Table 3.
Female reproductive and lactation performance: comparing differences between naturally conceived females and those born after fresh embryo transfer, vitrified embryo transfer using ministraw, and vitrified embryo transfer using Cryotop.
| Traits | Naturally Conceived | Fresh-Transferred | Vitrified-Transferred | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Ministraw | Cryotop | |||
| Inseminated females | 16 | 12 | 20 | 18 |
| Reproductive performance | ||||
| Pregnant females | 16 | 11 | 20 | 17 |
| Litter size | 10.5 ± 0.65 | 9.1 ± 0.69 | 10.2 ± 0.62 | 9.1 ± 0.65 |
| Liveborn | 8.5 ± 0.68 | 8.9 ± 0.85 | 8.6 ± 0.60 | 8.5 ± 0.66 |
| Lactation performance | ||||
| Milk yield (g/day) | 261.9 ± 12.21a | 206.5 ± 13.44 b | 255.2 ± 10.98 a | 219.6 ± 11.26 b |
| Dry matter (%) | 36.3 ± 0.56 a | 33.5 ± 0.59 b | 36.0 ± 0.54 a | 33.94 ± 0.56 b |
| Fat (%) | 21.6 ± 0.51a | 18.5 ± 0.53 b | 20.5 ± 0.48 a | 18.3 ± 0.51b |
| Protein (%) | 10.9 ± 0.17 b | 11.0 ± 0.18 ab | 11.5 ± 0.17 a | 11.2 ± 0.18 ab |
| Lactose (%) | 2.5 ± 0.08 b | 2.4 ± 0.08 b | 2.5 ± 0.08 b | 2.8 ± 0.08 a |
| Somatic cells (103/mL) | 371.9 ± 101.09 b | 557.3 ± 113.92 ab | 408.1 ± 98.77 b | 725.3 ± 101.09 a |
Data are expressed as least square means ± standard error of means. ab Values within a row with different superscripts differ (p < 0.05).