EFFECT OF BODY CONDITION SCORE ON EARLY LACTATION PERFORMANCE IN SAHIWAL COWS
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Date
2017
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Dau Shri Vasudev Chandrakar Kamdhenu Vishwavidyalaya, Durg
Abstract
The study was conducted on 26 purebred Sahiwal cows during early
lactation period (calving to 98 days postpartum) in two farms i.e., the CBF and
BMEF with the objectives to observe the variations in body condition score, milk
production, peak yield, milk composition viz., milk fat, milk protein, lactose and
milk SNF and their interrelationships in Sahiwal cows during early lactation
period. The experiment was conducted in cows which were calved during January
2017 to April 2017.
The data were classified on the basis of farms (CBF and BMEF), BCS at
calving (lower, medium and higher groups) and postpartum changes in BCS (no
change, moderate loss and high loss groups).
BCS was measured using the scoring system of 1 to 5 point scale with
quarter point increment at fortnightly intervals during the early lactation period.
The Sahiwal cows of CBF herd calved at an average BCS of 3.64±0.05,
non significantly higher than that of the BMEF herd (3.45±0.07). The overall
postpartum mean BCS of cows of CBF (3.28±0.04) differed significantly from
that of BMEF (3.09±0.08).
The overall mean milk fat concentration of Sahiwal cows of CBF herd
(3.32±0.03%) was non significantly higher than that of BMEF herd (3.29±0.02%).
The overall mean milk fat % is significantly higher (P<0.01) in Sahiwal cows of
higher BCS at calving group (3.43±0.02%) than those of lower (3.27±0.01%) and
medium BCS at calving groups (3.26±0.01%). While, the overall mean milk fat
concentration for no change, moderate loss and high loss groups based on
postpartum change were 3.26±0.05%, 3.26±0.05% and 3.27±0.07%, respectively.
The overall mean milk protein concentration in BMEF cows (3.82±0.15%)
was non significantly higher than those of CBF cows (3.78±0.04%). The overall
mean milk protein concentrations in the cows having lower (3.89±0.12%) and
medium (3.91±0.02%) BCS at calving were significantly (P<0.01) higher than
that observed in cows of higher BCS at calving (3.63±0.07%).
The overall mean milk lactose % of BMEF cows (4.70±0.05%) were
significantly (P<0.01) higher than those of CBF cows (4.51±0.07%). Significantly
(P<0.05) lesser overall postpartum mean lactose percentage was observed in cows
of higher BCS at calving group (4.47±0.07%) than those of lower (4.68±0.04%)
and medium (4.66±0.04%) BCS at calving groups. Significantly (P<0.01) lesser
overall mean lactose percentage was observed in Sahiwal cows of high loss group
(4.39±0.05%) than those of medium (4.59±0.05%) group which further was
significantly lower than cows of no change (4.78±0.04%) group.
The overall mean milk SNF concentrations of Sahiwal cows calved at
lower (8.80±0.03%) and higher (8.74±0.02%) BCS at calving were significant
than cows calved at medium BCS group (8.66±0.03%). The mean milk SNF
concentrations in Sahiwal cows of no change (8.74±0.02%) and high loss
(8.72±0.03%) groups were significantly higher than that of the moderate loss
group (8.56±0.03%). In most of the groups, significant reduction in the mean milk
SNF concentration from calving to at 98 days post-partum was observed.
The Sahiwal cows having higher BCS at calving had given significantly
(P<0.01) higher amount of milk (683.26±19.62 kg) during early lactation period
than those of lower and medium range of BCS at calving i.e. 547.87±19.35 kg and
541.58±18.85 kg, respectively. Similarly the peak milk yield in cows of higher
BCS at calving group (7.95±0.26 kg) was significantly higher than those of lower
and medium range of BCS at calving i.e. 6.75±0.25 kg and 6.75±0.22 kg,
respectively.
The Sahiwal cows of higher BCS at calving had yielded significantly
higher total milk fat (22.43±0.59 kg), average milk fat per kg of milk (34.38±0.25
g), total protein (24.73±0.75 kg), average milk protein per kg of milk (36.41±0.53
g), total lactose (30.28±0.73 kg) and total milk SNF (58.97±1.86 kg) than the
medium and lower BCS at calving group of cows. This might be due to that the
cows of higher BCS at calving had calved at significantly higher BCS at calving
than the medium and lower group cows. However, the average lactose per kg of
milk and average milk SNF per kg of milk of higher BCS at calving group cows
were significantly lesser than those of lower group i.e. 46.87±0.51 g and
88.13±0.31 g, respectively.
The Sahiwal cows having moderate and high unit loss in BCS from
calving had given significantly (P<0.01) higher amount of milk (613.83±26.97 kg
and 677.02±29.65 kg, respectively) during early lactation period than those of no
change group (530.22±15.14 kg). Similarly the mean BCS at calving in the
Sahiwal cows of moderate (3.58±0.07) and high unit loss (3.80±0.05) groups were
significantly higher than the BCS at calving of cows of no change group
(3.38±0.06).
Similarly, the peak milk yield in cows of having moderate and high unit
loss in postpartum BCS groups (7.41±0.28 kg and 7.90±0.36 kg, respectively)
were significantly higher than cows of no change group (6.55±0.19 kg).
Similar to the significant trend obtained for early milk production the
Sahiwal cows of postpartum moderate and high loss in BCS groups had yielded
significantly higher total milk fat (20.00±0.91 kg and 22.11±0.81 kg), than the
cows of no change group (17.30±0.51 kg). However, non significant differences
in milk fat grams per kg of milk were noticed in these groups.
Average total milk protein of Sahiwal cows of postpartum moderate loss
and high loss in BCS groups (23.24±0.83 kg and 24.33±1.17 kg) was significantly
higher than that of no change group (20.50±0.62 kg). However, the cows of no
change and moderate loss groups had given significantly higher amount of milk
protein per unit of milk (39.00±0.54 g and 38.70±0.90 g) than those of high loss
groups (36.53±0.70 g).
Associations between BCS at different periodical intervals of early
lactation yield, peak milk yield, days to attain peak yield and milk fat, milk
protein, lactose, SNF parameters of all cows in all the classifications have been
worked out to understand the role of each of them in modulating the profiles
during early lactation period in Sahiwal cows.