Technical Note (TN745): Metabolic Profiling in the Suckler Herd

Introduction to Metabolic Profiling

Metabolic profiling involves blood testing cows at key times of the production cycle to assess nutritional status.

It is often used as a management tool in the dairy herd to help fine tune nutrition over the transition period to help reduce the risk of metabolic diseases and suboptimal fertility, and has been used for many years in pregnant sheep prior to the start of lambing.

However, it is less commonly used in beef herds and is useful to assess energy status and protein nutrition, as well as testing for key mineral elements.

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