Hostname: page-component-cd9895bd7-gxg78 Total loading time: 0 Render date: 2024-12-24T17:21:07.508Z Has data issue: false hasContentIssue false
  • English
  • Français

Effect of dam nutrition and suckling on lactation in Borana cows and growth in their Borana × Friesian crossbred calves in an early weaning system in Ethiopia

Published online by Cambridge University Press:  02 September 2010

A. Tegegne ,
P. O. Osuji ,
A. Lahlou-Kassi  and
E. Mukasa-Mugerwa
A. Tegegne
Affiliation:
International Livestock Centre for Africa, PO Box 5689, Addis Ababa, Ethiopia
P. O. Osuji
Affiliation:
International Livestock Centre for Africa, PO Box 5689, Addis Ababa, Ethiopia
A. Lahlou-Kassi
Affiliation:
International Livestock Centre for Africa, PO Box 5689, Addis Ababa, Ethiopia
E. Mukasa-Mugerwa
Affiliation:
International Livestock Centre for Africa, PO Box 5689, Addis Ababa, Ethiopia
Get access

Abstract

Forty-four Borana × Friesian F1 crossbred calves born to Borana (Bos indicus) cows were randomly assigned to either suck their dams hvice daily or bucket-feeding with 1341 milk over a 57-day pre-weaning period. Their dams were also allocated either to a supplement group with grass hayad libitumand 5 kg per head per day of a concentrate ration or to an unsupplemented group withad libitumgrass hay only. Calves were fed in individual boxes in a calf house. The mean birth weight of calves was 24·8 (s.e. 1·8) kg. Suckled calves were heavier (P < 0·01) at weaning (47·7 (s.e. 1·9) v.37·1 (s.e. 1·8) kg) and had faster pre-weaning growth rate (411 (s.e. 30)v.215 (s.e. 29) g/day) than bucket-fed calves. Calves which sucked supplemented cows were heavier (P < 0·001) at weaning (51·2 (s.e. 2·6)v. 44·2 (s.e. 2·6) kg), had faster (P < 0·01) pre-weaning growth rate (477 (s.e. 41)v.346 (s.e. 41) glday) and higher (P<0·01) daily milk intake (2·6 (s.e. 0·2)v.1·6 (s.e. 0·2) I/day) than those which sucked unsupplemented cows. Mean concentrate intake was 302 (s.e. 30) g/day for bucket-fed calves and 341 (s.e. 33) and 408 (s.e. 33) g/day for calves which sucked supplemented and unsupplemented cows. Cow milk production was higher (P < 0·01) in suckled than in milked cows (3·3 (s.e. 0·2)v.1·0 (s.e. 0·2) I/day) and in supplemented than unsupplemented cows (3·9 (s.e. 0·2)v.2·7 (s.e. 0·2) I/day). Concentrations of milk protein, fat and total solids averaged 39 (s.e. 15), 49 (s.e. 16) and 143 (s.e. 21) g/kg, respectively and were not significantly influenced by either concentrate supplementation or suckling. Restricted suckling and early weaning coupled with appropriate calf and cow feeding regimes could be one of the alternatives for calf rearing under smallholder and small scale peri-urban dairy production systems. However, further studies are warranted to evaluate the effects of such a strategy on both calf and cow performances under these production systems.

Keywords

calf productiongrowthearly weaningnutritionzebu cows
Type
Research Article
Information
Animal Production , Volume 58 , Issue 1 , February 1994 , pp. 19 - 24
Copyright
Copyright © British Society of Animal Science 1994

Access options

Get access to the full version of this content by using one of the access options below. (Log in options will check for institutional or personal access. Content may require purchase if you do not have access.)

