Abstract
This study was conducted to study the effect of supplemental chromium on reproductive performance of dairy cows. Thus, forty multiparous Holstein cows (parity 3) were allocated to two treatments and 20 replicates in a completely randomized design. In this study, treatments consisted of: control group, which received no chromium supplementation and treatment group, which received 6 g/day chromium from chromium methionine. The cows allocated to this experiment from week 3 prior to parturition until 9 weeks thereafter. Reproduction parameters consisted of: insemination index and numbers of open days, clinical metabolic disorders which include acidosis, milk fever, retained placenta and displaced abomasums, and also clinical puerperal complications consisting of: mastitis, endometritis and ovarian cysts were determined. Results indicate that Cr supplementation significantly causes decrease in the numbers of open days (p < 0.05). Clinical metabolic disorders and clinical puerperal complications were not affected by chromium methionine supplementation. The results of this experiment showed that chromium methionine supplementation in multiparous dairy cows diet may improve their reproductive performance in transition period. Key words: Dairy cow, Chromium methionine, reproductive performance
Highlights
The relevance of the trace element chromium (Cr) to human and animal nutrition has been known for more than 40 years
Clinical metabolic disorders and clinical puerperal complications were not affected by chromium methionine supplementation
The results of this experiment showed that chromium methionine supplementation in multiparous dairy cows diet may improve their reproductive performance in transition period
Summary
The relevance of the trace element chromium (Cr) to human and animal nutrition has been known for more than 40 years. Cr+3 is known for its in vivo antioxidative activity and favourable effects on the stability of proteins and nucleic acids (Anderson, 1994). Its most important metabolic effect consists in an enhancement of insulin activity by its presence in an organometallic molecule known as the glucose tolerance factor (GTF). Detailed structure of GTF is unknown, but it is assumed that the factor consists of Cr+3, nicotinic and glutamic acids, glycine, and cysteine (Ducros, 1992). Chromium supplementation of late-gestation and early-lactation dairy cattle may be beneficial. Stress, such as the stress of late gestation and early lactation increases urinary excretion of Cr in rats (Anderson et al, 1994), further depleting Cr stores
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