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Female-female influences on the duration of the post-partum anoestrous period in beef cows

Published online by Cambridge University Press:  02 September 2010

I. A. Wright ,
S. M. Rhind ,
A. J. Smith  and
T. K. Whyte
I. A. Wright
Affiliation:
Macaulay Land Use Research Institute, Craigiebuckler, Aberdeen AB9 2QJ
S. M. Rhind
Affiliation:
Macaulay Land Use Research Institute, Craigiebuckler, Aberdeen AB9 2QJ
A. J. Smith
Affiliation:
Macaulay Land Use Research Institute, Craigiebuckler, Aberdeen AB9 2QJ
T. K. Whyte
Affiliation:
Macaulay Land Use Research Institute, Craigiebuckler, Aberdeen AB9 2QJ
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Abstract

Two experiments were conducted to determine whether female to female influences could reduce the duration of the post-partum anoestrous period in beef cows. In experiment 1, cows were housed from calving, either in individual stalls, which precluded physical contact with other cows (treatment I; no. = 19) or as a group, with a cow in oestrus introduced to the group twice per week (treatment G; no. = 18). The percentage of cows cycling by day 50 post partum was similar for both treatments, but at 91 days post partum was significantly higher (P <0·05) in the G than in the I cows (89% v. 58%).

In experiment 2, cows were housed in individual stalls from calving and exposed twice per week to either cervical mucus collected from cows in oestrus (treatment M; no. = 21) or distilled water (treatment W; no. = 24). The percentage of cows cycling by 70 days post partum was similar in both treatments but by 130 days there were significantly more (P <0·05) M cows cycling (86% v. 58%). In neither experiment were LH profiles at 22,43 or 64 days influenced by treatment.

The results indicate that cervical mucus of cows in oestrus contains pheromone(s) which can reduce the postpartum anoestrous period in beef cows with extended anoestrous periods.

Keywords

anoestrusbeef cowspheromones
Type
Research Article
Information
Animal Production , Volume 59 , Issue 1 , August 1994 , pp. 49 - 53
Copyright
Copyright © British Society of Animal Science 1994

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