Animal Reproduction Science 75 (2003) 1–8

Improving the reproductive performance of

Egyptian buffalo cows by changing
the management system
E.B. Abdalla∗
Department of Animal Production, Faculty of Agriculture, Ain Shams University,
Shobra El-Kheima 11241, Cairo, Egypt
Received 17 July 2001; received in revised form 9 August 2002; accepted 29 September 2002

Abstract
The objective of the present study was to determine the possibility to improve the reproductive
performance of buffalo cows through the continuous exposure to bull with grazing and free-stall
housing management. Sixty-four Egyptian multiparous buffalo cows raised under two different
management systems in two farms were used in this study. The cows in the first farm (management
system 1, MS1) were loose—housed in a free-stall yard, grazed for 4 h per day, suckled their calves
for 2–3 months and were continuously exposed to a fertile bull. The cows in the second farm
(management system 2, MS2 ) were confined in an open-fronted tie-stall shed, not grazed, suckled
their calves for only 7 days and were exposed to a fertile bull twice per day (30 min per session). All
the cows were fed a diet of green berseem (Trifolium alexandrinum), rice straw and concentrates
to meet their maintenance and production requirements. The cows during both the treatments were
milked twice per day after weaning. The cows in both groups were between the second and the
sixth parity, weighed 450–480 kg and had average daily milk yields of 5.0–6.0 kg. In each farm,
cows were visually checked twice daily at 07:00 and 17:00 h for the signs of oestrus and animals
proved standing heat were naturally mated. Rectal palpation was used to monitor uterine involution
and for pregnancy diagnosis. Blood was sampled twice per week from 7 to 150 days post-partum
for serum progesterone assay.
The results revealed that post-partum intervals to each of first ovulation, first oestrus, conception
and next parturition were significantly (P < 0.05) shorter in MS1 group than in MS2 group. In the
meantime, MS1 increased (P < 0.01) the conception and calving rates by 21 and 25%, respectively
compared to MS2. Percentages of post-partum cyclic animals and animals exhibiting ovulatory
oestrus were greater (P < 0.01) in MS1 group than in MS2 group. However, the percentage of
animals cycling before day 60 post-partum was significantly (P < 0.01) lower in MS1 group than
in MS2 group (13% versus 28%). By day 120 post-partum, only 63% of the buffaloes were cycling
in MS2 group versus 94% in MS1 group.

∗ Fax: +20-202-444-44-60.

0378-4320/02/$ – see front matter © 2002 Elsevier Science B.V. All rights reserved.
PII: S 0 3 7 8 - 4 3 2 0 ( 0 2 ) 0 0 2 2 5 - 7
2 E.B. Abdalla / Animal Reproduction Science 75 (2003) 1–8

Percentage of silent ovulation was insignificantly higher in MS2 group (34%) than in MS1 group
(25%). However, the percentage of false oestrus was higher (P < 0.01) in MS1 group than in MS2
group (16% versus 3%). In addition, percentage of short ovulatory cycles (15–17 days) was greater
(P < 0.01) in MS1 group than in MS2 group, whereas percentage of long ovulatory cycle (25–28
days) was higher (P < 0.01) in MS2 group than in MS1 group. It was concluded that continuous
exposure of buffalo cows to a fertile bull with grazing management under free-stall housing system
enhances resumption of post-partum ovarian activity and improves conception and calving rates.
© 2002 Elsevier Science B.V. All rights reserved.
Keywords: Buffalo; Housing; Suckling period; Nutrition; Male presence; Reproduction

1. Introduction

Efficiency of reproduction is one of the most critical aspects of a profitable herd. To

maximize her productive life, a buffalo cow must be bred within 80–90 days after parturition
to produce a new calf and starts a new lactation every 13.0–13.5 months. Longer calving
intervals in Egyptian buffaloes are mainly due to extended days open following parturition
(El-Fouly et al., 1976), which can be attributed to irregular ovarian activity, weak expression
of oestrus and poor oestrus detection (Khattab et al., 1990).
In order to detect more than 90% of the incidence of oestrus in a herd, cows should be
observed carefully in the early hours of the morning, the late hours of the evening and at
4–5 h intervals during the day (Wattiaux, 1995). However, this frequency of heat detection
involves more labor and increases production costs (El-Wardani and El-Asheeri, 2000). The
presence of a bull is recommended to improve heat detection and increase pregnancy rate
(Zicarelli et al., 1991). Moreover, heat detection may be facilitated by housing or yarding
cows in groups to increase the chance of sexually active group formation and makes heat
detection much easier (Wattiaux, 1995).
Enhancing the post-partum resumption of ovarian activity to shorten calving interval has
been achieved by hormonal treatment (Aboul-Ela et al., 1985), introducing the male (Fike
et al., 1996) or nutritional treatment (Abdalla, 1996). Suckling is an exteroceptive stimulus
that plays a major role in governing reproductive cycles in female mammals (McNeilly,
1988). Little is known concerning the effect of different management practices on the
reproductive performance of buffaloes. Therefore, the objective of this experiment was to
study the influence of the presence of a fertile bull, housing system, allowance of grazing
and length of suckling period on the post-partum ovarian activity in Egyptian buffalo cows.

