Effects of dam milk yield and milk composition on birth weight and growth performance of Anatolian buffalo calves

Abstract

This study was conducted to determine the effects of the dam’s milk yield and composition on birth weight, 6-month, and 12-month live weight (LW) of Anatolian buffalo calves born in 2017 and 2018 years in Çorum province, Türkiye. Calving age had a significant impact on daily milk yield (DMY) (P=0.031), lactation milk yield (LMY) (P=0.048) and solids-not-fat (SNF) (P=0.034). DMY (P=0.022) and fat content (P=0.005) were affacted by calving season. Suckling period and calf sex had no significant impact (P>0.05) on DMY, LMY, fat content, and solids-not-fat (SNF) (P>0.05). The dam’s calving age had a significant impact on birth weight (P=0.029), except for 6-month and 12-month live weight (LW). Calving season affected 6-month (P=0.002) and 12-month LW (P=0.012) without birth weight. The suckling period and calf sex were not significantly affected on the birth weight, 6-month, and 12-month LWs (P>0.05). The highest 6-month LW (P=0.025) was determined in the calves of high DMY buffaloes (>6.50 kg). The DMY of the dam had no effect on the birth weight and 12-month LWs (P>0.05). The calves of buffaloes with the highest LMY (>1300 kg) were observed the highest birth weight (P=0.040) and 6-month LW (P=0.046). The dam’s fat and SNF content had no effect on the birth weight, 6-month, and 12-month LWs. To conclude; “higher milk yield resulted in higher birth weight” means that better dams give better calves, suggesting that buffalo keepers should feed buffalo cows sufficiently to get heavier calves at least.