Vol. 9, Issue 1, Part S (2024)

Author(s): GR Channa, AKS Tomar, Vipin Mourya, Arun Prabhakar, KN Pawankar and BS Katkade

Abstract: The current investigation analyzed a dataset spanning 12 years (from 2007 to 2018) focusing on 1252 lactations of Vrindavani cows raised at the Cattle and Buffalo Farm, specifically within the Livestock Production and Management Section of ICAR-Indian Veterinary Research Institute in Izatnagar (Bareilly), Uttar Pradesh, India. The assessment aimed to understand the milk yields per kilogram of live body weight (MY/BW) by calculating the ratio of monthly milk yields (MMY) during a lactation period to the corresponding average monthly live body weights (MLB) of milch cows within the 1-15^th months of lactation. To investigate the impact of age at calving (ACC), the study categorized the data into five age at calving classes (ACC1: ≤1095 days; ACC2: 1096-1460 days; ACC3: 1461-1825 days; ACC4: 1826-2190 days; and ACC5: ≥2191 days). Additionally, the study considered lactation orders (LO) ranging from 1st to 10th lactations. The findings revealed that both lactation order and age at calving class exhibited highly significant to significant effects (p≤0.01/0.05) on milk yields per kilogram of live body weight in Vrindavani cows. In essence, the results underscore the importance of age at calving and lactation order in influencing the efficiency of milk production in Vrindavani cows. The observed variations suggest that strategic management practices, considering these factors, could contribute significantly to optimizing milk yields in the breed. This study not only provides insights into the dynamics of milk production in Vrindavani cows but also lays the groundwork for implementing targeted strategies to enhance overall productivity in similar dairy farming setups.