Modeling and management of post-conception decline in milk yield of dairy buffaloes.

Dairy buffalo farmers in Pakistan avoid postpartum rebreeding due to fear in milk yield decline. Under the present study reduction in milk yield due to pregnancy was worked out using 23 pregnant and 17 non �pregnant buffaloes under field conditions and the decline was managed through feed supplementation treatments. The treatments provid ed were Pregnant with traditional ration ( PRT),pregnant with supplemented ration (PRS)andnon pregnant with traditional ration (NPRT ). The animals were categorized into high milkyielder ( HMY ),medium milkyielder ( MMY )andlow milk yielder(LMY ), producing 66-75, 56-65, and 46-55 liters/wk, respectively. Milk production was recorded up to 23rd week post-conception. The reduction inmilk yield became significant on 7th week post -conception. The line JP8 model gave good fit (R 2 = 0.9527). In the high yielder, the predicted reduction was highest ( -4.48 liters/wk) than moderate and low yielder ( -2.37 and-0.94 liters/wk). In the high yielder the decline in milk yield post -conception was highest in PRT, moderate in PRS and the least in NPRT treatment. In the M MY buffaloes the supplementation support to milk yield was smaller than the higher yielders. In LMY buffaloes the decline was highest in PRT than the other two treatments. It may be concluded that the onset of pregnancy in dairy buffaloes results in a dras tic decline in milk yield at an early stage and the highyielderare more sensitive. An animal becoming pregnant, if supplemented at the rate of 1 kg/2 liters of milk will retain milk yield for a longer duration post -conception.