Growth Rates and Growth Curve in Sahiwal Cattle

Abstract

The profitability of dairy enterprise depends on the overall productivity of animals maintained in a herd, which can be enhanced by selecting the animals as early as possible. Selection of animals on the basis of first lactation 305 days or less milk yield under progeny testing increases the generation interval. Thus growth parameters at an early age can be used as one of the selection criteria, besides selecting the animals on the basis of their performance during first lactation. Fitting of growth curves can be used effectively for selecting the animals at early ages. Hence, the present investigation was undertaken to plot growth curves in Sahiwal cattle.