Herd Management and Productivity Characteristics in Cattle Enterprises Operating in Horasan District, Erzurum Province

Abstract

The aim of this study was to determine herd management and productivity characteristics in cattle enterprises operating in the Horasan district of Erzurum province. For this purpose, 340 cattle enterprises were identified using a simple random sampling method, and face-to-face surveys were conducted with the owners of these enterprises. According to the survey results, it was found that only 11.5% of enterprise keep records. While artificial insemination and natural insemination are mainly used together (51.8%), the rate of artificial insemination used alone (2.6%) is quite low. Among the selection criteria for bulls used in natural mating, external appearance was the most important, accounting for 47.6%. In enterprises in the district, heifers were inseminated at a relatively late age (31.6 months). It has been understood that weight and age are evaluated together as criteria for estrus in heifers (44.1%), and as an estrus sign, mounting behavior on other cattle was reported in 45.1% of the cases. The most important reason for culling in enterprises was old age (72.4%). Although milking is mainly carried out using mobile machines (50.6%), it has been determined that manual milking continues at a very high rate (47.6%). The daily (7.3 kg) and annual milk yield (994 kg) of the enterprises is quite low. It was observed that herd management was generally inadequate in many aspects in the cattle farms operating in the district. In order to ensure sustainability in the enterprises, financial and technical support should be provided to increase capacity and develop technological infrastructure.