Growth, extracted milk yield and reproductive performance of Teso cattle and their crosses with Sahiwal and Boran at Serere, Uganda
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Date
2005
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Sokoine University of Agriculture
Abstract
A study was earned out to evaluate growth, extracted milk yield and reproductive
performance of Teso cattle and their crosses with Sahiwal and Boran at Serere
Agricultural and Animal Research Institute, Serere, Uganda. Analysis of variance
based on GLM of SAS 2002 was used to analyse the data. The overall means for
weights at birth, weaning and pre-weaning ADG were 18.36 ± 0.076, 100.55 ± 0.48
kg and 304 ± 1.96 g/day respectively. Dry season bom calves were significantly
(P<0.05) superior to wet season bom in both weaning and pre-weaning ADG. Sex of
the calf was significant only for weaning weight whereby males were heavier than
the females by 3.35 kg. Genetic group of the calf was significant (P<0.001) for all
traits studied. Rankings of genetic groups for weaning weight and pre-weaning ADG
were BiSx(SxT), F] (SxT), Bi(SxT)xT, B]Bx(BxT), F](BxT) and Teso. Influence of
year was significant (P<0.01) for weaning weight and pre-weaning ADG.
Heritability estimates based on sire variance components for birth, weaning weight
and pre-weaning ADG were 0.41, 0.02 and 0.02 and those based on dam plus sire
variance components were 0.41, 0.16 and 0.36 respectively. The phenotypic
correlation between birth and weaning weight was -0.07, birth weight and pre
weaning ADG was -0.44 while that between weaning weight and pre-weaning ADG
was 0.93. The overall calving interval was 453 days. Fj(BxT) and Fi(SxT) crosses
had calving intervals of 44.6 and 61.3 days longer than the pure Teso cows. The
overall means for extracted milk yield and lactation length were 120 + 3.4 kg and
173.6 ± 5 days respectively. Mean lactation length for Fi(SxT), Fi(BxT) and Teso
were 182.9, 165.7 and 148.7 days respectively. Fi(SxT) had significantly (P<0.05)
higher extracted milk yield (178 kg) than Teso (127.2 kg) and Fl(BxT) crosses
(125.9 kg). Dry season calvers had 38.5 kg more extracted lactation milk yield than
wet season calvers. Extracted milk yield of the third month after calving had high
correlations 0.80 and 0.93 with 100 days milk yield and extracted lactation milk yield
respectively. Lactation curve parameters for partially milked cows belonging to the
three genetic groups studied were also estimated. Selection of animals for improved
milk production can be done using the milk yields of the first three months of
lactation.
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Keywords
Milk, Teso cattle, Sahiwal, Boran, Serere, Uganda, Extracted milk, Milk yield