Productive and reproductive performance of crossbred and indigenous Dairy cows under rural conditions in Comilla, Bangladesh

Abstract

A comparative account of the productive and reproductive performance of crossbred and indigenous dairy cows at some selected areas of Comilla district. The survey was conducted on 50 dairy cows for a period of four months from June to September, 2004. Out of 50 cows 25 were crossbred and 25 were indigenous. Results showed that the average daily milk production of Local, Shahiwal x Local, Friesian x Local and Jersey x Local dairy cows was 2.26±0.19, 4.9±0.95, 6.0±1.0 and 5.71±0.87 liter respectively. The average age of calving interval and lactation length of the crossbred and indigenous cows did not differ significantly (P>0.05). However, the average age at puberty of Shahiwal x Local, Friesian x Local and Jersey x Local was significantly (P<0.01) lower than the local breed. The crossbred cows had significantly (P<0.01) lower pubertal age than local. The postpartum heat period and service per conception of different crossbred and local cows did not differ significantly (P>0.05). The average gestation length of Local, Shahiwal x Local, Friesian x Local and Jersey x Local was 289.88±1.44, 285.0±0.0, 285.0±4.18, and 282.08±2.42 days respectively. The productive and reproductive performance of Friesian x Local cows was superior to the rest of the breeds under study. Key words: Dairy cows, indigenous, crossbred, production, reproduction and performance Univ. j. zool. Rajshahi Univ. Vol. 26, 2007. pp. 67-70