EFFECT OF AGE AT FIRST CALVING AND SUBSEQUENT PERIOD OF BREEDING ON THE PERFORMANCE OF BUFFALOES FROM THE COLLEGE OF AGRICULTURE PUNE (MS), INDIA.

P. T RAKSHE

Mahatma Phule Agricultural, University, Rahuri, (MS), INDIA

INTRODUCTION

            Eventhough cattle occupy an important place in the Agricultural Economy of India, so far milk production is concerned, buffalo has taken her place as milk producing animal This is because of poor performance of Indian cow. The excess fat in buffalo milk is usually skimmed off to pay for the processing and distribution of milk, enabling the consumer to get their milk at the same price that is paid to the producers Buffalo milk fat has less cholesterol and more tocopherol which is a natural antitoxidant Buffalo milk is richer in calcium and phosphorous and lower in sodium and potassium than cow milk The peroxidase activity in buffalo milk is 2-4 times higher than in Cow milk which accounts for its natural preservability of buffalo milk.  The buffalo milk having 1 ½ times more total solids with very high fat percentage than cow milk is generally preferred for manufacture of milk products. It is because of this fact, the house wife and dairyman gives more preferance to buffalo milk in the country. In one study it is observed, that buffaloes have been found to thrive on course fodders, and known to be better converters of poor quality roughages into milk and Meat. They are reported to have 5% higher digestibility of crude fibre than high yielding cows, and 4-5% higher efficiency of utilization of metabolic energy for milk production and with stand, high dry heat as well as humid climate as compared to Zebu Cattle. Untill how practically very little has been done to improve the productivity as these facts very little reliable data regarding her growth, Nutrition, Breeding efficiency etc is available. The Agriculture college Dairy farm Pune is maintaining a good herd of Surti, Murrah and Murrah-Surti- Surti-Murrah cross bred buffaloes for last number of years. Asystematic records regarding the birth weight, rate of growth, age at first Calving, breading after calving and performance records for large number of lactations are available about them (1969).

            In this study the facts mentioned above have been taken into consideration and an attempt has been made to study the effect of age at first calving and subsequent period of breeding on the performance of buffaloes- maintained at the Agricultural College Pune (1969). This data or information will be useful to the private buffalo keepers, co-operative milk producers Societies, private sector engaged in production on large scale basis and the large number of farmers, finally, buffaloes play an important role in the farmers economic life being an integrated part of the farming system.

MATERIALS AND METHODS

Agriculture College Dairy farm, Pune is one of the oldest Institution in India which was started with a view to carrying systamatic research work on Surti, Murrah (Delhi) and cross-Bread buffaloes (Crossing between Delhi and Surti or Surti Delhi,) crossing between two breeds took place either intentionally or without any intention. However, the records of large number of such buffaloes are available since 1948. A systematic record regarding their breeding, feeding care and management is available with this institution for a considerable number of years. The institution also provided facilities for teaching and research up to undergraduate and Post-graduate level and it was under the control of Maharashtra Agricultural University (Pune), INDIA.

I. Effect of Age at First calving on subsequent Performance :

Age at first calving is a controversial point not only among the farmers but also

among many animal breede as they feel that too much early age at first calving has an adverse effect on the future performance of such animals. In order to varify the authentically of  this view point, 81 Surti, 62 Murrah (Delhi) and 37 Cross-Bred heifers from 1922-1967, 1948-1967 and 1948-1967 respectively, were grouped according to age at first calving and the effect of this age was studied on subsequent performance by critically studying the records of 489, 222 and 188 calvings respectively. These animals were grouped in ten groups with an interval of three months between two groups Heifers calving between 33 to 35 months were included in first group and heifers calving at the age of 60 months and above were included in the last group. The study was restricted upto ten lactations for all the groups as the data available was adequate up to that period only.

I) Effect of period of period of fruitful service after calving on subsequent performance of buffaloes :

As in case of age at first calving, there are controversial views regarding the period after calving at which breeding bull should be shown to the calved animals. In order to get reliable information on this point, 393 calvings of  75 Surti buffaloes, 155 calvings of 44 Murrah and 151 calvings of 31 cross-Breed buffaloes were grouped according to the number of days required for fruitful conception after calving and its effect was studied on the performance of subsequent lactations. The buffaloes which conceived in 56 days after calving were included in first group and the buffaloes which were conceived after 281 days included in last group. Ten groups were formulated with an interval of 28 days between two groups as the oestrus period in case of buffalo is of 28 day duration.

RESULTS AND DISCUSSION

The results of the findings are presented under the following headings :

A) Effect of age at first calving on,

i) total lactational milk yield.

ii) Per day milk yield during lactation

iii) Per day milk yield from calving to calving

iv) Milk days

v) Dry days

vi) A verage performance of Surti, Delhi (Murrah) and cross-Breed. In respect of their economic traits.

B) Effect of period of Fruitful service after calving on,

i) total Lactional milk yield

ii) per day milk yield during lactation

iii) per day milk yield from Calving to Calving.

iv) Milk days

v) Dry days

vi) Average performance of Surti, Delhi and Cross-Breed

Buffaloes pertaing to their economic traits.

TABLE I.  Effect of age at first calving on, the economic traits.

Breed               No of    No of         Per day      Per day    Av.   Av.   Av.   Av.  Age

                        Animals            Lactations milk yield  milk yield    milk  dry   milk  at    first

                                     Studied                  during       from calving day   day  yield     calving

                                     Lactation    to calving

                                        (Lit.)             (Lit.)                                            (Lit)     Y.M.D.

