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Blood levels of hormones and metabolites, erythrocytes and leukocytes and respiration and pulse rate of heifers after alpage
Author(s) -
Ruhland By K.,
Gränzer W.,
Groth† W.,
Pirchner F.
Publication year - 1999
Publication title -
journal of animal breeding and genetics
Language(s) - English
Resource type - Journals
SCImago Journal Rank - 0.689
H-Index - 51
eISSN - 1439-0388
pISSN - 0931-2668
DOI - 10.1046/j.1439-0388.1999.00203.x
Subject(s) - pasture , biology , herd , grazing , zoology , lactation , respiration , pulse rate , agronomy , endocrinology , botany , pregnancy , blood pressure , genetics
High‐altitude grazing, at or above the timberline in summer months continues to be important in alpine regions of Europe, where about 80% of young stock spend much of the three summer months on these pastures. Apart from direct utilization of these resources and saving of feed in the home farms, alped cattle are said to have greater longevity and better growth, i.e. they display compensatory growth. K& uuml ; nzi et al. (1988), S uttner (1980) and R uhland (1983) reported that heifers which spent one or two summers on alpine pastures, have, as cows in intra‐herd comparisons, about one lactation more than homegrown heifers. Compensatory growth after alpage was reported by these authors, by B ianca (1977), W eilenmann ‐B ossart (1988) and other authors. The effects of alpine sojourn on physiological and biochemical traits were investigated by B ianca and E spinosa (1975), B ossart et al. (loc. cit.), K rippl et al. (1961) and S uttner (1980). This investigation concerns the comparative effects of alpine pasture and farm feeding on subsequent physiological and biochemical traits.