Studies on Peak Yield and Days to Attain Peak Yield in Jersey Cattle

The data on peak yield and days to attain peak yield in the first four lactations of Jersey cattle were utilized for this study. The present investigation was carried out on 251 Jersey cows maintained at Bull Mother Farm Tathawde, Pune over a period of 10 years (1996- 2005). The overall least square means for peak yield and days to attain peak yield in Jersey cattle were, 13.10±0.37 kg and 21.41±0.46 days, respectively. Significant (P<0.01) effect of period of calving on peak yield was observed in Jersey cattle, whereas the effect of period of calving on days to attain peak yield was non-significant. The effect of season of calving was non-significant for peak yield. However significant (P<0.05) effect of season of calving was observed on days to attain peak yield in Jersey cattle. The effect of lactation order on peak yield and days to attain peak yield was non-significant in the present study. The heritability estimates for peak yield and days to attain peak yield were 0.20±0.13 and 0.30±0.10, respectively. The repeatability estimates for peak yield and days to attain peak yield were 0.52±0.10 and 0.19±0.09, respectively in Jersey cattle.