Survival Rate of Calves and Assessment Reproductive Performance of Heifers and Cows in Dida Tuyura Ranch, Borana Zone, Southern Ethiopia

Copyright 2019 by Kebamo M. This is an open-access article distributed under Creative Commons Attribution 4.0 International License (CC BY 4.0), which allows to copy, redistribute, remix, transform, and reproduce in any medium or format, even commercially, provided the original work is properly cited. 1 Retrospective Study | Volume 4 | Issue 1| cc Background and Aim The study was conducted at Dida Tuyura Cattle Breeding and Improvement Ranch in Borana zone, southern Ethiopia, with the aims of determining the mortality rate of Ethiopian Boran calves and assessment of the reproductive performance of heifers and cows. Materials and Methods The study was based on the retrospective record of calves, heifers, and cows. The data was taken from 1994-2010 on the calf survival rate and 1994-2005 on reproductive performance of the breed in the ranch were used for this study. The retrospective data collected over the years were used to identify factors associated with calf survival or death. Results The mortality rate of calves before weaning and after weaning was 13.3% and 11.2%, respectively. Age, sex and birth weight of calf had a significant effect on survival rate. The overall mean values age at first service, age at first calving, calving interval, days open and gestation length were 42.52, 51.67, 20.67, 11.30 and 9.30 months, respectively. Parity had a significant effect on both the calving interval and days open. Gestation length was not significantly affected by parity, sex, and birth weight of calf. Conclusion From the present study, it can be concluded that the obtained calf survival rate and reproductive performance are not sufficient to achieve the established objective of the ranch.