NDRI Quinquennium Book COVER FINAL CURVE.cdr

condition. It was assumed that conditioning buffalo heifersby proper deworming, Vitamin and Mineral supplementationwould increase the effect of estrus induction protocol. Forthis purpose, 30 acyclic Murrah buffalo heifers (crossed thenormal age of sexual maturity and acyclicity was confirmedusing progesterone levels and ultrasound evaluation twotimes at 11 days interval) were used for experimentation.For one group of heifers the Ovsynch protocol (Buserelinacetate 10µg on day 0 and day 9, Cloprostenol sodium 500µg on day 7) was applied directly without any dewormingor supplementation of Vitamins or Minerals. In this group,only 3 heifers responded to the treatment (heifers showedestrus) but none conceived. Heifers in other group wereadministered with Vitamin A (30 lakh IU), D3 (10 lakh IU)& E (500 mg), phosphorus (2g) per heifer and Ivermectin(0.2 mg/kg body weight). In this group, only one heifershowed estrus signs within a month after treatment. In thethird group, the heifers were first administered with VitaminA, D3, E, phosphorus, Ivermectin and one month laterOvsynch protocol was applied. In this group, 90 of heifersresponded to the treatment and 47 heifers conceived in firstinsemination and 45 conceived after second inseminationleading to an overall conception rate of 71 These resultsdemonstrate that estrus induction can be achieved in noncyclicbuffalo heifers and conditioning the buffalo heifersbefore application of exogenous hormones improves theestrus response and fertility. This protocol has substantialpotential to augment estrus in non-cyclic buffalo heifers,especially under field conditions where the heifers aregenerally neglected in terms of body conditioning.••Total Mixed Ration feeding in growing KF heifers waseffective in achieving higher growth rate (upto 700g/d) forattaining early sexual maturity (16-18months).••One (KF) and 2 weeks (Sahiwal and Murrah) prepartumtraining in the milking parlour helped to improve theproductive performance and milking temperament of firstcalf heifers.••In KF calves aged 1-6 months, replacing skimmed milkwith soya and maize based milk replacer was effective inreducing the cost of calf rearing without adversely affectingthe growth rateTheQuinquennium Golden2007-2012Better Housing and Fertility ManagementPracticesFeeding of young calves with surplus colostrums, whole milkdiluted with Dahi (1:1) and probiotics supplement improvedthe growth rate and reduced morbidity and mortality.Conditioning protocol before applying estrus induction protocol and thebuffalo heifers conceived through this procedure11