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Background: Postpartum fertility in dairy bovines is one of the important criteria of sustainable dairy industry and economy of farmers. The Kankrej, a dual purpose zebu cattle, is known for its endurance, but is slow breeder with very late maturity, prolonged postpartum anestrous/subestrous and thereby calving interval. These peculiarities necessitate scientists to adopt fixed time AI (FTAI) protocols of estrus synchronization for improving their reproductive efficiency. Hence this study was aimed to assess the fertility and plasma metabolic profile of normal and synchronized anestrous/ subestrous suckled Kankrej cows of an organized farm. Methods: The study involved 36 parturient Kankrej cows of the University Farm that were maintained under identical nutritional and managerial practices. Blood samples were collected in heparinized vacutainers from all the animals on the day of calving and then at 10 days interval till 90 days for plasma metabolic profile. Animals monitored by per rectal palpation 10 days apart around day 70-80 postpartum revealed 30 cows to be anestrous or subestrous, which were randomly allocated to five different estrus synchronization protocols at day 90-92, each with six cows and a group of six cows that exhibited estrus and were bred by day 70-90 served as normal control. The treatment protocols included Ovsynch, CIDR, Ovsynch + CIDR, Cosynch and double PGF2α together with estimation of plasma metabolites on day 0, 7, 9/10 (AI) and then at 10 days interval up to day 40 post-AI. Result: The mean plasma total protein levels varied non-significantly, while total cholesterol and triglycerides varied significantly (p<0.01) between intervals until 90 days postpartum in most of the groups with gradual increase in the mean values from the day of calving. The estrus synchronization protocols, however. did not alter the plasma profile of these constituents. The estrus induction response with Ovsynch, CIDR, Ovsynch + CIDR, Cosynch and PGF2α treatment was 66.66, 83.33, 50.00, 66.66 and 66.66% and the conception rates at induced estrus 16.66, 33.33, 16.66, 50.00 and 50.00%, respectively. In normal cyclic control group, the conception rate at first cycle was 33.33%. The plasma total cholesterol and triglycerides were higher in conceived than non-conceived cows, particularly during early postpartum period and post-AI. It was concluded that CIDR, Cosynch and PGF2α protocols were better for estrus induction and conception rate in anestrous and subestrous suckled Kankrej cows, although they did not influence the plasma metabolic profile. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The present study was aimed at assessing the postpartum ovarian activity through clinical monitoring and plasma macro-minerals profile at 10 days intervals from calving till 140 days postpartum and fertility following various estrus synchronization therapies viz. Ovsynch, CIDR, Ovsynch + CIDR, Cosynch and PGF2α around day 90-95 postpartum in 30 suckled anestrous/subestrous (6/treatment) Kankrej cows of an organized farm. Six normal cyclic cows were kept as control. The variations between 10 days interval were significant in some of the groups for mean values of plasma calcium (CIDR & Control), phosphorus (Ovsynch, Ovsynch + CIDR & Control) and magnesium (PGF2α & Control) studied from calving till 90 days postpartum. Estimations of plasma minerals were also done on day 0, 7, 9/10 (AI) and then at 10 days interval up to day 40 post-AI following use of above estrus synchronization treatments. None of the protocols used, viz, Ovsynch, CIDR, Ovsynch + CIDR, Cosynch and PGF2α significantly influenced the plasma calcium, phosphorus and/or magnesium concentrations, though the estrus response (66.66, 83.33, 50.00, 66.66 and 66.66 %) and conception rate at induced estrus (16.66, 33.33, 16.66, 50.00 and 50.00 %, respectively) and overall of 3 cycles (33.33, 50.00, 33.33, 50.00 and 50.00 %) varied between them. The first service and overall 3 cycles conception rates in normal cyclic control group were 33.33 and 50.00 %, respectively. Among the conceived and non-conceived groups of Kankrej cows, the values of calcium and phosphorus varied insignificantly between intervals from day of calving to day 140 postpartum (10-40 post-AI), except for calcium in non-conceived group, and magnesium varied significantly between days in both conceived and non-conceived groups. The levels however did not vary between conceived and non-conceived groups at any of the intervals postpartum/post-AI. It was concluded that neither the levels of plasma calcium, inorganic phosphorus and magnesium were good indicators of normal or abnormal reproductive status, nor they were influenced by different estrus induction protocols used in Kankrej cows, and that CIDR, Cosynch and PGF2α protocols were better in terms of estrus induction response and conception rate in anestrous/ subestrous zebu cows. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

A study was carried out on 42 normal parturient Kankrej cows of 2nd to 4th parity on an organized farm during the period from 2010-12 to evaluate the puerperal events and postpartum fertility with and without use of oestrus induction / synchronization protocols (viz., Ovsynch, CIDR, Ovsynch+CIDR, Cosynch and PGF2αa) around day 90-95 postpartum in anoestrus/suboestrus cows. Palpation per rectum was carried out at five days interval from day 10 to 40 postpartum, to monitor ovarian changes and uterine involution, and around day 70-90 at 10 days intervals to confirm anoestrus/ suboestrus condition. The plasma progesterone levels were estimated by RIA at 10 days interval from calving till 140 days postpartum. The birth weight of calf, time required for expulsion of fetal membranes and weight of expelled fetal membranes were 24.29 ± 1.54 kg, 5.04 ± 2.01 hrs and 2.84 ± 0.76 kg, respectively. Complete uterine involution was noted in Kankrej cows by mean interval of 36.80 ± 1.21 (range 32-45) days postpartum. The interval for occurrence of first oestrus postpartum clinically and through plasma progesterone profile was 105.49 ± 1.66 (range 86-106) and 56.42 ± 3.88 (range 30-80) days, respectively (P<0.05). The first service and overall conception rates of three consecutive cycles obtained were 30.95 (13/42) and 40.47 (17/42) per cent, respectively, within 150 days postpartum. The fertility response to all the five oestrus synchronization treatments used in anoestrus/suboestrus cows was at par with that of the normal cyclic cows in the same herd. However, the animals of the mega mineral bolus group showed significantly lower fertility response in stipulated time as compared to the control group. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]