Proper reproductive performance in buffaloes is the key to dairy economics. Additionally, the reproductive indices are fundamental indicators for the validation of breeding efficiency. A frequent design in animal science is the analysis of data involving repeated observations collected on animals (experimental unit) assigned to different treatments over time. Therefore, this research investigated the effects of four buffalo breed groups and five levels of parity on lactation yield (LY) and lactation length (LL) as productive traits, as well as calving interval (CI), dry period (DP), days open (DO), and days to first breeding (DFB) as reproductive traits, using data from a dairy buffalo farm in Egypt's Ismailia governorate. The results revealed that parity, breed and their interactions showed a highly significant (P < 0.05) effect. The balady breed exhibited the lowest yield features among the breeds (LY=1894.43 kg and LL=233.5 days) with shorter periods up to 13.26 months, 5.14 months, 133.53 days, and 60.78 days for CI, DP, DO, and DFB, respectively. The yield traits of 50% Italian cross-breed buffaloes were the highest (LY=2286.17kg and LL=241.69 days), and the reproductive traits of more than 50% Italian cross-breed buffaloes were the highest (CI=14.05 months, DP=5.75 months, DO=164.45 days, and DFB= 80.48 days). The second parity was the highest across breeds for the productive attributes, but the first parity was the highest for reproductive traits. Buffaloes that produce more milk have poor reproductive performance. Furthermore, animals after the fourth parity performed poorly in both productive and reproductive activities.
Background and Aim: Bovine respiratory disease (BRD) is the main cause of death in calves, and early BRD diagnosis saves lives. This study aimed to diagnose clinical and subclinical BRD in calves by assessing some biochemical alterations and ultrasonography (USG).
Materials and Methods: Fifty-four Holstein dairy calves in Al-Sharqiyah Province, Egypt, were used in the study. They were divided into three groups. The first control group consisted of 10 clinically healthy calves. The second group consisted of 34 calves suffering from clinical lower respiratory tract disorders. The third group consisted of 10 subclinical BRD-affected calves. Ultrasonographic examinations of chest and thoracic ultrasound scoring were performed once per 2 weeks for each calf. Blood samples were collected for serum separation to measure albumin (ALB), total protein (TP), ALB, globulin, and haptoglobin (HP).
Results: The USG revealed small consolidation areas within an aerated lung lobe, a hypoechoic parenchyma of the entire distal lung lobe, and a hypoechoic-circumscribed structure surrounded by an echogenic wall appeared within the lung tissue in calves that suffered from lobular pneumonia, lobar pneumonia, and lung abscess, respectively. However, subclinical cases showed a small consolidation area in the cranial aspects of the right cranial lung lobe. The ultrasound lung score (ULS) was greater in clinical than in subclinical cases. The BRD-affected calves recorded significant increases in serum TP, globulin, and HP. Meanwhile, serum ALB decreased significantly.
Conclusion: Thoracic ultrasound had a reliable tool in the BRD diagnosis, especially in the early prediction of subclinical cases in newborn calves. In addition, the ULS appeared to be a better classifier than the clinical respiratory score (CRS) for BRD diagnosis. On the other side, it was found that regression models were very useful in assessing the prediction of biochemical blood parameters based on the ULS and CRS in diseased cases.
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