초록
A study was conducted with 14 gayals to study their growth pattern from birth to 24 months of age, and gayal was compared with native calves and crossbred calves of gayals and exotic animals. A significant difference in liveweight gains up to 3 months (p<0.001) or up to 6 months (p<0.05) was found between gayal and native calves, but the difference reduced with increase of age and found non-significant (p>0.05) at 9 months and 12 months. The daily liveweight gain up to 3, 6, 9 or 12 months of age of gayals were 404.60, 306.80, 315.20 and 312.20 g/d, respectively and of native calves were 217.3, 245.3, 262.0 and 269.0 g/d, respectively. Gayal female calves had lower weights at birth (20.2 kg) and weaning (81.8 kg) and daily liveweight gains (298.5 g/d) than males (24.3 kg, 84.0 kg and 317.8 g/d, respectively) but the differences were not significant (p>0.05). Cross breeding gayal cows with Friesian bulls increased daily liveweight gain of the crossbred calves. The rate of increase of daily liveweight gain may further be increased if gayals are crossed with beef type animals, and optimum feeding may also be required which needs further research.