Producers are often told that supplementing bred heifers with protein prior to calving increases calf birth weight and leads to greater calving difficulty. Nutrition of bred heifers during gestation does have lasting consequences for both the calf and the future productivity of the cow. Decades of research clearly demonstrate that maternal undernutrition during pregnancy negatively influences not only the cow’s reproductive performance but also immune transfer, calf survival, weaning weight and post-weaning performance.
Learn to combat calving difficulty
Two bred heifers are carrying heifer calves.
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