The effect of nongenetic factors on calf birth weight and growth performance in Anatolian buffaloes

Authors: KÜRŞAT ALKOYAK, SEZER ÖZ

Abstract: The aim of the current study is to determine the growth performances of Anatolian buffaloes such as birth weight (BW$_{0}$), body weight at 6 months (BW$_{6}$), body weight at 12 months (BW$_{12}$), average daily weight gain from birth to 6 months (ADG$_{0 - 6}$), average daily weight gain from birth to 12 months (ADG$_{0 - 12}$) and average daily weight gain from 6 to 12 months (ADG$_{6 - 12}$), and to identify various nongenetic factors affecting these traits. In the study, the data of 2821 head buffalo calves born from buffaloes bred from the Anatolian Buffalo Breeding Project in Bartın province between 2015?2021 were used. In the present study, the effects of nongenetic factors such as district, calving year and season, calving age, and sex on BW0 and growth performance characteristics were investigated. The mean and standard errors of the BW$_{0}$, BW$_{6}$, BW$_{12}$, ADG$_{0 - 6}$, ADG$_{0 - 12}$, and ADG$_{6 - 12}$ values of buffalo calves were calculated as 28.33 ± 0.090 kg, 119.13 ± 0.459 kg, 173.53 ± 0.743 kg, 504.64 ± 2.31 g, 398.24 ± 1.88 g, and 304.27 ± 2.45 g respectively. In the study, except for the effect of calving age on ADG$_{0 - 6}$ and ADG$_{6 - 12}$ (p > 0.05), the effect of all other nongenetic factors on growth performance was found to be statistically significant (p ≤ 0.05). There is not enough research on environmental factors affecting growth performance at different ages in Anatolian buffaloes. The data on growth performances and significant nongenetic factors obtained in this study will be useful in the selection program and improvement in buffalo husbandry and enlighten future studies.

Keywords: Anatolian buffalo, birth weight, daily weight gain, growth performance, nongenetic factors

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