Extension

Maternal nutrition management plays an important role in fetal development. The trace mineral status of the dam plays an essential role in fetal development and immune and reproductive systems.¹ The source of trace minerals must be considered as they might have different bioavailability. For instance, inorganic trace minerals such as carbonates, sulfates, and oxides are widely used in livestock diets for their availability and cost but often have lower biological availability and stability compared with other sources.² In contrast, organic trace minerals (categorized into 7 complexes: metal specific amino acid complexes, metal amino acid complexes, metal amino acid chelates, metal proteinates, metal polysaccharide complexes, metal propionates, and yeast derivative complexes) cost more but enhance stability and absorption in the gastrointestinal tract. Hydroxy minerals, also known as hydroxychloride (HDX), are an intermediate form that might enhance bioavailability and stability, and minimize interactions with other nutrients in the gastrointestinal tract when compared with sulfate sources.^{3, 4}

 

Recently published research evaluated the effects of supplementing different sources of copper (Cu), manganese (Mn), and zinc (Zn) to late-gestating beef cows on cow-calf postnatal productivity and health responses.5 In this experiment, 72 nonlactating, pregnant Angus cows (initial body weight [BW] = 1405 lb; body condition score [BCS] = 5.5; and age = 6.1 yrs; exposed to artificial insemination = 54 and bull = 18) were ranked by pregnancy type, BW, and BCS and assigned to three different trace mineral treatments. Treatments consisted of 1) Cu, Mn, and Zn sulfate trace mineral source (INR), 2) Cu, Mn, and Zn organic-complexed trace mineral source (ORG; Availa Cu, Availa Zn, Availa Mn; Zinpro Corporation, Eden Prairie, MN), or 3) Cu, Mn, and Zn hydroxychloride trace mineral source (HDX; IntelliBond CII, IntelliBond Z, IntelliBond M; Micronutrients LLC, Indianapolis). All three treatments provided the same amount of Cu, Mn, and Zn.

 

From day 11 (days of gestation 195) to calving, the cows were allocated to rangeland pasture. From day 0 until calving, the cows were gathered and fed the treatments three times a week. Cow BW and BCS were recorded, and blood was collected on days 11 and 10, upon calving, and at weaning. Liver biopsies were performed in all cows on day 10 and upon calving (cows and calves). Longissimus muscle (LM) biopsies were performed, and blood was collected in all calves upon calving. The calves were weaned on day 260, backgrounded for 99 days, and then sent to a commercial feedyard. Calves blood samples were collected on days 245, 260, 264, 268, 275, 280, and 288.

 

The effects of the treatments on the performance of the cows are shown in Table 1. No differences were detected (P ≥ 0.31) for cow BW and BCS changes among treatments during gestation. However, cows fed HDX and ORG had improved (P ≤ 0.03) BCS at weaning and reduced (P = 0.03) BCS change from parturition to weaning when compared to INR cows. The researchers noted that this “suggests that HDX and ORG trace minerals may have a potential positive carryover effect supporting better maternal recovery and condition when compared with INR sources”. The differences detected in BCS were not enough to impact (P ≥ 0.22) pregnancy rates to AI and bull breeding or the overall pregnancy rate between treatments.

 

Table 1. Performance of beef cows receiving diets containing sulfate source of Cu, Mn, and Zn (INR), organic-complexed source of Cu, Mn, and Zn (ORG), or hydroxychloride source of Cu, Mn, and Zn (HDX) during the third trimester of gestation.

^{a, b} Means within a row with different superscripts differ (P < 0.05).
¹ Cows that weaned a live calf were exposed to an AI protocol approximately 65 days after calving and then exposed to mature Angus bulls (1:25 bull:cow ratio) for 50 days, beginning 10 days after the AI date. Sixty days after AI, cows were evaluated for pregnancy status and fetus sex via transrectal ultrasonography. Adapted from Alves Crus et al.

 

The mineral sources did not influence how much of the minerals were passed to the calves, as calf liver mineral levels were consistent across all groups suggesting comparable mineral transfer from maternal to fetal tissues across treatments. Furthermore, the different sources of trace minerals provided to late-gestating beef cows also did not impact calf birth BW, postnatal growth, or overall performance from weaning to the feedyard program. These authors concluded that their “findings suggest that while prenatal trace mineral supplementation is important for ensuring maternal and fetal performance, the mineral source yielded similar cow-calf productive responses from birth to feedyard program”.

 

¹ Marques, R. S., R. F. Cooke, M. C. Rodrigues, B. I. Cappellozza, R. R. Mills, C. K. Larson, P. Moriel, and D. W. Bohnert. 2016. Effects of organic or inorganic cobalt, copper, manganese, and zinc supplementation to lategestating beef cows on productive and physiological responses of the offspring. J. Anim. Sci. 94:1215–1226. Available at: https://doi.org/10.2527/jas.2015-0036.

 

² Arthington, J. D., and J. Ranches. 2021. Trace mineral nutrition of grazing beef cattle. Animals 11:2767. Available at: https://doi.org/10.3390/ani11102767.

 

³ Spears, J. W., E. B. Kegley, and L. A. Mullis. 2004. Bioavailability of copper from tribasic copper chloride and copper sulfate in growing cattle. Anim. Feed Sci. Technol. 116:1–13. Available at: https://doi.org/10.1016/j.anifeedsci.2004.06.002.

 

⁴ Shaeffer, G. L., K. E. Lloyd, and J. W. Spears. 2017. Bioavailability of zinc hydroxychloride relative to zinc sulfate in growing cattle fed a corn-cottonseed hull-based diet. Anim. Feed Sci. Technol. 232:1–5. Available at: https://doi.org/10.1016/j.anifeedsci.2017.07.013.

 

⁵ Cruz, V. A., R. S. Marques, K. Kvamme, A. C. Limede, F. A. A. Cidrini, I. A. Cidrini, K. dos Santos Nascimento, S. J. Mackey, R. F. Cooke, C. Farmer, and J. Heldt. 2025. Effects of maternal Cu, Mn, and Zn supplementation from different sources on physiological and productive responses of cows and their offspring. J. Anim. Sci. 103. Available at: https://doi.org/10.1093/jas/skae391.