Saha, S.; Hasan, Md.N.; Uddin, Md.N.; Rahman, B.M.M.; Khan, M.M.H.; Ahmed, S.S.U.; Kitazawa, H. A Comparison between Crossbred (Holstein × Local Cattle) and Bangladeshi Local Cattle for Body and Milk Quality Traits. Dairy 2024, 5, 153–160, doi:10.3390/dairy5010012.
Saha, S.; Hasan, Md.N.; Uddin, Md.N.; Rahman, B.M.M.; Khan, M.M.H.; Ahmed, S.S.U.; Kitazawa, H. A Comparison between Crossbred (Holstein × Local Cattle) and Bangladeshi Local Cattle for Body and Milk Quality Traits. Dairy 2024, 5, 153–160, doi:10.3390/dairy5010012.
Saha, S.; Hasan, Md.N.; Uddin, Md.N.; Rahman, B.M.M.; Khan, M.M.H.; Ahmed, S.S.U.; Kitazawa, H. A Comparison between Crossbred (Holstein × Local Cattle) and Bangladeshi Local Cattle for Body and Milk Quality Traits. Dairy 2024, 5, 153–160, doi:10.3390/dairy5010012.
Saha, S.; Hasan, Md.N.; Uddin, Md.N.; Rahman, B.M.M.; Khan, M.M.H.; Ahmed, S.S.U.; Kitazawa, H. A Comparison between Crossbred (Holstein × Local Cattle) and Bangladeshi Local Cattle for Body and Milk Quality Traits. Dairy 2024, 5, 153–160, doi:10.3390/dairy5010012.
Abstract
Crossbreeding in dairy cattle with exotic breeds continues to be an appealing practice to the dairy farmers of Bangladesh. However, there is limited knowledge regarding the impact of crossbreeding on both the physical attributes and milk quality traits of crossbred cattle in Bangladesh. Therefore, the primary objective of this study was to evaluate the impact of crossbreeding Bangladeshi local cattle with the exotic Holstein breed on their body characteristics and milk quality. To achieve the goal, data pertaining to body traits and milk samples were gathered from a total of 981 cows from 19 dairy farms located in the northwestern region of Bangladesh. A trained evaluator measured body condition score (BCS), udder score, locomotion score, and body conformation traits. Milk yield information was acquired from official records, while milk composition details were determined through milk analysis. The average measurements for body traits were as follows: wither height (WH) at 138 cm, body length (BL) at 155 cm, and heart girth (HG) at 203 cm. Notably, crossbred cows (Holstein x Local cattle) exhibited greater values for WH, BL, HG, BCS, and udder score than their Bangladeshi local counterparts. Furthermore, the average daily milk yield of sampled cows was recorded at 8.7 kg, with fat and protein contents of 3.78% and 3.67%, respectively. It is worth noting that crossbred cows produced a higher volume of milk compared to Bangladeshi local cattle. However, milk from crossbred cows displayed lower fat and protein content, although their somatic cell score (SCS) remained similar. Additionally, milk from crossbred cows exhibited a longer coagulation time when compared to that of Bangladeshi local cattle. A more comprehensive assessment of the crossbreeding scheme, particularly in comparison to Holstein, would necessitate further research, including an examination of its impact on cheese yield traits, health, fertility, and longevity.
Keywords
crossbreeding; Holstein; Bangladeshi local cattle; body size; milk traits
Subject
Biology and Life Sciences, Animal Science, Veterinary Science and Zoology
Copyright:
This is an open access article distributed under the Creative Commons Attribution License which permits unrestricted use, distribution, and reproduction in any medium, provided the original work is properly cited.
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