PRELIMINARY STUDIES ON REPRODUCTIVE AND GROWTH PERFORMANCE OF MUTURU CATTLE IN SOUTHWEST NIGERIA
Keywords:
Muturu, Southwest Nigeria, Reproduction, GrowthAbstract
The Muturu cattle is a shorthorn, humpless and trypanotolerant breed of cattle found in parts of Southern and North Central Nigeria. Though small in size, it is highly valued for its meat quality, ease of management and as a traditional gift during important ceremonies. However, reliable information on reproductive and growth performance of the breed is scarce, hence, a preliminary analysis of data collected between 2016 and 2023 at a Muturu cattle ranch located in the humid zone of Southwest Nigeria was carried out. Parameters analysed were birthweight, secondary sex ratio, calving interval and liveweight. Results showed birthweight of 12.05 + 0.09 kg and 11.22 + 0.13 kg for male and female calves respectively (P<0.001). Calving interval averaged 469.3+31.4 days while calving pattern was significantly influenced by season with most calvings occuring in the late dry season (62.3%) and the least in the late wet season (1.9%). In conclusion, it is recommended that further studies with larger number of animals be carried out for more precise estimates of reproductive and growth parameters in Muturu cattle.