Vol. 9, Issue 11, Part B (2025)

The metabolic body weight and certain growth efficiency traits during early (up to 13 weeks of age) and late (14 to 26 weeks of age) post-natal phases in Jaffarabadi buffalo calves were investigated. The body weights and intake of feeds and fodders recorded at weekly intervals for 24 Jaffarabadi buffalo calves, from 2 to 26 weeks of age, in a planned experiment of a growth study were utilized. In uniform iso-managerial condition all the experimental animals were individually offered a basal diet of maximum 3 kg seasonal green and dry fodder ad-lib. Compound concentrate mixture was offered to meet protein requirements as per ICAR (2013) feeding standards. The metabolic body weight (MBW) was estimated at 3/4^th power of live body weight (g/kg LBW^0.75). The quantities of milk suckled by the calves were also estimated by weighing calves, pre- and post-suckling at weekly interval. The observations on intake of feed and fodder, and milk were utilized to calculate daily dry matter intake (DMI) in different ways, viz., DMI, kg/dg, DMI, % of kg LBW and DMI, g/kg LBW^0.75. Moreover, feed conversion ratio (FCR) of the buffalo calves was also worked out as kg DM/ kg LBW gain. The MBWs of the calves were 14.20±0.77, 23.38±0.85 and 31.64±2.32 kg, at birth, 3 month and 6 months of age. Mean ADG being 354.22±4.44 and 412.43±22.54 g/d, in birth to 3 month and 3 to 6 month age groups, respectively. The trend of increase in LBW and MBW was linear in relation to age of the Jaffarabadi calves. The change in MBW was more in early post-natal phase (64.65%) as compared to that in late post-natal phase (34.37%). The pooled mean MBW up to 6 months of age was 23.94±1.31 kg. The calves showed an overall increase (18.16 kg, 127.89%) during 2 to 26 weeks of age. Mean DMI of the Jaffarabadi calves, as percent LBW averaged 2.79±0.15 and 3.66±0.23 during early and late post-natal phase, respectively. Up to 13-week of age, the calves showed modest increase in daily DMI and it rose to 3.33, to a tune of 62.44 % (1.28 kg). In the late post-natal phase it was slightly higher, ranging from 3.34 to 3.98 kg. During early post-natal phase and late post-natal phase, DMI as g/kg MBW were 143.27±3.11 and 128.89±4.35, respectively, overall mean being 136.07±3.14. During the 2-26 weeks of age period, the calves showed a decrease in DMI in terms of g/kg MBW, it declined from 131.46 to 121.92, the magnitude being -7.26% (-9.54). The average FCR for the early post-natal phase was 3.96±0.11 kg. It increased with advancement in age. During the late postnatal phase also, the FCR continued to increase from 6.03 in 14^th week to 9.97 in 26^th week, average FCR being 7.98±0.14. Pooled mean FCR was 6.03±0.11. During 2-26 weeks of age, it increased by 327.90% (+7.64). MBW and ADG were positively and highly correlated (r value,0.93 to 0.98). MBW and LBW showed a positive and low correlation coefficient value of 0.10 to 0.11 with DMI, g/kg LBW^0.75 during early post-natal phase, whereas, in the late post-natal phase the association was negative, and very high (r value, -0.83 to -0.84). During early post-natal phase, daily DMI per kg MBW showed a correlation of 0.22 with DMI, kg/d and 0.40 with DMI, % of kg BW. During late post-natal phase, these relationships were negative, daily DMI per kg MBW showed a correlation of -0.77 with DMI, kg/d and -0.57 with DMI, % of kg LBW.