Reproductive performance of crossbred dairy cows reared under traditional low input production system in the eastern Himalayas

Abstract

Reproductive performance of crossbred cows reared under traditional low input production system was assessed. A total number of 160 farmers were surveyed and traditional fodders were evaluated for proximate composition. Total protein, albumin and cholesterol concentrations in blood serum were analyzed. The age at first service, age at first calving, calving interval, calving to first service and calving to conception interval were calculated from records of 261 crossbred dairy cows. The crude protein, crude fiber, nitrogen free extract, ether extract and total ash content varied from 7.2 to 13.9, 18.2 to 34.4, 39.1 to 59.2, 2.1 to 4.1 and 7.2 to 17.9%, respectively. The total protein and albumin concentrations in blood serum were 7.6 +/- 0.3 and 4.3 +/- 0.3 g/dl, respectively. The cholesterol concentration was 221.1 +/- 8.2mg/dl. The mean age at first service and age at first calving was 28.6 +/- 1.0 and 40.7 +/- 1.1months, respectively. The mean values for calving to first service and calving to conception intervals were 182 +/- 14.5 and 224 +/- 9.0days, respectively. The conception rate was significantly high among the cows that showed typical fern pattern of cervical mucus (56.6%). The conception rate based on 1(st) insemination was 44.4%. The incidence of repeat breeders and anestrus among the crossbred cows were 12.8 and 14.1%, respectively.

Dairy production systems and the adoption of genetic and breeding technologies in Tanzania, Kenya, India and Nicaragua

“…Most of the studies reviewed on the performance of dairy animals in the target countries addressed milk production, reproductive performance, and to a lesser extent survival ability of the animals (Muasya, 2005;Zambrano et al, 2006;Chenyambuga and Mseleko, 2009;Kumaresan et al, 2009;Corrales, 2011;Holmann et al, 2014). Table 4 presents reported milk production performance of dairy animals in the countries.…”

Soil–plant–animal continuum in relation to macro and micro mineral status of dairy cattle in subtropical hill agro ecosystem

“…All the farmers practiced low input production system, in which the cows were mostly dependent on local vegetation and agro waste products. On an average, a cow was fed with 18.6±1.5 kg green fodders per day along with homemade concentrate feed, which comprised mainly wheat bran with small amount of groundnut or mustard oil cake (Kumaresan et al 2008). …”

“…tion system that does not depend mainly on cereal grains (Kumaresan et al 2008). Cattle reared under this system obtain their nutrient demand from the low nutrient feed materials, and feeding of mineral mixture to cattle is an uncommon phenomenon in this region.…”

Effect of management on reproductive performances of the Achai cattle in the Hindu Kush (Northern Pakistan)

“…Another possibility for earlier puberty is bull biostimulation (Oliveira et al 2009), as heifers are grazed jointly with the bulls. In SFS, heifers received little attention in intensive feeding, which may be a cause of the late onset of puberty (Kumaresan et al 2009). The nonsignificant effect of parity on reproductive performance may be due to the adaptability of Achai cows to environmental conditions, thus alleviating the adverse effect of environmental factors (parity) on reproductive traits (Salah and Mogawer 1990).…”

“…The attainment of puberty at later ages in Achai cows in comparison to Sahiwal and crossbred cows (Table 3) can be attributed to a combination of genetic factors (Nogueira 2004), poor nutrition (Bhatti et al 2007), and poor management (Kumaresan et al 2009). …”