Selection of Sahiwal cattle based on growth and first lactation traits

Sahiwal is one of the superior milch breeds of Indian subcontinent which has been used for cattle improvement programmes around the world.The Sahiwal cows are known for their remarkable power of endurance for hot climate of tropics, resistance to tropical diseases, low cost of maintenance, higher feed conversion efficiency and having higher percentage of milk constituents as compared to crossbreds. Thus it is necessary to establish, maintain and multiply herds of this elite Indian breed and to adopt system of selection to improve their genetic merit. The selection of calves on the basis of their growth parameters at an early age can be used as one of the selection criteria, besides selecting the animals based on first lactation performance.