RT Journal
T1 BODY CONDITION SCORE AS A MARKER OF MILK YIELD AND COMPOSITION IN DAIRY ANIMALS
A1 A. Mushtaq
A1 M. S. Qureshi
A1 S. Khan
A1 G. Habib
A1 Z. A. Swati
A1 S. U. Rahman
JF Journal of Animal and Plant Sciences
JO JAPS
SN 1018-7081
VO 22
IS 3
SP 169
OP 173
YR 2012
FD 2012/06/01
DO DOI NA
AB <p>Under tropical condition the BCS may influence the feed intake and metabolism leading to variation in economic parameters. This study investigated the BCS as a regulator of milk yield (MY) and composition (MC) in dairy animals. A total of 154 animals, comprising Azakheli (AZ) and Nili-Ravi (NR) buffaloes, Holstein Friesian (HF), Jersey (JC), Sahiwal (SW), Achai (AC) and crossbreds (XB) cattle and Beetal (BT) goats were selected from various public and private farms in NWF Province of Pakistan. MY and BCS were recorded weekly and milk samples were collected for analysis. The experiment continued for 6 months postpartum in buffaloes and cattle and three months in goats during the year 2008. Higher BCS was maintained by AZ, XB and HF, medium by NR and lowest by AC, SW, JC and BT. Highest yield was recorded with moderate BCS in buffaloes. BCS correlated positively with fat and protein and negatively with lactose contents. MY decreased while BCS increased with advancing lactation. MY and BCS correlated inversely. The negative relationship may be due to mobilization of body reserves, indicating their better genetic potential as dairy breeds. We suggest that dairy buffaloes perform well under the tropical conditions and BCS can be used as a marker for MY and quality.</p>
K1 Dairy breeds, Buffalo, Sahiwal, Achai, Crossbred, Beetal, BCS, milk composition and yield
PB Pakistan Agricultural Scientists Forum
LK https://thejaps.org.pk/AbstractView.aspx?mid=2012-JAPS-3009