ABSTRACT

A study was conducted in the early raining season at the cattle unit of the teaching and research farm of Micheal Okpara University of Agriculture, Umudike to evaluate body condition scores (BCS) and body weight (BW) of white Fulani x Ndama (WXN) crossbred cattle. A total of twelve animals comprising three each of bulls, cows, heifer and calves were randomly selected from the university herd and subjected to this evaluation in an 8 weeks study. The animals were raised semi intensively grazing natural rangeland between 0800-0150 hours daily and receiving supplemented grass legume silage later in the day. Body condition scoring was executed using the mean score of four independent assessors weekly on a 1-9 point scale. The body weight estimation was achieved using the weigh band techniques. The data obtained from BCS and BW evaluation of different classes were subjected to analysis of variance procedure (ANOVA) and significant means separated using Duncans Multiple Range Test result showed that calf BCS improved significantly (p<0.05) from week (4.60) to week 8 (5.68). BCS for heifers also followed same trend as calf with values recorded for week 1-4 (4.53,4.30, 4.20) being inferior (p<0.05)to values obtained for weeks 4(5.70), 5(5.75), 6(5.53), 7(5.45)and 8(5.50). Cow BCS range for weeks 1-3 (4.05-4.45) were similar (p>0.05) but deferred significantly @<0.05). From values obtained in week 4-8. Bull BCS was not influenced by (p>O.05) by weeks or period of study so also the weekly weight of calves and heifer. Weekly weight of cow was highest in week 6(234.13kg) and this only deferred (p<0.05) from the body weight derived for bulls in weeks 2-8.Generally bull had better BCS (5.86) relative to calf (5.29), heifer (5.13) and cows (5.06).superior weight for the cattle classes were obtained in this order cow (224.93kg), bulls (2 14.55kg), heifer (127.14kg) and subsequently calf (73.87kg). The average BCS values and the respective body weight for the cattle classes in this study indicate these animals were in good nutritional status.