Growth performance and carcass composition in beef heifers undergoing catch-up (compensatory) growth

Growth, carcass composition and plasma melatonin in postpubertal beef heifers fed melatonin.

Two experiments were conducted to determine if feeding melatonin alters plasma concentrations of melatonin, growth and carcass composition of postpubertal beef heifers exposed to 16 h light (L):8 h dark (D). In Exp. 1, 16 heifers were blocked by initial body weight (318 +/- 5.6 kg). Four heifers were killed before starting the melatonin treatment to obtain initial carcass composition. Six heife...

Efficacy of vaginal spaying and anabolic implants on growth and carcass characteristics in beef heifers.

Ninety crossbred beef heifers averaging 260 kg were blocked by weight and allotted randomly to 15 pens of six heifers each, with three replicates per treatment. The treatments were spayed heifers (S); intact heifers (I); S + Synovex-H7 (SH); I + Synovex-H (IH); and S + Synovex-S7 (SS). The heifers were spayed vaginally with a Willis instrument; intact heifers were rectally palpated for reproduc...

Growth plate senescence and catch-up growth.

Longitudinal bone growth is rapid in prenatal and early postnatal life, but then slows with age and eventually ceases. This growth deceleration is caused primarily by a decrease in chondrocyte proliferation, and is associated with other structural, functional, and molecular changes collectively termed growth plate senescence. Current evidence suggests that growth plate senescence occurs because...

Catch-up Growth

Catch-up growth.

Catch-up growth, defined as growth velocity above the statistical limits of normality for age or maturity during a defined period of time, is distinguished from compensatory growth since it makes up for a potential loss rather than an actual loss and is seen in the whole body as opposed to specific organs. The cellular explanation for catch-up based on the work of Winick is described and a rece...