STUDIES ON MILK PRODUCTION AND GROWTH OF FRIESIAN × BUNAJI CROSSES: I. DAIRY PERFORMANCE

The data analysed consisted of records on lactation length (LL), total lactation yield (TLY), estimated 305-day yield (305 DY), days dry (DDRY), age at frist calving (AFC) and calving interval (CI) of 448 Friesian $\times$ Bunaji halfbreds that calved over a twenty-three year period (1967-1989) at the National Animal Production Research Institute, Shika, Nigeria. Least squares means of LL, TLY, 305DY, DDRY, AFC and CI were 250 days, 1,988 kg, 2,420 kg, 102 days, 35 months and 390 days, respectively. Parity, season and year of calving significantly affected LL, TLY (p < 0.01) and 350DY (p < 0.05), but not CI. DDRY was affected by season of calving only (p < 0.05). It was therefore concluded that the Shika Friesian $\times$ Bunaji crossbreeding programme was successful and beneficial in that the $F_1$ crosses calved at a younger age, produced twice as much milk, had longer lactations and slightly shorter calving intervals than the indigenous Bunaji.