IMPACT OF DAM PARITY ON MATERNAL AND NEONATAL BEHAVIOURS IN EGYPTIAN BUFFALOES | ||||
| Menoufia Journal of Animal Poultry and Fish Production | ||||
| Article 9, Volume 8, Issue 9, November 2024, Page 99-112 PDF (753.08 K) | ||||
| Document Type: Original Article | ||||
| DOI: 10.21608/mjapfp.2024.338226.1023 | ||||
 View on SCiNiTO | ||||
| Authors | ||||
Samir Elkashab; Said Omr; Elham Ghonaim; Asmaa Ghanem  ; Elsayed eldahshan
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| Department of Animal Production, Faculty of Agriculture, Menufia University. | ||||
| Abstract | ||||
| This study was carried out at the Animal Behaviour Research Unit, Faculty of Agriculture, Menoufia University, Egypt. The study aimed to investigate the maternal behaviour of Egyptian buffalo cows and the Behaviour of their newborn calves, as well as assess their birth weight and body measurements across different parity groups. A total of 29 Egyptian buffaloes, with an average body weight of 671 ± 95 kg, were included in the study. The buffaloes were categorized into four groups based on their number of parities as follows: parity 1 (n = 5), parity 2 (n = 6), parity 3–4 (n = 7), and parity ≥ 5 (n = 11). The experiment spanned 35 months, from February 2021 to January 2024. The results indicated that the animals in the Parity2 group had the longest period of vision at their newborn (36.54±19.30 sec. /h.), followed by parity 1, being 27.16 ±17.88 sec /h. There was a significant effect of the dam's parity on both the frequency and duration of licking her calf behaviour. The frequency of licking behaviour was the highest with the Parity ≥5 groups (6.45±4.26 times/h.). Licking periods were the lowest in the first parity (102.92±59.06 sec. /h.) with a dramatic increase as the parity increased, reaching the highest in Parity ≥5 (164.75±96.90 sec. /h.). The suckling behaviour period was significantly affected by parity, which was the lowest at parity1 (77.28±32.86 sec. /h.). There were significant effects (P≤0.05) of dams' parity on calves' standing attempts (STA) and the time needed to stand successfully after born (TNST). The highest incidence of STA was 16.66 ±8.08 times in Parity 1 and the longest TNST was 278.00 ±68.46 min in Parity 1. Suckling Attempts (SUA) weren’t affected by the parity. However, the times that need to first suckle successfully after birth (TNSU) had been significantly affected (P≤ 0.05). The heifers' calves took the most time, 392.66 ±24.78 min, from birth to first suckling successfully. The movement activities of calves decreased (P≤ 0.05) in parity 1 and parity ≥5 groups than in parity 2 and parity 3. The buffalo heifers' calves, parity 1, scored the lowest birth weight, 32.20 kg, and the lowest body measurement, 85.20±3.42, 42.20±3.76, 77.20 ±3.27, 79.80 ±4.86 and 75.60 ±10.92 cm for animal length, back length, withers height, chest girth, and flank girth | ||||
| Keywords | ||||
| Egyptian buffaloes; maternal behaviour; new natal calves; parity | ||||
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