Year: 2021 | Month: February | Volume 11 | Issue 1
Secondary Sex Ratio in Gir Cattle and Assessment of Risk Factors
Suryakant S. Parikh
Tapas Kumar Patbandha
Rinkesh B. Makwana
DOI:10.30954/2277-940X.01.2021.26
Abstract:
Present study was conducted to assess the influence of calf, dam and sire factors on female calves born in Gir cattle. Records pertaining to calf sex (n=1307), spreaded over 10 years (2010-2019) and various calf factors viz. period, month, season and sex of calf; dam factors viz. age, parity and gestation period and sire factors were used for the study. Female calf born in Gir cattle was 49.96%. Calf sex was not affected by period of birth (p=0.26), but significantly higher proportion of female birth than male (60.22% vs. 39.78%) occurred in 2013 (p<0.05). Odds of female calf being born was 1.75 times higher in 2013 as compared to 2010 (OR=1.75, p=0.04). Month (p=0.31) and season (p=0.41) of birth did not affect calf sex. There was significantly higher chances of female birth during February (OR=1.66, p=0.05) and March (OR=1.67, p=0.04) as compared to January. Calf sex was not affected by age (p=0.44) and parity (p=0.85) of dam. With increase in gestation length the birth frequency of female calf decreased significantly (p<0.001). Compared to gestation period of >290 days, the odds of female calf born increased by 2.25 (OR=2.25, p=0.001) and 2.27 (OR=2.27, p=0.001) times with gestation period of <275 and 275-290 days, respectively. Sire wise data showed that proportion of female birth ranged from 22 to 90%, but female calf born from different sires did not differ statistically (p=0.13). Chances of female birth was significantly higher (OR=3.79-31.5, p<0.05) in 12 sires. The results indicated that gestational length had significant effect on secondary calf sex ratio in Gir cattle and dam with shorter gestation period delivered more number of female calves.
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