Early-life Calf Health and Programming: Implications for Reproductive Development and Lifetime Productivity

Early-life conditions play a critical role in shaping the future productivity and reproductive capacity of dairy cattle. The period from late gestation through weaning represents a sensitive developmental window, during which nutrition, immune protection, microbiome establishment, and environmental factors interact to influence long-term physiological outcomes. In particular, early-life feeding strategies, including colostrum management, milk composition, and the use of feed additives, are increasingly recognized as key determinants of gut health, metabolic function, and immune development. Despite advances in calf rearing practices, challenges such as early-life disease, inconsistent growth, and inadequate passive immunity transfer remain common. Growing evidence highlights the role of endocrine, metabolic, inflammatory, and microbiome-mediated pathways in linking early-life conditions with later reproductive performance, although the underlying mechanisms are not yet fully understood.This Research Topic aims to address the need for a deeper understanding of how early-life nutrition and management strategies influence reproductive development and long-term productivity in dairy cattle. Particular emphasis is placed on the role of nutritional interventions, including the use of natural feed additives, in modulating gut microbiota, metabolic processes, and immune responses during critical developmental stages. Recent advances in microbiome research and metabolic profiling have highlighted the importance of host–microbe interactions as key drivers of physiological development, yet their application in practical calf-rearing systems remains limited. Therefore, this Topic seeks to integrate current knowledge on early-life nutrition, health, and environmental factors with emerging insights into microbiome function and host metabolism. The objectives are to identify biological pathways linking early-life conditions with reproductive outcomes, evaluate the long-term effects of early growth and health status, and explore practical, nutrition-based strategies that can improve fertility and productivity. Ultimately, this Research Topic aims to bridge the gap between mechanistic research and its application in sustainable and efficient dairy production systems.This Research Topic is restricted to research relevant to the scope of animal reproduction in cattle, with an emphasis on how early-life health determinants impact the development and function of the reproductive system and subsequent reproductive performance. We encourage submissions addressing, but not limited to, the following key topics:Biological Mechanisms Underlying Early-Life Influences on Reproductive Development.Impact of Early-Life Health and Growth Dynamics on Reproductive PerformanceRole of the Gut and Reproductive Tract Microbiota in Shaping Reproductive Function and Fertility OutcomesEarly-Life Intervention Strategies to Improve Reproductive OutcomesEarly-Life Nutrition of Dairy Calves: Implications for Growth, Metabolic Development, and Long-Term ProductivityWe welcome original research, systematic reviews and meta-analyses, brief research reports, methodological papers, and policy or practice-oriented perspectives that address the outlined themes. Topic editors: Jurgita Dailidavičienė, Jan Miciński, Agila Dauksiene, Paulius Matusevicius Source: https://www.frontiersin.org/research-topics/80559/early-life-calf-health-and-programming-implications-for-reproductive-development-and-lifetime-productivity