RESEARCH REGARDING THE INFLUENCE OF SOME FACTORS ON BODY DEVELOPMENT OF INFANT CALVES

V. Maciuc

Abstract
It is known that in their first month of life, calves have a major sensitivity and they are predisposed to different diseases, with major gravity because of the economic losses these diseases cause for cattle production and reproduction. Our research was made on 320 infant calves from Romanian Black Spotted breed and we observed some factors related with body development as: weight at birth, sex, primiparous/ multiparous cows, maintenance system, and season of the year. Preliminary data was included in a database statistically interpreted with the help of specific methods. The female infant calves obtained from primiparous mothers had an average weight of 39.51 kg and those obtained from multiparous mothers - 40.35 kg. These differences are significant p < 0.05, C.I. 95% and show a weight of 49.62 kg at 15 days and 50.87 kg at 30 days for the first category and 59.92 kg at 15 days and 61.23 kg at 30 days for the second category. The weight differences recorded values of 0.84 kg at birth, 1.25 kg at 15 days from birth and 1.31 kg at 30 days from birth for the calves obtained from adults. The male infant calves obtained from multiparous cows had an average weight of 40.75 kg instead of 40.05 kg recorded for the calves obtained from primiparous cows. At 15 days and 30 days after birth the weight differences from the two categories are significant p < 0.05 C.I. 95%: 51.65 kg for the calves obtained from multiparous cows and 50.54 kg for the calves obtained from primiparous cows, respectively 62.75 and 61.42 kg. The calves obtained from adult cows recorded the following weight differences: by 0.70 kg at birth, 1.11 kg at 15 days and 1.33 kg at 30 days. These differences recorded in the body development of the infant calves where also observed for the other factors we have studied. Accordingly, the farmers have to be aware of these facts for being able to prevent the abnormal developments or high mortality rates.

Key words: calves, infants, influence factors, body development