189 PRODUCTIVE AND REPRODUCTIVE PROFILE OF HOLSTEINS KEPT IN BALOCHISTAN PROVINCE, PAKISTAN

Abstract

Holstein-Friesian has been rated the number one cattle in the world as far as milk production is concerned. The productive potential is excellent in European countries. Animals of the same breed were imported to meet the milk demand of developing countries such as Pakistan. One thousand cattle from Denmark were imported in 1977–78 by the Balochistan government, and were kept at government dairy farms at seven locations (viz., Kalat, Khuzdar, Loralai, Mastung, Pishin, Quetta, and Zhob). The aim of this study was to determine the productive [age at first calving (AFC), birth weight (BWT), lactation length or milk yield (MY), milk yield per lactation (MYL), days in milk (DIM), and culling and mortality (C&L)] and reproductive potential [service period (SP), age at first service (AFS), gestation period (GP), and calving interval (CI)] of these imported animals while kept under the local conditions of Balochistan. Effect of localities with respect to the environmental data was also explored. Overall average values for AFS were 315 to 986 days with an average of 660.42 ± 12.42, GP 275 to 299 days with an average of 280.62 ± 0.25, and AFC 604 to 1299 days with an average of 944.08 ± 12.71. BWT ranged from 15 to 68 kg with an average of 30.12 ± 0.15, MY from 1471 to 7035 liters with an average of 3731.26 ± 40.52, DIM from 180 to 728 days with an average of 313.56 ± 3.83, and SP ranged from 29 to 886 days with an average of 240 ± 9.61, DP averaged 59.15 ± 20.61 days and CI ranged from 301 to 922 days with an average of 451.10 ± 5.55. The effects of year, season, age, and location were studied and the results revealed that the year influenced the AFS, AFC, BWT, and SP (P < 0.01); GP (P < 0.05) but not DIM and CI (P > 0.05). No effect of season on AFS, AFC, DIM, MY, SP or CI (P > 0.05) was observed, but GP and BWT (P < 0.05) were affected by season. Age influenced the GP and SP (P < 0.05) but not BWT, DIM, MY, and CI (P > 0.05). No effect of sex of the calves, type of birth, and calving number on GP (P > 0.05) was seen. Location of the farm did effect AFS, AFC, BWT, and MY (P < 0.01); CI (P < 0.05); but not GP, DIM, and SP (P > 0.05). In conclusion, differences in environment and seasonality had a variable impact on production parameters in Holstein-Friesian calves.