Analysis of longevity traits and lifetime productivity of crossbred dairy cows in the Tropical Highlands of Ethiopia
Kefena Effa · 2013 · 30 citationsRead the paper
Longevity traits, lifetime milk and calf productivities are one of the primary interests of dairy cattle producers. We used lifetime data of 523 crossbred dairy cows that born between 1980 and 2003 in the central tropical highlands of Ethiopia with the purpose to evaluate longevity traits and associated lifetime milk and calf productivity. Based on the type of sires used and level of exotic gene inheritances, the crossbred dairy cows were classified in to six genetic groups. These include F1 Friesian x Boran (F1 FxBo), F1 Jersey x Boran (F1 JxBo), F2 Friesian x Boran (F2 FxBo), F2 Jersey x Boran (F2 JxBo) and 75% Friesian and Jersey inheritances. A Generalized Linear Model in the statistical analysis system (SAS, 2004) was used to analyze the data. The overall least squares means ± s. e. for total life (TL), herd life (HL), productive life (PL), lifetime milk yield (LTMY) and lifetime calf crop production were 4036 ± 126.3 days, 2675.74 ± 201.7 days, 1951.00 ± 173.8 days, 10460.6 ± 1117.4 L and 5.70 ± 0.2 calves, respectively. The overall least squares means ± s. e. for lifetime milk yield per day of total life (LTMY/TL), lifetime milk yield per day of herd life (LTMY/HL) and lifetime milk yield per day of productive life (LTMY/PL) were 2.56 ± 0.2, 3.97 ± 0.3 and 5.26 ± 0.3 L, respectively. In conclusion, first generation crosses of all types, particularly those sired by Jersey semen were superior in all the lifetime performance traits considered in this study while second generation (F2) crosses were inferior in all the lifetime productivity indicators. Key words: Herd life, lifetime milk yield, longevity, productive life.
What the full text shows
Tested in real conditions- F1 Jersey x Boran (F1 JxBo) cows exhibited the highest lifetime milk yield and longest herd life among all genetic groups. — LTMY: 13546.50 ± 812.3 L; HL: 3107.53 ± 146.6 days (Central tropical highlands of Ethiopia)
- F2 crosses (Friesian and Jersey) were inferior in all lifetime productivity indicators compared to F1 crosses. — F2 FxBo LTMY: 8565.8 ± 1087.3 L; F2 JxBo LTMY: 6818.71 ± 945.8 L (Central tropical highlands of Ethiopia)
- Jersey crosses showed superior longevity and stayability compared to Friesian crosses in the F2 generation. — F2 JxBo had ~248 days longer herd life than F2 FxBo (Central tropical highlands of Ethiopia)
- Overall average lifetime performance for the crossbred population. — TL: 4036 ± 126.3 days; HL: 2675.74 ± 201.7 days; PL: 1951.00 ± 173.8 days; LTMY: 10460.6 ± 1117.4 L; Calf crop: 5.70 ± 0.2 calves (523 crossbred dairy cows born 1980-2003)
- Increased Friesian gene inheritance beyond 50% correlated with a decline in total lifespan. — '' (Central tropical highlands of Ethiopia)
- Setup
- 523 crossbred dairy cows (Friesian and Jersey x Boran) born between 1980 and 2003 in the central tropical highlands of Ethiopia (2400m elevation).
- How
- Lifetime data from crossbred cows were analyzed using a Generalized Linear Model (GLM) in SAS (2004). Cows were categorized into six genetic groups based on sire type and exotic gene inheritance (F1, F2, and 75% inheritance).
- Limitations
- Culling procedures were less stringent than commercial systems, reflecting smallholder practices. · Data excludes cows with less than two lactations or lactation lengths under 60 days.
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