Dam weight, udder score and body condition score effect on calf birth weight and preweaning daily gain in Dhofari cattle breed

Salim Bahashwan and Salim Alfadli

Salalah Livestock Research Station,
P.O Box 1286, Postal code 211, Salalah, Sultanate of Oman
saleminiom@gmail.com

Abstract

Data of 224 Dhofari cows for weight at birth, udder score and body condition score with their relative offspring periodical weight from birth to 105-day weaning age were used in this study. The objective of this research was to find out the effect of dams weight at birth, udder score and body condition score on calves birth weight and pre-weaning daily gain. Dam were classified according to their weights at parturitions into high (>400 kg), medium (300 to 400 kg) and, low (<300 kg). Dams udder characteristics were scored in a scale of 1 to 7 (1= udder have small teats and well attached and 7= minimum one udder quarter is not working) and dams body condition was scored in a scale of 1 to 5 (1=very thin and 5=very fat).

Analyses showed that dams body weight class at parturition had a significant (p<0.05) effect on calves birth weight and pre-weaning daily growth as heavier cows gave birth to heavier calves with higher pre-weaning growth rates and vice versa. There was a positive significant (p<0.05) correlation between dams weight at parturition and birth weight, and high positive significant (p<0.01) correlation between dams body weight at parturition and calves weight at 60-day age. Dams udder score had a significant (p<0.05) effect on calves birth weight, 60-day age weight, and daily growth from birth to 60-day old weight but not on any other weights or growth rates investigated. In general, results revealed that cows with udder score of 3(large teats and well attached udder) resulted in higher calves pre-weaning growth rates than the others. The only significant (p<0.01) effect of dams body condition score at parturition was on calves daily gain from birth to 60-day old. Duncan test showed that cows that had body condition score between 2 to 3 had higher growth rates than the other cows. This study recommends that in order to get higher calves weights and growth rates, cows should possess body score conditions from 2 to 3, have large teats with well attached udder, and average weigh from 300 to 400 kg for the Dhofari cattle breed.

Keywords: body condition score, dam weight, pre-weaning growth, udder score

Introduction

There is a strong correlation between mature weight of a calf and its birth weight and growth rates before weaning (Meyer et al 1995). Heavier Dhofari cattle parents gave birth to heavier calves (Bahashwan et al 2015). Body condition scoring for cows can be a vital tool for reproduction and management purposes and making decisions of culling and selection ( Field and Sand 1994, Hamilton and Giesen 1996a). The amount of milk suckled by the calf may be affected by the dam's udder characteristics (Paputungan and Makarechian 2000). Maternal effect on calves' growth rate before weaning was well documented in the literature by lots of authors. There are numerous of genetic and environmental factors which affect calves birth weight and their pre-weaning growth rates (Holand and Odde 1992,   Field and Sand 1994). There is little known about the effect of dam's weight at parturition and body condition score on the indigenous Dhofari cattle breed calves. Also there is no information on literature published about the Dhofari cow's udder characteristics effect on their calf's birth weight and pre-weaning growth rates. These were the objectives of this research.

Materials and methods

Data collection and experimental procedure

Data of 224 Dhofari cows breed with their relative calves from the Salalah livestock research station which is located at the south region of Sultanate of Oman was collected and used in this study. Cow's parturition weights and their calf's weights were taken using a digital electric weighing machine (Iconix, New Zeland). The calves were weighed within 24 hours after birth then at age 60-day and finally at age 105-day when they were weaned. The cows were classified to 3 groups (high, medium and, low) according to their weight at parturition. Cows body condition score was scaled from 1 to 5 with 1.0= extremely thin, 1.5=very thin, 2.0= thin, 2.5= fairly thin, 3= normal, 3.5= fairly fat, 4.0= fat, 4.5= very fat, 5.0= extremely fat (Fields and Sand 1994).  The udder characteristics of the cows were scored on a scale from 1 to 7 ( Hamilton and Giesen 1996) at calving with 1= udder well attached with small teats, 2= udder well attached with medium teats, 3= udder well attached with large teats, 4= very large teats, 5= pendulous udder with normal teats, 6= large teats with pendulous udder, and 7= one or more quarters not functioning. Animals were housed in pens half shaded with one part concrete, fenced with steel pipes and utilized with automatic water supply and feeders. They were given commercial concentrate (18% crude protein, 2.5% crude fat, 7% crude fiber, 5% ash, 0.9% calcium, 0.5% phosphorus, and 11.5 MJ/Kg ME energy) with different crude protein percentages (18, 16, 14%) and green and dry Rhodes grass hay (Chloris gayana (and quantity according to their age and condition of production based on NRC nutrient requirements tables (Taylor, 1992). Animals were vaccinated for national endemic diseases and had a good healthy condition.

