Studies on factors affecting age at first calving in Gir halfbreds

Abstract

Data on the reproductive performance of Gir halfbreds maintained at the Research-cum-Development Project on Cattle (RCDP), Mahatma Phule Krishi Vidyapeeth, Rahuri, Ahilyanagar district, Maharashtra, were used for the present study. This dataset provided comprehensive insights into the reproductive traits of Gir halfbred cattle under the project’s management conditions. Age at first calving least squares means were analyzed considering the influence of sire and non-genetic factors such as calving period and season. Analysis revealed that the period of calving had a strong and highly significant influence (P< 0.01) on AFC indicating that the year when a Gir halfbreds gives birth has an important impact on how old the cow was when she gave birth for the first time while season of calving did not have a statistically significant influence on AFC indicating that the season in which cow gives birth does not have an important noticeable impact on how old the cow was when she gave birth for the first time. The genetic factor, sire, had a significant effect (P< 0.05) on AFC indicating that the sire that fathered the calf has an important influence on how old the daughter cow was when she gave birth for the first time.