THE PHILIPPINE WATER BUFFALO

The study was conducted to determine the calving rates of
the water buffaloe raised in confinement or feedlot system of
management and under the ranch-type or range system of
management. The breeding and calving records, from
January 1982 to December 1997, of the Philippine carabao
(PC) and Murrah-carabao crossbreed (CB) raised by the
Philippine Carabao Center at the University of the Philippines
Los Baños (UPLB) under feedlot management system, and
those of the PC, Murrah (M) and CB raised by PCC at
Central Luzon State University (CLSU) under ranch-type
management system, were examined and analyzed to
determine their monthly calving rates, from January to
December. The monthly calving rates of both the PC (125
calvings) and the CB (110 calvings) raised in confinement
or feedlot management system did not seem to be influenced
by the season of the year. The mean (+ S. D.) monthly
calving rates of the PC and CB was 8.3 + 2.5% and 8.3 +
1.4%, respectively. This could be due to the fact that the
animals were protected from the changes in weather
conditions since they are raised in confinement, fed regularly
and provided with wallowing facilitites. The Murrah buffalo
and its crossbreed raised under ranch-type or range
management system had calving rates that were influenced
by the season of the year. Peak of claving rates (above
monthly average) were observed in Murrah buffalo during
the months of August to December; and those of CB, during
the months of September to January of the following year. At
CLSU area, these are the months characterized by
abundance of forage crop (rainy season) and/or cooler
weather conditions. However, the PCs, which were also
subjected to same management conditions as the Murrah
and CB, did not show any definite pattern of calving rates.
There are calving rates that were below average during the
rainy season in September, October and November; and
high calving rates (above average) during the dry season in
March. The Murrah breed, being a dairy type, may have a
higher sensitivity to changing environment than the carabao,
being a draft type. The calving interval of the carabao
(n=69), mean + S.E. (702.2 + 44.7 days), was significantly
shorter than that of the Murrah-carabao (n=69) crossbreed
(850.5 + 43.0 days), indicating that the former had a better
post-partum fertility than the latter. Under ranch-type
management, the calving intervals for the different breedtypes
(mean + S.E.) were 963.4 + 48.0 days for the PC (n=70),
873.0 + 60.6 for the CB (n=44) and 822.2 + 62.7 days for
the Murrah (n=41), which were not significantly different
from each other (P>0.05). When the effect of the production
system on the calving intervals was analyzed, the water
buffalo raised under ranch-type management, had an overall
calving interval mean of 900.4 days (n=155), which was
significantly longer (P