Can early weaning in the previous lactation of beef cows affect the metabolism and postnatal development of female offspring?

We aimed to compare the effects of early (EW; 150 days) or conventional (CW; 240 days) weaning during early pregnancy on the postnatal metabolism, development, and productive performance of female calves born from secondiparous (SEC) and multiparous (MULT) cows. Fifty-five Nelore female calves were used: 25 from EW cows (10 SEC, 15 MULT) and 30 from CW cows (15 SEC, 15 MULT). From 90 to 150 days, the female calves received creep-feed (5g/kg of body weight [BW]). After weaning, female calves were maintained on pastures and received 10 g/kg of BW supplement until 16 months (mo). From 12 to 16 mo, heifers were evaluated every 28 ± 3 days for BW, body condition score (BCS), and average daily gain (ADG), calculated from weight measurements. Carcass traits (ribeye area [REA], backfat thickness [BFT], and rump fat thickness [RFT]) were assessed by ultrasound, and blood samples were collected for serum concentration of IGF-I, leptin, and plasma glucose. At 5 and 14 mo, a subgroup of 22 heifers (n = 10 for EW and 12 for CW) was selected for liver biopsy to evaluate the gene expression of IGF-I, IGFBP , and GHR . No interactions were observed between dam parity, weaning strategy, or time for BW, BCS, ADG, REA, serum concentration for IGF-I, leptin, and plasma concentration for glucose ( P > 0.1 ). A significant time effect ( P < 0.05 ) indicated increased BW, BCS, LMA, BFT, and RTF over time. Heifers from MULT cows were 2.67 kg heavier from 13 to 15 mo than heifers from SEC cows ( P = 0.04 ). Dam parity affected BCS ( P = 0.01 ); heifers from MULT cows had greater BCS than SEC group. For carcass traits, a dam parity by weaning interaction ( P = 0.04 ) in RTF indicated that EW-SEC heifers presented a lower fat deposition than EW-MULT and CW heifers. IGF-I gene expression was 1.4-fold greater ( P = 0.01 ) at 5 mo than at 14 mo. For IGFBP gene expression, a dam parity × time interaction was observed ( P = 0.05 ), with heifers from MULT cows showing a 1.8-fold greater expression at 14 mo than at 5 mo. In conclusion, the early weaning applied to dams in the previous lactation did not affect the subsequent offspring's productive performance or metabolic parameters, except for a reduction in rump fat deposition in heifers from SEC cows that were early weaned.