Production and Reproduction Performance of Arsi Hf Crossbred Dairy Cow: Dairy Cattle Breed Improvement Activities in Ethiopia

The production performance of Arsi Holstein Friesian crossbred in this study was better as compared with that of pure Zebu breeds. However, the production and reproduction performance of Arsi-HF crossbred in this study was far below the expected genetic potential of animals in the tropical environment elsewhere. This may be attributed to poor feeding, housing health care and breeding management. In the current study, year had an important role in determining the performance of dairy cows indicating that the variation in feed availability and quality as well as variation in management through the years. Prolonged age at first services, age at first calving and calving intervals obtained from this study indicates problems associated with nutritional and management conditions during early growth period of the animals. On the other hand, the long days open may indicate poor heat detection, less supervision of animals, service irregularities.