Abstract:
PERFORMANCE OF AUSTRALIAN FRIESIAN SAHIWAL DAIRY CATTLE P.J. COLDITZ+ and G.W. BROWN+ The Australian Friesian Sahiwal (A.F.S.) is being developed by the Queensland Department of Primary Industries as a dairy breed adapted to a tropical environment. Resistance to cattle tick (Boophilus microplus) is of major importance in Queensland where acaricide residues, in dairy products maj jeopardise the future of the industry. At Kairi Research Station A.F.S. heifers are ranked and selected on tick resistance. Monthly tick counts indicate that these heifers carry less than 2074 of the tick burden of Friesians. A.F.S. cows have not been sprayed with acaricide for 'I8 months while Friesians must be treated m0nthl.y. Tick resistance is most important in the selection programme but milk production is the criterion by which the new breed will be judged and accepted by farmers. The lactation records of 32 A.F.S. cows supplemented with 1.5 tonnes of maiie meal over 300 days and grazing green panic-glycine (Panicum maximum var. trichoglume - Glycine ahtii cv. Tinaroo) pastures were compared with similarly fed Friesians, The A.F.S. cows produced an average of 3250 kg of milk per lactation. This was 7@$ of the milk, 88% of the butterfat and 74 7: of the SNF produced by the Friwians. Twelve unsupplemented A.F.S. cows. gave 2860 kg of milk which was 79% of the unsupplemented Friesian production. This '. performance by a few selected A.F.S. compares favourably with the 3300 kg average production of herd recorded cows on the Atherton Tableland. Breed development has now reached the stage where A.F.S. cows are being compared with other breed types on co-operating dairyfarms and bulls selected on tick resistance are being proven in these herds, . + Queensland Department of Primary Industries t Hairi, 4872.