized. Five calves were fed a Zn - deficient (- Zn) brome-alfalfa hay diet containing 17 mg Zn/kg diet DM, and five calves were fed a Zn-adequate (+Zn) diet with 23 mg Zn/kg diet DM from $ZnSO_4$ added to the - Zn diet (total diet, 40 mg Zn/kg diet DM), for 32 d. At 21 d the - Zn calves had a reduction (p < .05) in feed efficiency. By 25 d, plasma Zn and alkaline phosphatase concentrations were reduced (p < .05) in the - Zn calves. Blood urea nitrogen, glucose, insulin, IGF-I, Cu plasma concentration and Zn and Cu concentrations of red blood cell (RBC) and liver were not altered (p > .05) by the - Zn diet through 25 d. In response to a single i. m. injection of dexamethasone (20 mg) on d 25, calves fed the two dietary Zn amounts showed no changes (p > .05) in plasma or RBC Zn and Cu concentrations, serum IGF-I, insulin, and glucose when measured at 6, 12, 24, 48, 72, and 96 h after injection. In response to an intradermal injection of phytohemagglutinin on d 30, cell mediated immune (CMI) response was reduced (p < .05) in the - Zn calves. These observations indicate that during a marginal Zn deficiency in calves, there was a decrease in feed efficiency, plasma Zn, serum alkaline phosphatase, and CMI response.

• Journal of The Korean Society of Grassland and Forage Science
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• v.35 no.3
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• pp.232-237
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• 2015

The present study investigated the effects of Lysophospholipid (LPLs, LIPIDOL$^{TM}$) on the growth performance and nutrient digestibility of Hanwoo heifers. A feeding trial was performed for 120 days until slaughter using a herd of 24 Hanwoo heifers. Eight heifers were assigned to each of 3 experimental groups (control, 0.3% LIPIDOL$^{TM}$ and 0.5% LIPIDOL$^{TM}$). Growth performance, nutrient digestibility, and carcass characteristics were investigated. Significantly improved nutrient digestibility was found in the LIPIDOL$^{TM}$ treatment group compared to the control (p<0.05). No significant effect by LIPIDOL$^{TM}$ supplementation on growth performance was observed (p>0.05). However, interestingly, greater carcass weight was detected in the treatment of LIPIDOL$^{TM}$ where less daily gain was found. Although not a significant effect, greatly decreased back-fat thickness and increased loin area were detected in the treatment of LIPIDOL$^{TM}$. In meat characteristics, LIPIDOL$^{TM}$ increased intramuscular fat and tenderness. Therefore, the present study results suggest that the inclusion of LIPIDOL$^{TM}$ in the diet of Hanwoo heifers can improve carcass performance and meat quality by increasing the carcass index and the meat quality index. The results also suggest that a level of 0.3% might be more efficient than 0.5% with regard to economic effectiveness.