References

Alemu, M. 1983. Care of young animals. Ethiopian Ministry of Agriculture, Addis Ababa, Ethiopia.Google Scholar
Bartsch, B. D. and Wickes, R. B. 1984. Feeding hay-based diets deficient in protein to dairy cows during early lactation. Australian Journal of Experimental Agriculture and Animal Husbandry 24: 478–483.Google Scholar
Capper, B. S., Yimegnuhal, A. and O'Connor, C. B. 1992. Use of whey and concentrate to partially replace whole milk consumption in the rearing of Friesian × Boran calves. Animal Feed Science and Technology 36: 59–65.CrossRefGoogle Scholar
Donaldson, T. J. 1986. A case study of the Borana of Southern Ethiopia. M.Phil. Thesis, Faculty of Agriculture and Food, University of Reading.Google Scholar
Dunn, R. T., Smith, M. F., Gaverick, G. A. and Foley, C. W. 1985. Effects of 72-h calf removal and/or gonadotrophin releasing hormone on luteinizing hormone release and ovarian activity in postpartum beef cows. Theriogenology 23: 767–776.Google Scholar
Edwards, S. 1985. The effect of short term calf removal on pulsatile LH secretion in the postpartum beef cow. Theriogenology 23: 777–785.CrossRefGoogle ScholarPubMed
Entwistle, K. W. 1983. Factors influencing reproduction in beef cows in Australia. Australian Meat Research Committee, Review No. 43.Google Scholar
Fallon, F. J. and Harte, F. J. 1986. Effect of giving three different levels of milk replacer on calf performance. Irish Journal of Agricultural Research 25: 23–29.Google Scholar
Food and Agriculture Organization. 1990. Production Year Book. FAO, Rome.Google Scholar
Forrest, P. K., Rhodes, R. C. and Randel, R. D. 1980. Effects of variable suckling intensity and oestrogen administration upon serum luteinizing hormone in Brahman cows. Theriogenology 13: 333–337.Google Scholar
Hodgson, J. 1971. The development of solid food intake in calves. 5. The relationship between liquid and solid food intake. Animal Production 13: 593–597.Google Scholar
Houghton, P. L., Lemenger, R. P., Horstman, L. A., Hendrix, K. S. and Moss, G. E. 1990. Effects of body composition, pre-partum and post-partum energy intake and early weaning on reproductive performance of beef cows and preweaning calf gain. Journal of Animal Science 68: 1438–1446.Google Scholar
International Livestock Centre for Africa. 1991. Effect of level of milk feeding and type of housing on the performance of crossbred dairy calves. Annual Report, International Livestock Centre for Africa, Addis Ababa, Ethiopia.Google Scholar
Kebede, B. and Galal, E. S. E. 1982. A study of body weight from birth to 1 year of age in European-zebu crossbred cattle in Ethiopia. Animal Production 34: 85–93.Google Scholar
Khalili, H., Crosse, S. and Varvikko, T. 1992. The performance of crossbred dairy calves given different levels of whole milk and weaned at different ages. Animal Production 54: 191–195.Google Scholar
Leaver, J. D. and Yarrow, N. H. 1972. Rearing of dairy cattle. 2. Weaning calves according to their concentrate intake. Animal Production 14: 161–165.Google Scholar
Little, D. A., Anderson, F. M. and Durkin, J. W. 1991. Influence of partial suckling of crossbred dairy cows on milk offtake and calf growth in the Ethiopian highlands. Tropical Animal Health and Production 23: 108–114.Google Scholar
Mondragon, I., Wilton, J. W., Allen, O. B. and Sang, H. 1983. Stage of lactation effect: repeatabilities and influences on weaning weight of yielders and composition of milk in beef cattle. Canadian Journal of Animal Science 63: 751 (abstr.).CrossRefGoogle Scholar
Mukasa-Mugerwa, E., Tegegne, A. and Francheschini, R. 1991. Influence of suckling and continuous calf-cow association on the resumption of postpartum ovarian function in Bos indicus cows monitored by plasma progesterone profiles. Reproduction Nutrition and Development 31: 241–247.Google Scholar
Nicholson, M. J. 1983. Calf growth, milk offtake and estimated lactation yield of Borana cattle in the southern rangelands of Ethiopia. JEPSS Research. International Livestock Centre for Africa, Addis Ababa, Ethiopia.Google Scholar
Randel, R. D. 1990. Nutrition and postpartum rebreeding in cattle. Journal of Animal Science 68: 853–862.Google Scholar
Statistical Analysis Systems Institute. 1987. User's guide: statistics. SAS Institute Inc., Cary, NC.Google Scholar
Schlink, A. C., Gibson, D. S., Liang, Z. J. and Dixon, R. 1988. Calf management strategies and reproductive performance in northern Australian rangelands. Proceedings of the Australian Society of Animal Production 17: 326–329.Google Scholar
Swensson, C, Schaar, J., Brannang, E. and Meskel, L. B. 1981. Breeding activities of the Ethio-Swedish integrated rural development project. Part III. Reproductive performance of zebu and crossbred cattle. World Animal Review 38: 31–36.Google Scholar
Tegegne, A., Galal, E. S. E. and Kebede, B. 1981. A study on the reproduction of local zebu and F1 crossbred (European × Zebu) cows. I. Number of services per conception, gestation length and days open till conception. Ethiopian Journal of Agricultural Science 3: 1–14.Google Scholar
Warren, W. C., Spitzer, J. C. and Burns, G. L. 1988. Beef cow reproduction as affected by post partum nutrition and temporary calf removal. Theriogenology 29: 997–1006.Google Scholar
Whittier, J. C., Clanton, D. C. and Deutscher, G. H. 1988. Effects of post-partum levels of nutrition on productivity of 2-year-old heifers. Animal Production 47: 59–64.Google Scholar
Wells, P. L., Holness, D. H., McCabe, C. T. and Lishman, A. W. 1986. Fertility in the Africaner cow. 3. Once a day suckling and its effect on the pattern of resumption of ovarian activity and conception rate in early lactation. Animal Reproduction Science 12: 1–12.Google Scholar
Williams, G. L. 1990. Suckling as a regulator of post partum rebreeding in cattle: a review. Journal of Animal Science 68: 831–852.Google Scholar