Commercial Crossbreeding of Jersey Cows For Beef Production Using Belgian Blue and Chıanına Bulls

For this research 70 heads of Jersey cows being used. Thirty cows were artificially inseminated With Belgian Blue beef breed and the other 40 cows were artificially inseminated with Chianina beef breed frozen semen.

The average birth weights of Chianina and Belgian Blue crossbred male calves were 35.0 and 34.7 kg, respectively and difference was not statistically significant. The Chianina crossbred female calves were heavier than Belgian Blue crossbred females calves in respect of birthweight and the difference was statistically significant.

Scores of calving difficulties were lower for Belgian Blue crossbreds than Chianina in both sexes. There is no dystocia and no Caesarean operation occured in both groups and sexes.

İn order to make comparisons between crossbred and pure male animals, a group of purebred Jersey male calves was taken to fattening trial.

During the fattening period Chianina crossbred males grew faster than Belgian Blue crossbreds and gained more live weight in 320 days of fattening period. Overall daily weight gain and total live weight gain was 0.903 kg and 291.9 kg in Chianina crossbreds, respectively. On the other hand, overall daily live weight gains and total weight gains were calculated 0.844 kg and 270.5 kg in Belgian Blue crossbred males.

Chianina crossbred males gained about 21 kg more live weight than Belgian Blue crossbreds and this value was statistically significant. Belgian Blue crossbreds males were also 24 kg heavier than Jersey males at the end of fattening trial also this values was statistically significant.

Crossbred males in both groups grew faster than purebred males and differences were statistically significant.

Chianina crossbred females gained more live weight than Belgian Blue crossbreds. Total weight gain difference was found to be non significant but overall daily gain difference between female crossbreds was statistically significant.

All animals were fed with concentrates and air dried hay during the fattening trial. Concentrates were given according to the live weights of the animals and hay was given ad. libitum.

Concentrates consumption per kg gain in Chianina, Belgian. Blue crossbred and Jersey purebred male animals were 4.7, 5.1 and 5.6 kg respectively and differences between genotypies were statistically significant. Concentrates consumption per kg gain in Chianina and Belgian Blue crossbred female animals were 5.7 and 6.3 kg, respectively and difference was statistically significant.

It was concluded that Chianina x Jersey crossbreds showed higher performance (except of calving difficulties) than Belgian Blue x Jersey crossbreds. Keywords : Commercial Crossbreeding, Jersey, Chianina, Belgian Blue