Gestation length and age at first calving of crossbred cows in Cameroon

Abstract

Data on 139 crossbred cows obtained from the database of the Bambui Centre of the Institute of Agricultural Research for Development (IRAD) in the Sudano-Guinean altitude zone of West Cameroon were used to evaluate the effect of calf’s sex, parity and season on gestation length and age at first calving. These animals, reared between 1985 and 1995, were crosses between the imported Jersey (J) and Holstein (H) bull semen with local White Fulani (WF) and Gudali (G) cows. Gestation length (GL) varied significantly between the different genetic crossbred groups, whereas no effect of genetic composition was observed on AFC. These traits were affected by the lactation number, but not by calf sex and season. 50%Hx50%G recorded the shortest GL (279.87±2.66 days) with 40% of cows calving between 24-28 months. 87.5%Jx12.5%WF registered the longest (289.14±3.89 days) gestation period. The highest (30.63±8.21 months) age at first calving was in75%Jx25%WF group. Performances obtained for both GL and AFC with Holstein-Gudali (50%Hx50%G) crossbreed as compared to Jersey crossbreed revealed their high reproductive potential through their adaptability capacity to harsh conditions of tropics.