Boran cattle maintained by chemoprophylaxis under trypanosomiasis risk

Abstract

Reproductive performance, mortality, growth, and culling and replacement rates based on 20000 calving records were evaluated for grade Boran beef cattle maintained with trypanosomiasis risk in Tanzania. Under ranching conditions, over a 10-year period in this area of high Glossina moistens morsitans, G. and G. brevipalpis challenge, a calving interval of 15.9 months, pre-weaning mortality of 8%, annual cow mortality of 5.8% and 8-month weaning weight of 133.5 kg resulted in a herd productivity of 96 kg of weaner calf per cow per year. The proportion of heifers required as replacements (45%) and the generation interval (6.9 years) indicated scope for implementation of selection programmes on growth traits. The level of productivity achieved compared favourably with major data sets recently analysed from pure Boran cattle under trypanosomiasis-free ranching conditions in Kenya, and from trypanotolerant N'Dama cattle in West Africa. These results indicate the possibility of improving livestock production in tsetse-infested areas by the rational use of chemoprophylaxis as an integral part of management. Year, season, cow age, calf sex and location on ranch had significant effects on practically all the traits of calving interval, pre-weaning mortality and growth, and cow productivity. Superior performance where bush clearance and tsetse fly control had taken place suggests that economic evaluation of these interventions should be attempted. The season of calving had a major effect on productivity. Cows of 5-8 years of age were the most productive, as were animals producing male calves, features well recognized in beef cattle production. An average of 4.4 treatments with Samorin, a prophylactic, and 0.6 treatments with Berenil, a therapeutic, were required per year. The number of treatments varied from year to year and by area, being greater in the south of the ranch where the tsetse challenge was considered higher. However, the age and season of calving had little effect on the number of treatments required. Despite such extensive use of trypanocidal drugs, there was no indication that drug resistance had developed or evidence that repeated inoculation of Samorin had affected productivity. Grading-up of small East African Zebu cattle to Boran over an 8-year period allowed annual comparison of birth weight, pre-weaning growth and weaning weights of two groups of calves, one having a higher level of Boran genes (varying from 12 to 60% higher annually) than the other. Those with the higher level of Boran genes performed better by 3.3% for all attributes studied, but as the percentage difference in Boran genes decreased, so did this difference. In an environment improved through bush clearance and tsetse fly control, the calves with higher levels of Boran genes were superior, but this superiority was not expressed in the unimproved environment.