Seasonal changes in nutritional status and reproductive performance of Zebu cows kept under a traditional agro-pastoral system in Tanzania

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dc.creatorKanuya, N. L.
dc.creatorMatiko, M. K.
dc.creatorNkya, R.
dc.creatorBittegeko, S. B. P.
dc.creatorMgasa, M. N.
dc.creatorReksen, O.
dc.creatorRopstad, E.
dc.date2017-09-13T09:07:03Z
dc.date2017-09-13T09:07:03Z
dc.date2006
dc.date.accessioned2022-10-25T08:52:06Z
dc.date.available2022-10-25T08:52:06Z
dc.descriptionTrop Anim Health Prod (2006) 38:511–519 DOI 10.1007/s11250-006-4419-z
dc.descriptionThe objectives of this study were to assess changes in nutritional status/body condition score, percentage pregnancy and calving rate in Zebu cows and to establish the relationship between body condition score loss and postpartum interval to resumption of ovarian activity. A total of 198 cows and postpubertal heifers of the Tanzanian Shorthorn Zebu kept under a traditional management system were randomly selected from 200 smallholder herds. Factors investigated during bi-weekly visits include body condition score (BCS), heart-girth circumference, milk yield and reproductive status of the animals, pregnancy/nonpregnancy and cyclicity/non-cyclicity. Local weather conditions and dates of occurrence of other reproductive events such as calving were also recorded. Calvings occurred all year round but with a strong seasonal distribution characterized by annual peaks observed between April and July. The annual calving pattern was closely related to rainfall, with peak precipitation occurring a few months before peak calving. The overall percentage pregnancy varied from 30% to 50% throughout the N. L. Kanuya ( ) · M. K. Matiko · R. Nkya · S. B. P. Bittegeko · M. N. Mgasa Department of Veterinary Surgery and Theriogenology, Faculty of Veterinary Medicine, Sokoine University of Agriculture, Morogoro, Tanzania e-mail: nkanuya@yahoo.com O. Reksen · E. Ropstad Department of Production Animal Clinical Sciences, Norwegian School of Veterinary Science, Oslo, Norway year. Postpartum cows exhibited minimum mean BCS and heart-girth circumference 12–14 weeks after calving, and cows with BCS loss >1 point exhibited the longest time interval from calving to onset of ovarian activity.
dc.formatapplication/pdf
dc.identifierhttps://www.suaire.sua.ac.tz/handle/123456789/1785
dc.identifier.urihttp://hdl.handle.net/123456789/92202
dc.languageen
dc.publisherSpringer Science+Business Media B.V. 2006
dc.subjectAgro-pastoral system
dc.subjectBody condition score
dc.subjectReproductive performance
dc.subjectZebu cows
dc.titleSeasonal changes in nutritional status and reproductive performance of Zebu cows kept under a traditional agro-pastoral system in Tanzania
dc.typeArticle

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