Metabolic Profiling Suckler Cows
Metabolic profiling is a management tool that is becoming more commonly used in beef herds to assess nutritional status of suckler cows at key times, mainly pre- and post- calving. It involves a vet taking a blood sample which is then tested for key markers that are used to assess the energy and protein status of the cow, as well as testing for key minerals and trace elements.
Nutrition
Nutritional management around calving is important for both cow and calf. Good nutrition should help with calving ease, calf vigour and to meet the extra demands on the cow for colostrum production and aid her recovery, to return to her oestrus cycle. Metabolic profiling is just one tool to help monitor nutritional status, however, the importance of body condition scoring, ration formulation, forage analysis and mineral nutrition cannot be understated as they are also vital in good nutritional planning.
Nutrition in the pre and post calving period has a huge influence on getting cows back in calf, this is a key factor to profitability in any suckler herd. Metabolic profiling effectively provides an insight into exactly how the ration is feeding and identify if there are any shortfalls. This allows for a more proactive approach to allow corrective action to be taken, helping to protect both the health of the calf and the fertility of the cow.
When is the Best Time to Blood Sample Cows?
The best time to sample is one month prior to the start of calving, therefore for those calving in April and May this will be most timely. You can also test post-calving (usually two to three weeks), but it’s important to ensure they have been on their ration for at least two weeks prior to blood sampling. A minimum of six cows per group that are representative of the herd should be blood sampled. It’s also important that cows have had access to their regular ration before testing as any restricted access to feed in the previous 24-48 hours will affect results as some parameters are very sensitive to changes. Ideally sample three to four hours after they have been fed.
The most common parameters tested for include:
Energy status:
- Beta-hydroxybutyrate (BOHB) a ketone produced by cows mobilising body fat.
- Non-esterified fatty acids (NEFAs), this is a good short-term indicator (over the previous two weeks) of energy supplied from body fat mobilisation when cows are in negative energy balance.
- Glucose, this is a short-term measure of energy supplied from the rumen. Levels tend to be fairly stable unless cows are under severe negative energy balance.
Protein status:
- Urea (or Urea-N), this assesses the protein intake and utilisation in the rumen.
- Albumin, this is a marker of long-term protein status and tends to indicate if there are issues with the liver function which may be due to fluke or a disease issue.
- Globulin, can indicate if there is a chronic inflammatory condition such as mastitis or lameness.
Major minerals:
- Usually phosphorous and magnesium but calcium can also be requested. Magnesium is the mineral most often deficient in suckler cows over the calving period. It plays an important role in calcium mobilisation and a deficiency can often present as slow calvings, retained foetal membranes and milk fever, as well as staggers during lactation. Staggers are a particular risk at spring turn out due to the dilution effect of high grass growth and typically low levels of magnesium. This coupled with potentially high K levels which locks up magnesium making it unavailable to the animal.
Trace elements:
- Copper and selenium are most commonly tested for, but iodine can also be requested. Iodine can be tested by measuring thyroxine T4, a marker which gives a reflection of iodine status in late pregnancy and can be useful in cases of stillborn investigation. Or by plasma inorganic iodine which gives a reflection of iodine intakes in the previous 24 hours, this is quite an expensive tests so pooled samples are often used to show the group status.
Top tips for using metabolic profiles:
- To get the most out of metabolic profiling make sure you are sampling at the right time i.e. when they have been on the ration for at least two weeks, feed access has not been restricted prior to sampling as this will affect your results and could lead to misinterpretation.
- Interpretation is key, once you have your results work alongside your vet and nutritionist to interpret and build a picture of what the results are showing and what if any action is needed.
- The more information you have the better the interpretation will be such as ration formulation, body condition score, forage analysis and minerals fed.
- Act quickly on results. If there something picked up in the bloods that suggests a deficiency, work with your vet and nutritionist to act quickly, as the closer you get to calving the harder it will be to correct.
- For more information on metabolic profiling visit FAS nutritional management and metabolic profiling of suckler cows.
Mary Young, SAC Consulting Ruminant Nutritionist, Mary.Young@sac.co.uk
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Posted by Unearthed News on 13/03/2025
