PARITY EFFECTS ON PRODUCTIVE AND REPRODUCTIVE PERFORMANCE OF FRIESIAN CROSSBRED DAIRY COWS

Bangladesh is an agriculture based country of which dairy sector shares a large economy and meets a great portion of the protein requirement of its population. Friesian crossbreds are highly recommended and beneficial to rear for dairy farms in the aspect of Bangladesh. The present study determined the parity effects on Local-Friesian cross-bred dairy cows’ production and reproduction performance at the Central Cattle Breeding and Dairy Farm (CCBDF), Savar, Dhaka. 77 individuals were selected for this study and the quantitative data (Gestation period, Lactation period, Milk production per day, Calf birth weight and Calving interval) from the existing database (2008 to 2019) was recorded. Kruskal-Wallis test was conducted using STATA-13 statistical software to evaluate the association between parity number and each of outcome variables (Gestation period, Lactation period, Milk production per day, Calf birth weight and Calving interval). The results of each production and reproduction outcome varied significantly by parity number (p≤0.003) except for the gestation period (p=0.22). The obtained median of the gestation period for 1st to 6th parity was 276-279 days without the trend of increase or decrease in relation to parity. There was decreased calving interval (median from 1st to 6th parity, 529.5-375.5 days) and lactation period (median from 1st to 6th parity, 361.5-270 days) and increased milk production per day (median from 1st to 6th parity, 5.2-8.6 liter per day) and calf birth weight (median from 1st to 6th parity, 23-28 kg) with increased parity number. The results indicated that the cattle performance at Central Cattle Breeding and Dairy Farm was satisfactory. It was concluded that should explore the source of the short lactation periods further, as it is an important economic factor for dairy farms. Along with the genetic background of the dairy cows, some environmental factors (climate, year and season of calving) and management factors (disease control and feeding status) should be considered for investigating the reasons for the short lactation period.