Dietary influence on primiparous and pluriparous buffalo fertility

Abstract

The authors described the effects of diets characterized by different energy density and forages concentrations on reproductive activity of primiparous and pluriparous lactating buffalo cows, undergone the out of season breeding technique. Productive and reproductive data of a buffalo farm in Salerno were collected. Furthermore, the diets administered to the animals from 1998 to 2003 (6 years) were also recorded. The components of the diet were monthly analysed according to the method described by ASPA (1980). The fertility in primiparous buffaloes resulted significantly better (P< 0.01) during the last year when the diet were characterized by high energy and less quantity of forage. Differences were also recorded between primiparous and pluriparous buffaloes only in 2002 for milk production (P< 0.05) and in 1999 and 2002 for year's milk production (P< 0.05). The utilization of diets characterized by high use of concentrates and high energy improved fertility and milk yield in primiparous.