Surti                 81         489                   4.94      3.76      363       113       1793     4-1-15

(1922-1967)

Delhi (Murrah)

(1948-1967)      62         222                   5.60      3.88      350       125       1843     4-4-13

Cross-Breed

(1948-1967)      37         188                   5.17      3.78      336       124       1736     4-2-21

TABLE 2

Effect of Period of Fruitful Service after calving on the economic traits.

Breed               No of      No of        Per day        Per day               Av.   Av.   Av.    Av. Fruitful

                        Animals  Lactations  milk yield   milk yield   milk  dry    milk       service

                                                        During      from calving   day  day  yield      period

                                                               Lactation  to calving                                     after

                                                                                                                                     Calving

                                                               (Lit)   (Lit)                              (Lit)      (Days)

Surti                 75         393                   4.70      4.12           347  113       1902     157

Murrah             44         155                   6.14      4.60           337  113       2069     144

Cross-Breed     31         151                   5.53      3.93           312  127       1729     145

In this study ; the effect of age at firat calving and subsequent period of breeding

on the performance of buffaloes with a special reference to the economic aspects.

            The average age at first calving observed Surti, Murrha (Delhi) and cross-Breed heifers is 4 years 1 month 15 days, 4 years 4 months 13 days and 4 years 2 months 21 days respectively with the average weights upto this as 409, 435 and 401 Kg. Respectively.

            The consolited data regarding the age at first calving of the heifers from Surti, Murrha, (Delhi) and Cross-Breed animals is presented in Table 1, It is seen that the Murrah buffaloes have longer average period of age at first calving as compared to Surti and Cross-Breed heifers. More than 48 percent heifers calved between the age of 33 to 47 months in case of Surti, buffaloes but for the similar period in case of Delhi (Murrha) and Cross-Bred heifers, the percentage is 29 and 43 respectively. The remaining heifers have calved after 48 months of their age. Since the period up to the age at first calving is economically unproductive in the life of heifers, it is necessary to carry-out intensive research to bring down this period.

            The results regarding the effect of age, at first calving on the performance were studied upto 10 lactations in heifers of Surti, Delhi and Cross-Breed buffaloes calving from 33 months of age to 60 and above months and shown in Table 1.

            The Surti buffaloes calving in the group  of 33 to 35 months show the overall average of 3.81 Litres, which is slightly above the overall average for all the groups calving in different age levels for 10 lactations. The group of heifers calving at the age 60 months and above do not show any increase in milk production during life time. On the contrary these animals have given an average 3.40 Litres of milk as compared with the average of 3.76 Litres for the entire herd for 10 lactations. It is observed that most of the Surti buffaloes do not give maximum milk yield in the first lactation irrespective of the age at first calving. The milk yield gradually increased from second to eighth lactation.

            In case of Delhi (Murrah) buffalo breed, the heifers, calving at the early age that is 4 years have produced more milk than the animals calving after 57 months of their age similar observations are made in cross Breed buffaloes. From these results one can say that eventhough the age at first calving is increased in all buffalo breeds there is no additional increase in milk yield in that proportion. These findings are in agreement with the findings of Gethin (1950).

            The results pertaing to the effect of age at first calving on Milk days, dry days, and calving intervals for 10 lactations of these buffalo breeds, it is observed that there is no effect of age at first calving either on milk days, dry days or calving interval.

            Similar observations were made by Rannie (1954) Venkayya and Anantkrishnan (1957) and Agarwal (1962)

            In consolidated results about the effect of period of fruitful service after calving and the average performance of Surti, Delhi (Murrah) and Cross-Breed buffaloes is given in Table 2.

            In this case also, serving the buffaloes in third or fourth oestrus period is much better in Surti and Delhi buffalo breeds while, incase of Cross-Breed buffaloes, no specific statement can be made. Hence, they also can be served inthird or 4^th oestrus period.

            In this case also, serving buffaloes in two oestrus period’s Period after calving has given as good performance as one can get after subsequents oestrus period since, there is no additional advantage in serving the buffaloes after calving in late heat periods, it is advised to serve them as early as possible, preferable, between 56 to 112  days. These results are in agreement with the findings of Kohli and Malik (1960) and Polikhonor (1965)

            In this study, the economic is worked out by considering all the observations pertaing the economic traits clearly show that there is a necessity to serve the heifers as early as possible so that the calving should take place earliers that 50 months as per their birth. In order to achieve this goal in buffaloes particularly in River type buffaloes (2n=50) of India are dairy breeds, efforts should be made to bring them into servicable age as early as possible by proper breeding, feeding, care and management.

REFERENCES

Agarwal, O.P. 1962. Certain factors of reproduction and production in water buffalo herd. Indian J. Dairy Sci. 15 : 45-51

Gethin,  R.H. 1950. The age at first calving of dairy cattle in relation to subsequent performance. Anim. Breed Abstr. 18 (2) : 133-141

Kohli, M.L. and D.D.Malik. 1960. Effect of service period on total milk production and Lactation length in Murrah Buffaloes. Indian J. Dairy Sci. 13 (3) : 105-11

Polikhonov,     D. 1695. Effect of the service period on the milk yield and length of lactation of buffaloes in BalgariaZhivotn, Nauki, Sof. 2 (4) : 537-43

1965 Dairy Science Abstr. 28 (1) : 67

Rennie,                       J.C. 1954. Causes of variation in calving interval of Holstein Friesian Cows.

Iowa St. Coll. F. Sci., 28 (3) : 392-93

Venkayya,           D and C.P. Anantkrishnan. 1954 Influence of age at first calving on milk yield, lactation length and calving interval, of Cows. Indian J. Dairy Sci. 9 (4)  : 164-72

Source :           Data is produced from the thesis. Submitted to the Maharashtra Krishi

Vidyapeeth, Pune. By the author in the year (1969) for awarding the M. Sc.

degree in Animal breeding, under the faculty, in Agriculture, M.S. INDIA.