Influence of Non Genetic Factors on Birth Weight, Sex Ratio and Survivability Of Crossbred Jersey Calves

The data on 88 crossbred calves (Jersey x Local) for a period of over six years i.e. from June 2004 to March, 2010 has been recorded for the study. The overall mean birth weight of jersey crossbred calves was found to be 18.23 ° 0.45 with coefficient of variation 15.9. The average birth weight of female calves was recorded to be 16.72 ° 0.23 kg the range being 14.12 kg in first parity to 21.35 kg in fifth parity. The average birth weight of the male calves was found to 20.25 ° 0.42 kg, the range being 16.58 kg in first parity to 23.38 kg in fifth parity. The birth weight of male calf is found to be slightly higher than the female calf but statistically no significant differences were observed. It is observed that parity and season has no influence on the birth weight and sex ratio of the calves. Lowest birth weights were observed in first parity and highest in fifth parity. The average survivability of calves was found to be 89.77% and the male calves have 2.74 % higher survivability than the female calves.