A Field Study on Fertility Traits of Holstein Heifer and Cows Artificially Inseminated with Sexed Belgian Blue Sperm and Growth Characteristics of Crossbreed Belgian Blue × Holstein (F1) Male Calves

Abstract

The study was conducted to investigate some reproductive traits of Holstein cattle inseminated with imported sexed male Belgian Blue semen and the growth characteristics of calves in Aydın province of Turkey. Totally 82 Holstein cattle including 29 heifers and 53 cows were inseminated. After the inseminations, some reproductive (the number of insemination per conception, conception rate, the dystocia rate, the rate of stillbirth) values were determined in the enterprises. The birth weights of the male calves were determined and in the following periods, the chest girth and body length values were determined for 6 months of age. In the study, it was observed that the average age of the first insemination was 14.05 months for heifers and 38.11 months for cows (P < 0:05). While more than half of the cows (52.08%) became pregnant in the first insemination, a great majority of the pregnancies (69.03%) of heifers occurred in the second inseminations (P < 0:05). The number of inseminations per conception were 2.13 and 1.79 for heifers and cows, respectively. While the conception rate was determined as 47.76% and 55.62% for heifers and cows respectively, dystocia rate were 43.10% and 25.75%, respectively. The average birth weight of the male calves were found as 42.75 kg and the 90th and 180th day live weights were 106.22 kg and 154.16 kg, respectively. While, the height at withers, body length and chest girth values were detected as 80.60 cm, 78.28 cm, 81.04 cm at birth, the same measurements were 94.45 cm, 94.22 cm and 109.79 cm; 108.46 cm, 110.88 cm and 129.45 cm for the 90th and 180th day, respectively. The corresponding study has clearly shown that the application in the project can create a dramatical meaning in dairy farms. This application can be used in dairy farms in a certain period to whole herd or a part of it.