The present investigation was carried out with the objective of performance appraisal of HF × Gir cattle with respect to production and reproduction traits. The performance records of 421 HF × Gir half breed cattle sired by 48 bulls were collected for production and reproduction traits spread over a period of 39 years (1977 to 2015) from Research-Cum Development Project on Cattle, Mahatma Phule Krishi Vidyapeeth, Rahuri District Ahmednagar (Maharashtra). The overall least squares means for first lactation total milk yield (FLTMY), first lactation 300 days milk yield, first lactation length (FLL), First dry period (FDP), First service period (FSP), First calving interval (FCI) and Age at first calving were 2701.77±46.04, 2511.70 ±37.40, 320.43± 3.04, 88.40±2.58, 130.14±3.19, 409.17±3.25 and 990.69±6.53 days, respectively. Further, the least squares analysis revealed non significant effect of season of calving and age at first calving groups on all first lactation reproduction and milk production traits. Whereas, the effect of period of calving was found to be highly significant on FLTMY, FL300DMY and AFC and nonsignificant on FLL, FDP, FSP and FCI. However, the effect of sire was found to be significant on FLTMY, FL300DMY and AFC. The heritability of all traits except FCI and FSP were moderate in magnitude which indicated these traits are more influenced by additive genetic variability and hence there is more scope for improvement by selection. The highly significant genetic and phenotypic correlation was found between production and reproduction traits.

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The 140 day old "Vencob-400" chicks, which were divided into seven treatment groups with four replicates per group (Five chicks per replicate) i.e. 20 chicks per treatment groups. Dietary treatments consisted of basal diet T 0 (Control), T 1 , T 2 and T 3 with T 4 , T 5 and T 6 consist of 1, 2 and 3 per cent cinnamon while 1, 2 and 3 per cent ginger, respectively. Body weight and feed consumption were recorded at weekly interval. Feed conversion ratio, dressing percentage, economics of broiler production were calculated. Cinnamon and ginger feeding were done separately and compared by completely randomized design (CRD). The body weight of the 2.0% (T 2 ) cinnamon and 1% ginger (T 4 ) group was significantly (P≤0.05) higher than the other groups. The average feed consumption was significantly highest (3966.85 g/b) in control group and lowest (3793.30 ± 05.94 g/b) in 2.0% cinnamon (T 2 ) supplemented group. No mortality was observed entire experiment. Highest profit per bird was observed in T 4 (Rs. 24.17) followed by T 2 (21.15), T 1 (18.27) and other treatments while lowest in T 3 (8.47).Similarly highest cost benefit ratio was found in T 4 supplemented with 1% ginger powder followed by T 2 , T 1 , T 5 , T 0, T 3 and T 6 . From the result of present study it was concluded that dietary inclusion of 2.0 % cinnamon and 1.0 % ginger can be used as growth promoters for more profit per bird.

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Comparative evaluation of FG (50% HF + 50% Gir), IFG (Interse of FG), FJG (50% HF + 25% Jersey + 25% Gir), IFJG (Interse of FJG) and R (50% HF + 12.50% Jersey + 37.50% Gir) crosses of Gir was done on the basis of age at first conception (AFCon), lactation length (LL) and 300 days milk yield (300 DMY) of first, second and third lactations using Mahalanobis D2 statistics. The genetic group differences were significant for each trait separately and simultaneously (V-stat) in all the three lactations. The differences in the D2 values among genetic groups in all three subsets were significant except IFG with R genetic group in first lactation. The total D2 values for AFCon, LL and 300 DMY were 18.85, 1.29 and 8.53 in first; 19.65, 1.90 and 6.91 in second and 21.22, 1.32 and 6.83, in third lactation, respectively. The per cent contribution of AFCon to the total D2 value was maximum followed by 300 DMY and lowest of LL in first, second and third lactation, respectively. Based on D2 values, in first lactation, the FG and FJG (F1) genetic groups were placed in cluster 2 and IFG, IFJG and R genetic groups in cluster 1. In second and third lactations, IFG and IFJG genetic groups formed cluster 1, FG and FJG groups grouped in to cluster 2 and R genetic group formed cluster 3. The magnitude of inter-cluster distance was greater than intra-cluster distance.

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