Bakery waste supplementation to late gestating Bos indicus-influenced beef cows successfully impacted offspring postnatal performance.

This study evaluated the effect of bakery waste supplementation during the last trimester of gestation in Bos indicus-influenced beef cows and the subsequent impact on their offspring. Brangus cows were allocated to one of three prepartum treatments consisting of no prepartum supplementation, 1 kg/d of bakery waste with low or high concentration of crude fat. Prepartum supplementation of bakery waste, regardless of crude fat concentration, increased maternal plasma concentrations of ω-6 fatty acids during gestation and body condition score at calving. Offspring birth weights were not affected but offspring born to cows that received prepartum supplementation of bakery waste, regardless of crude fat concentration, were heavier at weaning compared to no prepartum supplementation. However, the greatest improvements to weaning weights were observed for offspring born to cows fed low-fat vs. high-fat bakery waste. In contrast, high-fat bakery waste supplementation during late gestation alleviated physiological stress and improved humoral immune response to vaccination during preconditioning compared to low-fat bakery waste supplementation. Thus, altering the crude fat concentration of bakery waste provided to Bos indicus-influenced beef cows during the third trimester of gestation can be implemented to modulate offspring preweaning growth or postweaning immune function.