Relationship of selenium concentrations in blood of calves to blood selenium of the dam and supplemental selenium

Selenium status of dam, injected Se, and dietary Ca on calf blood Se concentrations were determined in two trials. Blood was collected from heifer calf and dam pairs at parturition. Half of the calves were injected intramuscularly with .0825 mg Se/kg body weight at birth while the other half received no Se injections. The concentration of Se in the blood of the dam had a significant effect on blood Se of calves at wk 0, 1, and 3, whereas injected Se did not significantly affect blood Se concentrations in the calf until wk 10. In a separate trial, whole blood and plasma Se were significantly correlated at birth in calves, but plasma Se was only about one-third the concentration of whole blood. The concentration of dietary Ca in the calf starter did not significantly affect blood Se, but a quadratic relationship was suggested. Plasma Zn in calves was elevated at birth and then declined with age whereas plasma inorganic P increased with age. Early postnatal concentrations of Se in blood of calves are largely a function of the dam; thus, in areas of low Se intakes, Se supplements for the dam are important.