Genetic and nongenetic factors affecting on-farm performance of peri-urban dairy cattle in west Africa

Abstract

Population growth and urbanization lead to an increasing demand for milk in sub-Saharan Africa, but the production potential of the 65.9 million dairy cows in the region is far from being fully exploited to meet this demand. With the aim to support decision-making for breeding and management of dairy cattle in commercial farms, we performed a comparative study of daily milk offtake, chemical composition of milk, prevalence of metabolic disorders, and body weight development of local and crossbred cattle genotypes in peri-urban commercial farms in Ouagadougou, Burkina Faso. We used data that were collected during regular visits of 7 farms in peri-urban areas of the city over a 16-mo period. Animals belonged to 3 breed groups (123 local zebu, 49 Sahelian crossbred, and 42 European crossbred cows). We applied a mixed model approach to evaluate the genetic and seasonal effects on daily milk offtake, milk composition, and body weight. Nonlinear growth models were fitted to model the body weight development according to genotype, season, and reproductive status of cows. The milk fat-to-milk protein ratio was used to determine the prevalence of ketosis and acidosis. Daily milk offtake from crossbred cows was 3.1-to 4.3-fold higher than from local zebu cows; furthermore, crossbred cows had a higher body weight and maturity rate than local zebu cows. In contrast, no genotype differences were found in milk fat and milk protein percentage and prevalence of ketosis and acidosis. Additionally, seasonal effects suggested that higher production performances could be realized through improved management of dairy cows, particularly in the late dry and rainy season. Improved feeding management could also reduce the risk of metabolic disorders. In summary, production performances of crossbred dairy cows in peri-urban production systems in Burkina Faso are higher as compared with local zebu cows. However, environmental effects suggest that further studies are needed to systematically assess genotype by environment interactions to guide the development of sustainable breeding and management programs for dairy cattle in Burkina Faso.

Selection Decisions and Trait Preferences for Local and Imported Cattle and Sheep Breeds in Peri-/Urban Livestock Production Systems in Ouagadougou, Burkina Faso

“…In general, cows with the highest rank had higher body weights than poor cows, and Sahelian cows were heavier than Fulani zebu cows but lighter than taurine crossbred cows. This is in accordance with Roessler et al [11] who concluded that the body weight and growth rate of dairy cattle in peri-/urban farms in Ouagadougou were higher in imported cattle breeds than in the local Fulani cattle.…”

“…Similarly, the milk yield was the most commonly used trait for the ranking of Sahelian zebu and taurine crossbred cows, and cows which were highly ranked had a higher reported milk yield than poor quality cows. The recorded milk offtake from taurine x Fulani zebu cows over a 16-month period in peri-/urban farms of Ouagadougou was four times higher than that from purebred Fulani zebu cows [11], while the reported amounts of extracted milk from taurine crossbred cows surpassed those of Fulani cows six fold in the present study. Furthermore, taurine crossbred cows were ranked as poor because of poor reproductive performance, although the overall comparison of the age at first calving and the calving interval did not reveal a difference between the ranks of the cows.…”

“…For Azawak cows used in modern dairy farms around Ouagadougou, the average amount of milk that was extracted for human consumption in the first six lactation months was between 2.4 and 3.9 L per day [35]. This is lower than the 4.2 L per day for the Sahelian zebu cows reported by the cattle breeders in the present study, although the amount of milk extracted from Sahelian zebu cows in modern dairy farms of Ouagadougou can be much higher [11], suggesting that Sahelian zebu herders underestimated the daily milk offtake from their cows. The ranking of best Sahelian zebu cows was also strongly based on the body size/growth of the cows and their calves.…”

“…Yet, breeding decisions are often taken individually and without following a long-term systematic crossbreeding scheme [10]. Hence, crosses are often not able to fully exploit their genetic potential [11].…”

Cattle crossbreeding for sustainable milk production in the tropics

“…Limited involvement of farmers when designing crossbreeding programs, shortfalls of crossbreeding programs, inadequate funding of crossbreeding programs, environment and genotype mismatch, trained manpower problem were the major challenges facing smallholder dairy cattle crossbreeding in the tropics (Ojango et al, 2017). Additionally, genetic potential of crossbred cows is not fully exploited due to extreme climatic conditions and variable quantity and quality of feed resources in SSA (Roessler et al, 2019). Therefore, strategies designed to develop the dairy sector should take into account the existing production system and its unique characteristics of the area and should focus on a systematic approach to alleviate the identified constraints by involving all stakeholders in the formulation and implementation of improvement strategies (Moges, 2012;Ojango et al, 2017).…”