Guru Angad Dev Veterinary and Animal Sciences University, Ludhiana (Punjab), India.
1 Department of Vety, Clinical Services Complex.
In the extreme summer (June) twenty-six true anoestrus buffalo heifers including two dry buffaloes aged 28 to 66 months and weighing 256 to 628 kg were divided into two groups. Eighteen heifers were supplemented for 20 days with 2 boluses of a mineral supplement, each having composition as: iron 200mg, iodine 20mg, cobalt 80mg, manganese 80mg, copper 100mg, zinc 40mg, selenium 0.5mg and asparagus racemorus 50 mg. Eight animals including 2 dry ones were kept as control. The treatment improved reproductive efficiency. Eight heifer in the treatment group (44%) exhibited estrus within 60 days of supplementation and 4 (22%) conceived. In the control group, only 1 (12.5%) exhibited estrus and none conceived in the same period. It can be concluded that mineral supplementation alleviated summer anoestrus in buffalo heifers.
