Adjustment of birth weight for weighing age and relationship of standardized birth weight with early mortality in N'Dama calves under traditional husbandry systems in The Gambia

Animal Production;55(pt. 3): 301-308

Presents results of a study carried out in The Gambia on birth-weight data recorded between 1986 and 1991 on 3453 N'Dama calves from the village production systems to identify major factors influencing this trait and to quantify the relationship between birth weight and early calf mortality. Least-squares analysis of the fixed effects of site, year and season of birth, parity of dam, sex, age in days at which birth weight was recorded and random effects of herd and cow nested within site showed that all these factors significantly influenced this trait.