SOME PHENOTYPIC AND PRODUCTIVE CHARACTERISTICS OF RUSTAQI CATTLE BREED WITHIN ITS NATURAL ENVIRONMENT

Abstract

An exploratory survey was undertaken to investigate Rustaqi local cattle breed and study its phenotypic and productive characteristics within and around Baghdad and Babil provinces which represents its natural habitat during 2014-2015. Total of 66 animals (47 femal and 19 male) were included in the study and 19 qualitative and quantitative morphological features were studied in addition to the nature of its production systems and environments. Depending on the mean, the qualitative features of typical Rustaqi breed are: black hair, medium (2-3 cm), black to gray not pigmented skin, muzzle, eyelids, horns and hoofs. All animals had straight facial shape 45 cm in female, little shorter and wider in male with laterally oriented ears (20 cm in female and 18 in male), short and curved horns, small size dewlaps, long black tail, in male and female with the exception that the most predominant color are black with white end in the male and straight back with no hump in female and with small size (less than 15 cm) hump in male. While the quantitative traits shows that the average of body measurements in female and male respectively are: body length was 114.12cm, 109.52 cm; heart girth 156.26cm 155.47 cm; height at withers 120.87cm and 124.6cm ; pelvic widths 38.68cm and 32.554cm ; muzzle circumference 43.29cm and 43.05cm and hock circumferences 19.65cm and 19.89cm. The daily average milk production is 7.32 Liter and the lactation length ̴ 7 months while the age of the cow when first calf was born around 2-3 years. The predominant type of holding was the mixed crop\ livestock production system ̴ 85%.The results shows also that Baghdad cow body measurements significantly higher than that of Babil, while milk production of Babil cows significantly higher than that of Baghdad. As general the animal is docile, tolerate to heat stress, endemic diseases and parasites and the animal has a special name “the animal of poor people” because of its ability to live and reproduce on a very low level of feed, which indicate its socio- economic importance.