Custo-benefício do uso de suplemento mineral injetável “off-label” em fêmeas zebuínas antes do início da estação de monta visando incrementar retorno financeiro

Abstract

Nutrition directly influences the fertility of bovine females, as well as the survival of the embryo, in addition to ensuring, postpartum, an adequate body score for the female to return to reproduction. Reproductive performance intensely influences the revenue of beef cattle production systems and must be managed rationally. The objective was to evaluate the cost-benefit and reproductive performance of Nelore zebu heifers and primiparous heifers submitted to “off-label” injectable mineral supplementation, before implementing the Fixed Time Artificial Insemination (IATF) protocol. The experiment was carried out on a rural property, in the municipality of Alto Alegre dos Parecis, state of Rondônia. Heifers and primiparous cows were grazed in paddocks with Urochloa Brizanta grass and Big Cromo Cria mineral salt supplementation. The two groups (heifers and primiparous cows) were divided into treatment subgroups (57 heifers and 75 primiparous cows received injectable mineral mixture supplementation, and 51 heifers and 88 primiparous cows did not receive injectable mineral mixture supplementation). The injectable mineral mixture used was the commercial product Fosfosal® Virbac, at a dose of 10 mL, applied intramuscularly, 30 days before the TAI program. Injectable mineral supplementation in “off-label” Nelore cattle, both primiparous and heifers, did not demonstrate a significant effect on increasing the pregnancy rate. And the economic results reaffirm that this practice does not contribute to optimizing economic efficiency and profitability of calf production in these categories.