Statistical analyses

All data of least square means and standard errors were analyzed using multivariate general linear model (GLM) option by SPSS (SPSS 2010).  The effects of body condition score, udder score, and weight class of the dams as independent factors on the birth weight and the growth rates of the calves as dependent factors was analyzed (GLM) and the separation of the least square means of the weights of the calves and their growth rates were tested using the Duncan multiple range test option in SPSS when the overall effect was not significant. The correlation between dam's weight class and calves birth weight and their growth rates was analyzed by bivariate correlation option in SPSS using the Pearson correlation coefficient.

Results and Discussion

Dams weight class (Table.1) had a positive significant (P<0.05) effect on calves birth weight and pre-weaning growth rates. The results showed that heavier cows gave birth to heavier calves which means that cows with average and above weights allocated maybe more nutrients for the improvement and development of the calve during the fetus stage ( Paputungan and Makarechian 2000). Heaveir cows provided more milk for their calves than the others which could be the result of higher pre-weaning growth rates for these calves than the others (Spitzer et al 1995). This result was strengthed by the fact that there was a strong poitive correlation between the dams weight class and the calves birth weight and growth rates (Table.2).  However, it was found earlier that cow weight was negatively correlated with calf weaning weight (Rutledge et al 1970) which was not proven in this study.

Dams udder score had a significant (p<0.05) effect on calves birth weight, 60-day old weight and pre-weaning average daily gain from 0 to 60-day old as shown in table 3.

Results showed that calves that suckled dams with udder scores from 2 to 3 (well attached udder with long teats) had higher birth weights by almost 11% than the others and got higher pre-weaning average daily gain by almost 4% than calves suckled cows with udder score 1(small teats). This indicated that well attached udder with large teats cows  positively affected the calves birth weight and pre-weaning average daily gain as similar results was found by others ( Vukasinovic et al 1995). Longivity of a cow was proven to be affected by well shaped udder and long teats (Bagnato 1993) which makes it an ideal cow for better calf nursing and that would poitively affect calves growth rates indirectly. As calves reached their weaning age at 105-day they were ready to cease their dependance on their dams for nutrients which could be a reason for insignificance effect of the udder score at that particular time.

Dams body condition score had a significant (p<0.05) on calves pre-weaning average daily gain from 0 to 60-day old as shown in table.4.

Results showed that there is no significant effect of the cows body condition score on birth weight or the pre-weaning average daily gain from 60 to 105-day old calves which is found also by others (Paputungan and Makarechian 2000). This maybe attributed to the fact that higher body condition scores were proven to be negativly correlated with lower dam milk production ( Jeffery et al 1971, Wilson et al 1971, and Johnston et al 1995). The failure of a dam to provide enough milk for the calf during that critical age before weaning as a result of its higher body condition score could result in a lower pre-weaning average daily gain for the calf.

Conclusion

• This study found that Dhofari cows would give birth to higher birth weight and higher growth rate calves if they had an average weight from 300 to 400 kg, had well attached udders with large teats and possessed normal body condition score of fairly thin(2.5) to normal(3).

Acknowledgement

This research was supported by Salalah livestock research station of the ministry of agriculture and fisheries of Sultanate of Oman. Authors would like to thank Mr.Abdullah Alrawas, Dr. Ahmed Bakhait Alshanfari, Dr. Hamood Alhasany and Dr. Ahmed Albakry.

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Received 23 January 2016; Accepted 27 January 2016; Published 1 March 2016

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