Abstract
Nutr i t ion and growth have been considered inseparable prior to puberty in mammals, and first summer growth is an important determinant of adult body size, l ikelihood of overwinter survival, and potential reproductive success. Knowledge of growth and its regulators is therefore critical to understanding and predicting changes in herd productivity. In addition, the relative importance of milk intake to growth rate changes wi th age (White, 1992), and the timing of nutritional independence may be affected by both regulatory (endogenous) and ecological components.
Highlights
N o differences i n first-summer growth were found between herds
Body weight was a good predictor of ingesta-free body weight (r = 0.99), because variation i n alimentary fill at a particular body weight was relatively small
Variance in the relation between body weight and ingesta-free body weight increased with age and body size
Summary
N o differences i n first-summer growth were found between herds. B o d y weight and skeletal size increased w i t h age to approximately 100 days, but growth was greatly reduced or absent between 100 and 130 d. Body weight was a good predictor of ingesta-free body weight (r = 0.99), because variation i n alimentary fill at a particular body weight was relatively small. Variance in the relation between body weight and ingesta-free body weight increased with age and body size.
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