Influence of Pre-Partum Supplementary Feeding on Calving Performance of Dromedary Camels

In order to assess the effect of supplementary feeding pre-partum on the reproductive performance of dromedary camels, 34 pregnant she-camels of 6–12 years age and 4–9 parity at 90d pre-partum were divided into three groups. The dietary treatments inlcuded feeding a complete pelleted diet (10% CP; 63% TDN) at three different levels, namely 2 (G1), 3 (G2) and 4 (G3) kg/d, respectively, in addition to ad libitum feeding of groundnut haulm. Additionally, all animals were allowed grazing for 7–8 h daily. The net gain in BW at calving was 99.30±11.80, 112.80±5.71 and 120.68±15.79 kg in the dietary groups G1, G2 and G3, respectively, without any significant differences. There was no variations (P>0.05) apparent in the gestation length, percentage loss in BW at calving as well as the birth weight of calves among the three dietary groups. Blood biochemical indices namely, total protein, urea, total cholesterol, and calcium and phosphorus remained similar among the groups. It is concluded that supplementary feeding of pelleted complete diet at 2 kg/d to grazing camels during the last 3 months of gestation is economical for camel farmers.