02653naa a2200289 a 450000100080000000500110000800800410001902200390006002400350009910000180013424501760015226000090032850001060033752016370044365000100208065300130209065300310210365300170213465300190215170000190217070000160218970000160220570000190222170000180224070000150225877300900227310127472018-12-07       2015    bl uuuu     u00u1 u    #d  a0049-4747 // Online ISSN 1573-74387 a10.1007/s11250-014-0700-82DOI1 aBAYEMI, P. H.  aEffect of pre-partum feed supplementation on post-partum ovarian activity, milk production and calf growth of small holder dairy Cattle in Cameroon.h[electronic resource]  c2015  aArticle history: Received 31 August 2014 // Accepted 01 October 2014 // First Online 23 October 2014.  aABSTRACT. Seventy-two cows were selected for an on-farm study on the effect of feed supplementation before calving on milk production, ovarian activity and calf growth of Holstein, indigenous Red Fulani cows and their crosses. Pre-partum feed supplementation was done using cotton seed cake (80 %), maize (18 %), bone meal (1 %) and kitchen salt (1 % NaCl). Supplementation levels consisted of a low supplementation fed at 1 kg per animal per day and high supplementation fed at 2 kg per animal per day. In addition, Red Fulani cows received the supplements in two different ways namely a pre-partum supplementation consisting of 1 kg per cow per day and pre- and post-partum supplementation consisting of 1 kg per cow per day before calving and 1 kg per cow per day post-partum up to 30 days after calving. Blood samples were analysed using ELISA Progesterone kits to determine the length of post-partum anoestrus. Results show that pre-partum levels of feeding did not have any effect (P&#8201;>&#8201;0.05) on body condition score (BCS) at 12 weeks after calving, calf birth weight, average daily weight gain of calves, milk production and post-partum anoestrus. High BCS at calving was shown to influence BCS at 12 weeks of lactation. Holstein cows had bigger calves (P&#8201;<&#8201;0.01) at birth (45 kg) compared to traditional cows (36 kg) and crosses (34 kg). There was little benefit of pre-partum supplementation on the parameters investigated in this study. Consequently, low income farmers are advised to concentrate their efforts of supplementation early in lactation. © Springer Science+Business Media Dordrecht 2014  aELISA  aCAMEROON  aPRE-PARTUM SUPPLEMENTATION  aPROGESTERONE  aPROSTAGLANDINS1 aNSONGKA, M. V.1 aLEINYUY, I.1 aWEBB, E. C.1 aNCHADJI, J. M.1 aCAVESTANY, D.1 aBRYANT, M.  tTropical Animal Health and Production, January 2015, vol. 47, Issue 1, pages 153-158.