The out-of-breeding-season mating technique (OBSMt), used in most buffalo farms to fit the market demand of buffalo milk, delays the calving season in the females that remained nonpregnant in September, leading to an increase of the days open and to a decreased yearly milk production. The economic gap of farms that use the OBSMt should be filled by the different cost of milk during the period of increased demand, with a mean differential cost of € 0.3. However, the real economic losses related to this technique have not yet been evaluated. In fact, it is well known that in buffalos, as well as in cattle, the milking period is prolonged to over 270 days, according to the number of days open, it results a milk production significantly different from the standard that depends both on the genetic performances and on the delay of conception. The aim of this study was to evaluate the effects of the OBSM technique on the length of the lactation period and on the milk production of primiparous and pluriparous buffalo cows. The data were collected from 2000 to 2003 in three buffalo farms employing the OBSM technique. In all farms, pluriparous buffaloes were left in the absence of bulls from October to March while in the heifer group the bulls were kept apart from the female from September to April. A total of 1418 records were analyzed, 1159 of which from pluriparous and 259 from primiparous buffaloes. For each record the following characteristics were registered: age, chronology and month of parturition, milk production, actual days in milk.. The data were analyzed by ANOVA using a full factorial design which included the effects of: farm, OBSM (yes vs. no), parity (primiparous vs.pluriparous females). Percentage data were analysed by Chi square test. The costs of production were evaluated on the basis of € 0.21/UFL to evaluate the daily costs for feeding and considering a 50% impact of feeding costs on the total costs. The yearly income was calculated utilizing a milk price of €1.34 /kg of milk/6 months and €1.08 /kg of milk/6 months. The incidence of OBSM subjects was 42% and 30% in pluriparous and primiparous buffalo cows, respectively (P<0.01). The statistical significance was related to the different distribution of calving between pluriparous and primiparous females, due to the reduced heifer mating seasons. In fact about 80% of pregnant heifers calve within May while only about 60% of pregnant pluriparous calve within this month. The length of lactation was 104 days longer in the primiparous OBSM than in those noOBSM (413±7 vs 309±4 days respectively; P< 0,01), while the pluriparous OBSM had 64 more days in milk than the noOBSM ones (341±3 vs 277±3 days respectively; P< 0,05). The length of the dry period did not show differences between primiparous and pluriparous both for OBSM and noOBSM subjects (OBSM 134±3; noOBSM 258±5 days). Milk production was not different between parity. The OBSM employment increased milk production of 9.18% in pluriparous (3046±34 vs 2790±31 kg respectively OBSM vs noOBSM) and of 14.79% in primiparous (3113±82 vs 2712±52 kg in OBSM vs noOBSM respectively). When the data were djusted taking into account the intercalving interval, the annual milk production of both pimiparous and pluriparous OBSM was lower than those of the noOBSM ones and the productive difference was on average 23%. Regardless of the OBSM using, the net profit from a primiparous was about 77% of that from a pluriparous and the profit loss between OBSM and no OBSM subjects was about the same for the two parity groups in the trial. An OBSM pluriparous buffalo gave around 59% of the profit obtainable from a noOBSM buffalo; for an OBSM primiparous this value was about 55%.

Effects of the out of breeding season mating technique on milk production of Italian Mediterranean buffalo cows / DI PALO, Rossella; Campanile, Giuseppe; Zicarelli, Luigi; Gasparrini, Bianca. - STAMPA. - 1:(2005), pp. 65-66. (Intervento presentato al convegno 3° Congresso Nazionale sull'Allevamento del Bufalo - 1st Buffalo Symposium of Europe and the Americas tenutosi a Capaccio-Paestum (SA), Italy. nel October 12-15).

Effects of the out of breeding season mating technique on milk production of Italian Mediterranean buffalo cows.

DI PALO, ROSSELLA;CAMPANILE, GIUSEPPE;ZICARELLI, LUIGI;GASPARRINI, BIANCA
2005

Abstract

The out-of-breeding-season mating technique (OBSMt), used in most buffalo farms to fit the market demand of buffalo milk, delays the calving season in the females that remained nonpregnant in September, leading to an increase of the days open and to a decreased yearly milk production. The economic gap of farms that use the OBSMt should be filled by the different cost of milk during the period of increased demand, with a mean differential cost of € 0.3. However, the real economic losses related to this technique have not yet been evaluated. In fact, it is well known that in buffalos, as well as in cattle, the milking period is prolonged to over 270 days, according to the number of days open, it results a milk production significantly different from the standard that depends both on the genetic performances and on the delay of conception. The aim of this study was to evaluate the effects of the OBSM technique on the length of the lactation period and on the milk production of primiparous and pluriparous buffalo cows. The data were collected from 2000 to 2003 in three buffalo farms employing the OBSM technique. In all farms, pluriparous buffaloes were left in the absence of bulls from October to March while in the heifer group the bulls were kept apart from the female from September to April. A total of 1418 records were analyzed, 1159 of which from pluriparous and 259 from primiparous buffaloes. For each record the following characteristics were registered: age, chronology and month of parturition, milk production, actual days in milk.. The data were analyzed by ANOVA using a full factorial design which included the effects of: farm, OBSM (yes vs. no), parity (primiparous vs.pluriparous females). Percentage data were analysed by Chi square test. The costs of production were evaluated on the basis of € 0.21/UFL to evaluate the daily costs for feeding and considering a 50% impact of feeding costs on the total costs. The yearly income was calculated utilizing a milk price of €1.34 /kg of milk/6 months and €1.08 /kg of milk/6 months. The incidence of OBSM subjects was 42% and 30% in pluriparous and primiparous buffalo cows, respectively (P<0.01). The statistical significance was related to the different distribution of calving between pluriparous and primiparous females, due to the reduced heifer mating seasons. In fact about 80% of pregnant heifers calve within May while only about 60% of pregnant pluriparous calve within this month. The length of lactation was 104 days longer in the primiparous OBSM than in those noOBSM (413±7 vs 309±4 days respectively; P< 0,01), while the pluriparous OBSM had 64 more days in milk than the noOBSM ones (341±3 vs 277±3 days respectively; P< 0,05). The length of the dry period did not show differences between primiparous and pluriparous both for OBSM and noOBSM subjects (OBSM 134±3; noOBSM 258±5 days). Milk production was not different between parity. The OBSM employment increased milk production of 9.18% in pluriparous (3046±34 vs 2790±31 kg respectively OBSM vs noOBSM) and of 14.79% in primiparous (3113±82 vs 2712±52 kg in OBSM vs noOBSM respectively). When the data were djusted taking into account the intercalving interval, the annual milk production of both pimiparous and pluriparous OBSM was lower than those of the noOBSM ones and the productive difference was on average 23%. Regardless of the OBSM using, the net profit from a primiparous was about 77% of that from a pluriparous and the profit loss between OBSM and no OBSM subjects was about the same for the two parity groups in the trial. An OBSM pluriparous buffalo gave around 59% of the profit obtainable from a noOBSM buffalo; for an OBSM primiparous this value was about 55%.
2005
Effects of the out of breeding season mating technique on milk production of Italian Mediterranean buffalo cows / DI PALO, Rossella; Campanile, Giuseppe; Zicarelli, Luigi; Gasparrini, Bianca. - STAMPA. - 1:(2005), pp. 65-66. (Intervento presentato al convegno 3° Congresso Nazionale sull'Allevamento del Bufalo - 1st Buffalo Symposium of Europe and the Americas tenutosi a Capaccio-Paestum (SA), Italy. nel October 12-15).
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Utilizza questo identificativo per citare o creare un link a questo documento: https://hdl.handle.net/11588/201519
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