Systemic administration of micronutrients in crossbred cows and their health assessment

Abstract

Injections of vitamins and minerals can improve nutrient availability at the cellular level, which is crucial for reducing the stress of the transition phase and enhancing the health and output of dairy cows. This study was carried out to evaluate the quality of colostrum and the health of the calf following intramuscular injection of multi-minerals and multi-vitamins to peripartum cows in the winter. Twenty-four pregnant crossbred Karan Fries cows were divided into four groups, each with six cows, for each season. Group 1 received only basal diet and no other intervention; it served as the control group. Group 2 received multivitamin injections; group 3 received multimineral injections and group 4 received combination of multivitamin and multimineral injections. Blood samples were collected on 1, 3, 7 and 15 days before parturition and same number of days after parturition. Cortisol levels were found lower in the group which were injected multimineral injections followed by the group which was injected multivitamin injections and they were highest in group which was fed only basal diet (p