Cow fertility and copper deficiency.

[Kathy]

Apparently, as study out of the Univ. of Saskatchewan is being/or has been done which, (in part) is looking at the nutritional status of cattle in relationship to fertility.

At the link:
http://www.beefresearch.ca/files/pdf/fact-sheets/causes-of-reproductive-failure.pdf

Investigating Reproductive Failure in Western Canadian Cow-Calf Herds

Researchers:
Dr. Steve Hendrick steve.hendrick@usask.ca
Dr. Cheryl Waldner and Dr. John Campbell

you will find this comment:

"Fertility is also influenced by nutrition. For example, blood samples indicate that up to 46% of cows in Western Canada may be
copper deficient. This suggests a need for field research on the use and effectiveness of trace mineral supplementation programs
to improve fertility of beef cows."

WOW - 46% of cows in Western Canada appear to be copper deficient!!!!

When I have more time, I'll look into this study and see if there are some results out there.

[15444]

While the stat for Western cowherds may be new, the link between copper deficiency and fertility is not. Look up 'Copasure bolus' on Google and have a read.

[grassfarmer]

Pretty sure you don't have significant copper shortage
issues on the prairies or you'd know all about it. We
used to be on real copper deficient land in Scotland -
you could grow great grass, have the cows in good
condition yet have 35-40% open unless the
supplementation was just right. Also you didn't worry
about sheep eating mineral with a little copper in it as
all pregnant ewes needed two injections x 2cc of
copper sulphate per pregnancy to prevent swayback
in lambs.
The copper boluses were a complete failure in our
experience - tried them once and got non-viable
calves the next spring that tested chronically low in
copper. The cows formed a coating in their stomachs
around the boluses was the theory.

[SADIE]

Kathy--This study has been around a long time back to the mid-70s and it has never got any flight of its own.

Research keeps coming back to this copper defeciency in Western Canada.
Another new group seems to arise each decade when they have nothing else that is "hot"current to look at.

It is really "hit and miss" to relate copper deficency to bovine infertility.

[DogPatch]

Most good commercial minerals will have sufficient copper to meet the needs of most herds. The only catch is that it needs to be fed on a CONTINUOUS basis, and not just a month before calving and until they get to pasture. In my opinion, there isn't enough in a TM block, considering all the licking the cow would need to do.

Minerals that have Chelated TM's are even better, and considering the improved availability are worth the extra cost per back.

Most minerals suggest about 80 to 100 grams / hd / day. Given that, a Mineral that costs...... say $40/bag would cost a producer about 15 cents a day or about $54/hd/day. Won't talk many more successful conceptions to pay for that. Minerals are important for alot more than just Reproduction too remember

[grassfarmer]

Wow, I thought BSE had weeded out guys that spent
15c/day on minerals. We spend about 3c/day for 6
months on loose mineral/salt and about 1.5c/day the
other 6 months on TM salt blocks. We run about 95%
conception rate - mineral deficiencies are not a
significant issue in this part of the prairies in my
experience.

[DogPatch]

okay, my math was pretty much estimating, but what kind of a mineral do you get for 3cents a day?

[grassfarmer]

Perfectly adequate one for my situation - $17 a bag
2:1 range mineral mixed 50/50 with coarse salt
@$3.50 a bag.
If it wasn't for the opportunity to seed clover through
the loose mineral I'd just put them on TM salt blocks
year round.... plus of course the TM blocks went
through the roof on price. Remember when blue
blocks were $4 and change and TM ones were $8? I
saw TM blocks priced at $14 the other day!!!

[15444]

I wasn't sure, so I ran my own numbers and GF is right. 3.7 cents per head per day feeding premium chelated mineral at 27 ounces per day. Some days are 0 ounces and some are 100. But I know how many bags I buy in a year and feed year round in covered mineral tubs. I know some crappy Feed-Rite mineral that I used in the past would be less than 1 cent a day, the cattle disliked it so much.

[15444]

Whoops, ounces should read grams.

[grassfarmer]

Did you have a bunch of open cows or other health
problems with the crappy Feedrite stuff though
15444? - I'm guessing not.

[15444]

Actually yes, GF, I did. Dull haircoats, more open cows (running on a 90 day season rather than the 30 day one nowadays), poor-er performance in the calves, poorer body condition in the cows, more pulls for sick animals.

Now you can make the decision as to the quality of the mineral, or the fact that the animals wouldn't hardly touch it. From what I remember, the 2:1 and 1:1 (no salt) were both very bitter.

Switching over to the high-end minerals made a world of difference. No way could I have tightened up the breeding season like a did with the old mineral. I wouldn't be operating if I did. And the difference in cost for me? $8 a bag extra.

I can't even begin to source mineral for less than $25/bag around here, even if I hop over stateside. It's been over 20 years since I've seen mineral for less than $20/bag.

[grassfarmer]

Maybe you have different conditions in your area,
cattle wise, mineral wise, forage wise, climate wise?
I've fed everything from kelp to the cheapest mineral
and it has made no difference to conception or animal
health. We us the Proform minerals - originally we
got them from UFA but now we get them direct from
the maker - Viterra, close to $5 a bag cheaper.

[Kathy]

Grassfarmer the key is in what you said, that some areas have varying soil mineral content. There is also the problem of other products that bind with copper in the soil making it unavailable to absorb.

I know of some goat producers that used the copper boluses with great success, and had DISASTER when they could no longer get it (Choiceland, Sask)...

One of the reasons I posted this, is because a little birdie told me that there is some research coming to light that copper supplementation of deer in CWD regions is halting the spread of the disease.... I must be patient though, and wait for the studies to be published.

Since the prion protein is a copper binding protein/transporter etc. and is vital in the act of reproduction... it only makes sense that a shortage of copper could lead to fertility problems... Jay Ingrams "prion-free" dairy cows (from his past presentation for AB Prion Institute) are unable to reproduce and were only viable after the original prion-dependent fertilization took place.