The growth perfomances of crossbred bull calves between Senepol with Zebu crossbred and Brahman cows in period of 0-21 months
The study aimed at evaluating the growth performances of crossbred bull calves born from Senepol bulls with Zebu crossbred and Brahman cows. A total of 36 Senepol crossbred calves in Dak Lak and Binh Duong were monitored from birth to 21 months of age, the monitoring period was from October 2021 to June 2024. The single factor experiment was arranged with 2 treatments corresponding to 2 combinations of crossbreeding (18 crossbred calves born from the Senepol x Zebu crossbreds (Se x LZ) and 18 crossbred calves born from the Senepol x Brahman (Se x Br)). The results showed that the average alive weight of crossbreeding combination Se x Br was higher compared to Se x LZ (P<0.05) at birth, 6 months, 12 months, 18 months, and 21 months of age. At 21 months of age, Se x LZ crossbred calves reached up to the weight of 385.4 kg, in the mean while, Se x Br crossbred calves reached 423.8 kg. The average daily gain of Se x Br crossbred calves is higher than that of Se x LZ crossbred calves in the periods of 0-6 and 13-18 months of ages (P<0.05). The growth rate from birth to 21 months was 569 grams/head/day for Se x LZ crossbred calves and 626 grams/head/day for Se x Br crossbred calves. The relative growth rate from 0-21 months was 173.79% for Se x LZ crossbred calves and 173.85% for Se x Br crossbred calves. The study results indicate that the growth performance of Senepol crossbred cattle under the feeding conditions in Vietnam is relatively good.
