The investigation of viability and body measurements for water buffalo calves

Authors : Koray ÇELİKELOĞLU, SERDAR KOÇAK, METİN ERDOĞAN, ZEHRA BOZKURT, MUSTAFA TEKERLİ

Pages : 60-67

View : 24 | Download : 8

Publication Date : 0000-00-00

Article Type : Research Paper

Abstract :The viability and body measurements of calves raised in the Livestock Research Center of Afyon Kocatepe University between 2008 and 2011 were investigated. The research was conducted on 188 calves of buffalo cows brought from different regions of Turkey. The viability of buffalo calves at 1, 3, 6, and 12 months of age was 0.95, 0.90, 0.90, and 0.89, respectively. Live weights, height at withers, rump height, body length, chest depth, chest width, rump width, and chest and cannon-bone circumferences were 30.41 kg and 72.37, 74.21, 56.52, 26.34, 15.80, 17.00, 73.13, and 12.88 cm at birth; 118.47 kg and 97.12, 100.93, 88.78, 42.33, 25.53, 29.66, 119.27, and 15.62 cm at 6 months of age; and 179.37 kg and 106.58, 110.03, 101.70, 49.98, 30.71, 36.10, 143.83, and 17.41 cm at 12 months of age, respectively. Some environmental factors had significant effects on body measurements at different ages. Calves from different regions of Anatolia and crosses carrying Bulgarian Murrah genes have adapted adequately to the conditions of Afyonkarahisar and they have the potential to contribute to the development of new genotypes.
Keywords : Water buffalo, viability, live weight, body measurements, environmental factors