THE EFFECTS OF LEVELS OF MILKING ON LACTATION AND GROWTH OF PRE-WEANING CALVES OF GRAZING BORAN CATTLE

摘要

Kenya's rapid growth in human population has reduced the availability of natural resources per person. This has necessitated intensive and efficient land use to improve productivity and conserve the natural resources for sustainable agricultural production. Seventy-five percent of Kenya's land is arid or semi-arid, hence livestock production is the dominant form of agriculture (Anindo and Topps, 1993a) The main types of farming in these areas are commercial ranching and either nomadic or sedentary pastoralism. More than 50% of Kenya's nearly 12 million head of cattle are found in these areas. Majority of them are Boran and Small East African Zebu (SEAZ) breeds. In cattle production, it is the cow-calf unit that drives the system in the short term. This is because the number of calves and their survival and growth determine the sustained viability of a herd (de Leeuw et al. 1991). Partial milking of zebu cattle is a common practice among most communities in Africa (Nicholson, 1984; Botswana, 1990; de Leeuw et al. 1991), For most of them, the production and consumption of milk is far more important than the consumption and sale of meat (Cossins, 1985). The Maasai pastoralists, for instance, milk their animals before they leave the Boma (temporary enclosure) in the morning and on return in the evening (Semenye, 1987; de Leeuw et al, 1991). The practice leads to low calf growth from birth to weaning (Cossins, 1985; Anindo and Topps, 1993a). Low calf weaning weight slows down the reproductive processand hence productivity because of delayed maturity (Nicholson, 1984; Cossins, 1985). The Boran cattle have been bred in Kenya for beef production. As a result, they have been improved significantly and have become popular both locally and internationally. However, milk productivity has not been included in the selection criteria by the Boran Cattle Breeders Society (BCBS).