Culture and Transfer of Calf Ova

Abstract

Modified Ham's F10 and TCM 199, each with 1.5% bovine serum albumin, were used to culture superovulated ova from pre- and postpuberal heifers. The maximum cleavage in vitro was from the 1-cell to the 12-cell stage. Twenty-two of 30 normal appearing 2-cell ova recovered from calves cleaved further when cultured in chemically defined media, but five calf ova with four or more blastomeres at the time of collection and ova collected 5 days after ovulation did not cleave further in vitro. This suggests that the reproductive tract of the immature animal may be harmful to ova. Four of 14 calf ova cleaved up to three times in the ligated oviduct of pseudopregnant rabbits. A total of 102 ova was transferred to 18 postpuberal recipient heifers. One definite pregnancy was achieved following transfer into the oviducts of one laparotomized heifer about three hours after recovery of the ova. After 275 days the heifer delivered a bull calf weighing 45 kg showing that some ova recovered from prepuberal heifers are fully capable of normal development. © 1971, American Dairy Science Association. All rights reserved.