Influence of Post breeding Thermal Stress on Conception Rate in Beef Cattle
Abstract
POOR reproductive performance of domestic farm animals in hot, humid environments has been a generally accepted premise. Seath and Staples (1941), Stott and Williams (1962) and Long, Nipper and Vincent (1969) reported significantly lower conception rates in both dairy and beef cattle herds during the summer. Alliston and Ulberg (1961) and Dutt (1963) found that exposure of ewes to high temperature shortly after mating had the greatest detrimental effect on embryonic survival. The same effect was found in swine (Tompkins, Heidenreich and Stob, 1967; Edwards et al., 1968).
This study was initiated to determine the effect of high environmental temperature, immediately following breeding, on the conception rate of British beef cattle.