INFLUENCE OF DIFFERENT ENERGY-PROTEIN RATIOS OF DIETS ON THE PRODUCTIVITY OF REPAIR HEIFERS IN DIFFERENT CLIMATIC CONDITIONS

DOI: 10.32900/2312-8402-2025-135-121-131

Galyna PRUSOVA,
CandAgSc, SR.,
https://orcid.org/0000-0002-2604-5720,
Tatiana YELETSKA,
CandBioSc, SR.,
https://orcid.org/0000-0001-8980-6972,
Yevheniia BACHEVSKA,
junior researcher,
https://orcid.org/0009-0000-5761-3666,
Alexander MARCHENKO,
PhD student,
https://orcid.org/0009-0002-8749-8931,
Volodymyr DUVIN,
PhD student,
https://orcid.org/0009-0005-4082-6645,
Livestock farming institute of NAAS of Ukraine, Kharkiv, Ukraine

Keywords: heifers, energy-protein ratio, feed additive, live weight, air temperature


The paper substantiates the need to improve the energy and protein nutrition of heifers in order to increase the efficiency of their cultivation taking into account climate changes. In scientific and economic experiments on heifers, the energy-protein feed additive TEP-mix was used, with a high degree of protection against the breakdown of protein (65.25 %) and starch in the rumen.

The main results of the conducted research indicate that improving the energy and protein balance in the body of heifers due to the use of TEP-mix supplements in their diets is a physiologically justified and cost-effective element of feeding technology. The use of diets with the inclusion of TEP-mix additives in their composition provides an increase in the amount of protected protein and starch in the general diet, which has a positive effect on increasing live weight gain and improving the economic efficiency of cultivation.

The results prove that even in conditions of reduced feed intake due to increased outdoor temperature, providing heifers with protein and energy is a reliable way to control their productivity during critical temperature conditions for raising animals.

The developed diets for feeding heifers with the inclusion of high-protein energy feed additive TEP-mix with an energy-protein ratio of 8.1:1 provided an increase in the level of non-split in the rumen, contributed to the stabilization of metabolic processes in the animal body and allowed to increase the average daily growth of heifers in the cold season by 7.7 % , and in the summer by 20.8 %. Changes in the protein diet of heifers in the direction of saturation of the diet with protein, which is digested according to the intestinal type from 28.05% to 34.83% provided better tolerance to heat stress. Moreover, with an increase in temperature to the maximum, the degree of counteraction to heat stress becomes the greatest.

With a 10% increase in the normal protein level in the second group, the energy-protein ratio increased to 9.7:1, and the level of protein that is not broken down in the rumen decreased to 26.59 %. Under these conditions, the average daily weight gain of heifers in winter decreased by 3.0%, in summer – by 6.2 %.

 

References

Admin, O. Y., Admina, N. G., PaliyА. P., Petrov, R. V., Nagorna, L. V., Kovalenko, L. M., Nazarenko, S. M., & Sevastianov, V. V. (2024). Influence of growth intensity of black and white dairy cattle on their reproduction and productivity under free housing. Regulatory Mechanisms in Biosystems, 15 (3), 469-476. https://doi.org/10.15421/022466

Boulton, A. C., Rushton, J., & Wathes, D. C. (2017). An empirical analysis of the cost of rearing dairy heifers from birth to first calving and the time taken to repay these costs. Animal, 11 (8), 1372-1380. https://doi.org/10.1017/S1751731117000064

Brown, E. G., Vandehaar, M. J., Daniels, K .M., Liesman, J. S., Chapin, L. T., Keisler, D., & Weber Nielsen, M. S. (2005). Effect of Increasing Energy and Protein Intake on Body Growth and Carcass Composition of Heifer Calves. Journal of Dairy Science, 88 (2), 585-94. https://doi.org/10.3168/jds.S0022-0302(05)72722-3

Chang-Fung-Martel, J., Harrison, M. T., Brown, J. N., Rawnsley, R. Smith, A. P., & Meinke, H. (2021). Negative relationship between dry matter intake and the temperature-humidity index with increasing heat stress in cattle: a global meta-analysis. International Journal of Biometeorology, 65 (12),2099–2109. https://doi.org/10.1007/s00484-021-02167-0

Galyean, M. L., & Tedeschi, L. O. (2024). Predicting Microbial Protein Synthesis in Cattle: Evaluation of Extant Equations and Steps Needed to Improve Accuracy and Precision of Future Equations. Animals, 14 (19), 2903. https://doi.org/10.3390/ani14192903

Handcock, R. C., Lopez-Villalobos, N., McNaughton, L. R., Back, P. J., Edwards, G. R., & Hickson, R. E. (2019). Body weight of dairy heifers is positively associated with reproduction and stayability. Journal of Dairy Science, 103 (5), 4466–4474. https://doi.org/10.3168/jds.2018-15229

Harun, A. Y., & Sali, K. (2019). Factors affecting rumen microbial protein synthesis: A review. Veterinary Medicine Open Journal, 4(1), 27-35. https://doi.org/10.17140/VMOJ-4-133

