Structural measurements are indicators of animal performance, productivity and carcass characteristics. This study was conducted with the objectives of assessing structural measurements, developing body weight prediction and structural indices for cows of Arsi breed. The cows were purchased from highland and lowland agro-ecologies of Arsi and East Shoa zones of Oromia regional state, Ethiopia and kept in Adami Tulu Agricultural Research Center (ATARC) for the breed development purpose. Totally 222 cows were included in the structural traits measurement. Thirty four young heifers were also considered in the study. Twenty two structural traits were considered during observational survey. The structural index was calculated from the phenotypically correlated linear measurements. Structural traits were analyzed by T-test of SPSS version twenty four. The observed average values of height at wither, chest depth, heart girth, body length, pelvic width, cannon bone circumferences of the cows were 107, 55.62, 141.06, 117.82, 31.41 and 13.58cm, respectively. Heart girth (0.82), flank girth (0.73), hook circumferences (0.67), chest depth (0.65) and height at rump (0.64) were highly correlated (P< 0.01) to body weight of the cows. Regression analysis indicated that hearth girth had the highest coefficient of determination for body weight of the cows and heifers. Accordingly, the simple linear equations were developed to predict the body weight of cows and heifers. Body weight of Arsi cow (y) = -221.005 + 3.1(heart girth) and Body weight of Arsi heifer (y) = -188.452 + 2.75 (heart girth). Based on this, the measuring chart tape can be developed to estimate the body weight of Arsi cows and heifers at field condition where there is no access to weighing scales.

The study was done at Adami Tulu Agricultural Research Center (ATARC) to investigate the effect of different dietary ration on growth performance of crossbred male calves and to identify the most economical feeding dietary ration. Three dietary treatments rations (treatment one=65% wheat bran+ 35% Cotton seed cake, treatment two=50% wheat bran + 49% Noug cake and treatment three=20% Maize grain + 45% wheat bran + 35% Noug seed cakes) were evaluated. Complete Randomized Block Design was used to assign eighteen cross bred male calves randomly to three dietary rations. All experimental calves were supplemented dietary rations based on their body weight at the rate of 2.5% of their live body weight throughout the experimental period. The results indicated that there were significant difference in average daily weight gain and total weight gain between crossbred male calves fed with dietary T1 and T3. Calves fed with dietary ration T1 and T2 numerically difference in final body weight, even though not statistically significant. Partial budget analysis indicated that there was no significant difference among calves fed with three dietary feed rations. But cross bred male calves fed with dietary treatment T2 was numerically higher in gross margin as compared to T1 and T3 rations. Further evaluation of different dietary rations on growth performance of yearling age (1-1.5 years old) cross bred bull calves were warranted to attain export market live weight at early age.

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Animal fattening is an opportunity for employment and is a means of income generation for the poor, especially the landless and widowed women [6]. Rams fattening is an effi cient income-generating option for small-scale farmers

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