Urea for postpartum dairy cows: Productive and reproductive performance

Fifteen crossbred cows (Holstein-Zebu) from EPAMIG-Leopoldina Experimental Farm with an average weight of 511.8 kg were allocated into an experiment in a complete randommized design, in four treatments, with four animals in the treatments 1, 2, and 4 and three in the treatment 3. The treatments were cosntituted of diets with corn silage and concentrate (60:40) and were fed individually and ad libitum and their contents in percentage of urea were: T-1 = 0.0; T-2 = 0.7; T-3= 1.4 and T-4 = 2.1 corresponding to the 2.08; 4.01; 5.76 and 8.07 % of crude protein in the form of non-protein nitrogen (NNP), respectively. The average dry matter intake (DMI) expressed in kg/day and in the percentage of body weight were: 16.04; 16.49; 11.64; 11.93 and 3.29; 3.09; 2.47 and 2.35, respectively. The milk production for 3.5 % of fat were: 21.18; 24.92; 20.63 and 18.83 kg/day for the NNP concentrations of 2.08; 4.01; 5.76 and 8.07, respectively and decreased with the increase of NNP concentrations in the rations. The mean plasma concentrations of urea and N-urea were: 46.33 and 21.59 mg/dL, and were not affected by the concentrations of NNP in the diets. The number of follicular waves per cycle and the emergency of the first and second follicular waves and its diameter were not affected by the concentrations of NNP in the diets. The first estrus and ovulation occurred on days 55 23 and 81 36, respectively and were not affected by the NNP concentrations of the diets.