Hawkins, A., Burdine, K. H., Amaral-Phillips, D. M., & Costa, J. H. C. (2020). Effects of housing system on dairy heifer replacement cost from birth to calving: Evaluating costs of confinement, dry-lot, and pasture-based systems and their impact on total rearing investment. Frontiers in Veterinary Science, 7, 625. https://doi.org/10.3389/fvets.2020.00625

Heinrichs, A. J., & Heinrichs, B. S. (2011). A prospective study of calf factors affecting first-lactation and lifetime milk production and age of cows when removed from the herd. Journal of Dairy Science, 94 (1), 36-41. https://doi.org/10.3168/jds.2010-3170

Hurlbert, J. L., Baumgaertner, F., Bochantin-Winders, K. A., Jurgens, I. M., Sedivec, K. K., & Dahlen, C. R. (2024). Effects of Vitamin and Mineral Supplementation During Gestation in Beef Heifers on Immunoglobulin Concentrations in Colostrum and Immune Responses in Naturally and Artificially Reared Calves. Veterinary Sciences, 11 (12), 635. https://doi.org/10.3390/vetsci11120635

Katongole, C. B., & Yan, T. (2020). Effect of Varying Dietary Crude Protein Level on Feed Intake, Nutrient Digestibility, Milk Production, and Nitrogen Use Efficiency by Lactating Holstein-Friesian Cows. Animals, 10 (12), 2439. https://doi.org/10.3390/ani10122439

Kim, W. S., Nejad, J. G., Peng, D. Q., Jo, Y. H., Kim, J., & Lee, H. G. (2022). Effects of different protein levels on growth performance and stress parameters in beef calves under heat stress. Scientifc Reports. 17, 8113. https://doi.org/10.1038/s41598-022-09982-4

Lima, J., Ingabire, W., Roehe, R., & Dewhurst, R. J. (2023). Estimating Microbial Protein Synthesis in the Rumen—Can ‘Omics’ Methods Provide New Insights into a Long-Standing Question? Veterinary Sciences, 10 (12), 679. https://doi.org/10.3390/vetsci10120679

Meneses, J. A. M., Lopes de Sá, O. A. A., Coelho, C. F., Pereira, R. N., Batista, E. D., Ladeira, M. M., Casagrande, D. R., & Gionbelli, M. P. (2021). Effect of heat stress on ingestive, digestive, ruminal and physiological parameters of Nellore cattle feeding low- or high-energy diets. Livestock Science, 252, 104676. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.livsci.2021.104676

Menezes, A. C. B., McCarthy, K. L., Kassetas, C. J., Baumgaertner, F., Kirsch, J. D., Dorsam, S. T., Neville, T. L., Ward, A. K., Borowicz, P. P., Reynolds, L. P., Sedivec, K. K., Forcherio, J. C., Scott, R., Caton, J. S., & Dahlen, C. R. (2022). Vitamin and Mineral Supplementation and Rate of Gain in Beef Heifers I: Effects on Dam Hormonal and Metabolic Status, Fetal Tissue and Organ Mass, and Concentration of Glucose and Fructose in Fetal Fluids at d 83 of Gestation. Animals, 12 (14), 1757. https://doi.org/10.3390/ani12141757

Rodríguez, R., Sosa, A., & Rodriguez, Y. (2007) Microbial protein synthesis in rumen and its importance to ruminants. Cuban Journal of Agricultural Science, 41 (4), 287-294. https://www.researchgate.net/publication/276901672_Microbial_protein_synthesis_in_rumen_and_its_importance_to_ruminants

Sharapa, G. S., & Boiko, O. V. (2019). Problems of sexual cyclicity and fertilization of heifers and cows. Animal Breeding and Genetics, 57, 192-198. https://doi.org/10.31073/abg.57.23

Singh, S., Somagond, Y. M., & Deshpande, A. D. (2021). Nutritional management of dairy animals for sustained production under heat stress scenario. The Indian Journal of Animal Sciences, 91 (5), 337-349. https://doi.org/10.56093/ijans.v91i5.115381

Uhrincat, M., Broucek, J., Hanus, A., & Kisac, P. (2021). Effect of Raising Dairy Heifers on Their Performance and Reproduction after 12 Months. Agriculture, 11 (10), 973. https://doi.org/10.3390/agriculture11100973

Wang, J., Li, J., Wang, F., Xiao, J., Wang, Y., Yang, H., Li, S., & Cao, Z. (2020). Heat stress on calves and heifers: a review. Journal of Animal Science and Biotechnology, 11 (79), 1–8. https://doi.org/10.1186/s40104-020-00485-8

Wang, Y., Jin, L., Wen, Q., Kopparapu, N. K., Zhang, Y., Liu, J., & Liu, X. (2015). Rumen Degradability and Small Intestinal Digestibility of Amino Acids in the Four Protein Supplements. Asian-Australasian Journal of Animal Sciences, 29 (2), 241–249. https://doi.org/10.5713/ajas.15.0342

Kramarenko, O. S. (2024). Hodivlia tvaryn i tekhnolohiia kormiv: Metodychni rekomendatsii. [Animal feeding and feed technology: methodological recommendations]. Mykolaivskyi natsionalnyi ahrarnyi universytet. Mykolaiv. 66 р. (in Ukrainian).