Biostimulation in primiparous postpartum acyclic early weaned beef cows: introducing the bulls at weaning advances...

Weaning and biostimulation promote an early cyclic postpartum rebreeding. Although the signals and mechanisms by which weaning and biostimulation differ, both end stimulating LH secretion. The aim of the experiment was to determine if weaning and biostimulation have additive effects advancing the postpartum rebreeding in primiparous postpartum anoestrous cows. The experiment was performed during late spring - early summer with 51 primiparous Hereford cows. Six weeks after parturition calves were weaned, and cows were managed in two experimental groups: WB (n = 22) and WDB (n = 29). Bulls were joined with WB cows at weaning, but joining was delayed one week in WDB cows. The presence of corpora lutea in the ovaries was recorded weekly with ultrasound, and 28 and 50 days after the end of the exposure period, pregnancy was determined by ultrasound. The percentage of cyclic cows was greater in WB than in WDB on Weeks 8 (36.4 vs 0%), 9 68.2 vs 13.8%), 10 (86.4 vs 27.6%) and 11 (100.0 vs 37.9%) (P < 0.001 in all). Cows that were weaned and biostimulated simultaneously rebred earlier than WDB cows (Week 9.1 ± 0.2 vs Week 11.0 ± 0.2; P < 0.0001). At the end of the experiment 46/51 (90.2%) of the animals were cycling. Pregnancy rate tended to be greater in WB than WDB cows 28 days after the end of the breeding period 18/22 vs 17/29, P = 0.077), but there was no difference at the end of the study (20/22 vs 24/29, ns). In conclusion, the application of weaning and biostimulation simultaneously advances postpartum rebreeding more than weaning alone in beef cows.