RESTRICTED SUCKLING AND SUPPLEMENTATION ON THE METABOLIC PROFILES IN COWS OF THE DOUBLE PURPOSE SYSTEM

Objective. To evaluate the effect of supplementation with whole cotton seed and the suckling system on the metabolic profiles from calving until the week 14 postpartum. Materials and methods. Four treatments were conformed: T1 with 4 cows supplemented with 2 kg of whole cotton seed and experimental suckling; T2 with 3 cows supplemented with 2 kg of whole cotton seed and traditional suckling; T3 with 3 cows without supplement and experimental suckling; T4 with 3 cows without supplement and traditional suckling. A complete random design with a 2x2 factorial arrangement was used and for the result analysis an ANOVA was used. Results. In the postpartum, the supplemented cows presented highest levels of protein (p<0.05) and cholesterol in blood in the fifteenth period 7; equally highest levels of triglycerides and HDL showed in the fifteenth periods 2 and 4 respectively that the cows non supplemented. There was suckling effect on the protein in the fifteenth periods 3, 6 and 7 (p<0.05); There were bigger in the animals with traditional suckling versus restricted suckling (91.2 vs 63.8; 94.2 vs 71.1 and 95.8 vs 71 g/l, respectively). There was correlation (p<0.05) of treatments on triglycerides during the fifteenth periods 2, 6 and 7. There was not effect (p>0.05) of the treatments on the postpartum reproduction. Conclusion. During prepartum supplementation with whole cotton seed did not have effect on the metabolic profiles. In the postpartum the supplementation and suckling had effect in some metabolites, mainly triglycerides and proteins.