2. Materials and methods

Sixty-four multiparous Egyptian buffalo cows, calved during early December and early
January and raised at two experimental farms located in the same area and belonging to
Faculty of Agriculture—Ain Shams University, were used in this study. All buffaloes were
between the second and the sixth parity, weighing 450–480 kg and free from reproductive
disorders. Average daily milk yield ranged from 5.0 to 6.5 kg per head. The animals in
the first farm (n = 32) were kept in a group with access to free stalls in semi-open sheds
 E.B. Abdalla / Animal Reproduction Science 75 (2003) 1–8 3

with allowance of 4 h grazing per day (from 08:00 to 12:00 h). A mature fertile bull was
continuously running with the cows. The cows were also allowed to nurse their calves for
2–3 months after calving and thereafter they were milked twice daily at 06:00 and 15:00 h.
In the meantime, animals in the second farm (n = 32) were kept in tie stalls in semi-open
sheds without access to grazing. The cows were exposed twice daily to a mature fertile bull
(30 min per session) at 07:00 and 17:00 h. These cows were allowed to nurse their calves
for 7 days post-calving, then milked twice daily as in the first farm.
Animals in both the farms were fed a concentrate mixture, green berseem (Trifolium
alexandrinum) and rice straw according to their maintenance and production requirements
(El-Ashry, 1980). Animals on MS1 and MS2 were checked visually for signs of oestrus
twice daily (30 min per session) at 07:00 and 17:00 h and the oestrus cows were naturally
mated. Rectal palpation was performed once a week up to mating to determine the time
of post-partum uterine involution, and 45 days after mating to diagnose pregnancy. Ani-
mals diagnosed non-pregnant were observed for oestrus and re-mated on the next standing
oestrus. Blood was sampled twice per week via jugular venipuncture starting from 7 days
post-partum and continued up to about 150 post-partum. The serum was harvested and
stored at −20 ◦ C until assayed for progesterone using a commercially available radioim-
munoassay (RIA) kit (Immunotech, A Beckman Coulter Company, France). The sensitivity
of the assay was about 0.3 ng/ml, while the intra- and inter-assay coefficients of variation
were 8.5 and 13.7%, respectively.
The serum progesterone concentration was used to monitor ovarian function during the
first 150 days post-partum. The resumption of ovarian cyclicity was evaluated as the time
from parturition to the first increase in serum progesterone concentration above 1.0 ng/ml
(Barkawi, 1993). A rise in serum progesterone concentration (≥ 1.0 ng/ml) for at least two
consecutive samples was considered to be a reliable index of the resumption of ovarian
activity (luteinization). Silent ovulations, false oestrus and non-cyclic animals were iden-
tified from serum progesterone levels and behavioral observations. Ovulatory cycles were
grouped into short (15–17 days), normal (18–24 days), long (25–28 days) and abnormal
long (≥ 29 days) cycles. Data were analyzed by t-test and proportions (%) were compared
using the χ 2 -test (SAS, 1990).

3. Results

The interval from calving to uterine involution was similar for both the groups of buffalo
cows. However, the management system in the first farm (MS1) reduced (P < 0.05) the
interval from calving to first ovulation (29 days versus 43 days), first oestrus (39 days
versus 59 days), conception (85 days versus 121 days) and next parturition (420 days
versus 484 days) as compared to the management system in the second farm (MS2) (Table 1).
Moreover, the percentage of post-partum cyclic animals and animals which resumed ovarian
cyclicity with expression of oestrus was greater (P < 0.01) in the MS1 group than in
the MS2 group (Table 2). The percentage of silent ovulations tended to be higher in the
MS2 group than in the MS1 group, but the difference was not significant. Table 2 also
indicated that the incidence of false oestrus was higher (P < 0.01) in the MS1 group
than in the MS2 group, although MS1 animals had greater (P < 0.01) conception and
4 E.B. Abdalla / Animal Reproduction Science 75 (2003) 1–8

Table 1
Effect of two different management systems (MS1 and MS2) on some reproductive criteria (mean ± S.E.) in
Egyptian buffalo cows
Reproductive criteria MS1 (n = 32)a MS2 (n = 32)b Significance

Post-partum interval (days) to:

First ovulation 29.2 ± 1.2 42.7 ± 2.0 P < 0.05
First oestrus 38.7 ± 1.0 58.5 ± 3.3 P < 0.05
Uterine involution 28.1 ± 0.5 29.4 ± 0.7 NS
Conception 84.5 ± 1.7 120.8 ± 2.8 P < 0.05
Calving interval (days) 420 ± 4.6 484 ± 4.7 P < 0.05
a MS1: full-time exposure to bull, free-stall housing, grazing was practiced for 4 h daily and natural suckling

was allowed for 2–3 months post-partum.

b MS2: twice daily exposure to bull, tie-stall housing, no grazing allowed and natural suckling was allowed

for only 7 days post-partum.

calving rates than those in the MS2 group (84% versus 63% and 75% versus 50%, respec-
tively).
The proportion of animals resuming ovarian activity before day 60 post-partum was
significantly (P < 0.01) lower in the MS1 group than in the MS2 group (13 versus 28;
Table 2). By day 120 post-partum, 94% of the animals in the MS1 group had shown ovarian
cyclicity compared to 63% of the animals in the MS2 group. Moreover, 81% of the animals in
the MS2 group resumed ovarian activity by day 150 post-partum. The post-partum ovulatory
cycle length ranged from 15 to 55 days and its frequency distribution is as shown in Fig. 1.
The incidence of short cycles was greater (P < 0.01) in the MS1 group and that of long
cycles was higher (P < 0.01) in the MS2 group. The proportion of normal cycles was
similar for both the groups of baffaloes. Although more MS2 animals had abnormally long
cycles than MS1 animals, this difference was not significant.

Table 2
Percentages of some post-partum reproductive criteria of Egyptian buffalo cows raised under two management
systems (MS1 and MS2) during the first 150-day period
Reproductive criteria MS1 (n = 32)a MS2 (n = 32)b Significance

Non-cyclic animals 6 19 P < 0.01

Animals cyclic within:
Days 0–60 13 28 P < 0.01
Days 0–90 88 47 P < 0.01
Days 0–120 94 63 P < 0.01
Days 0–150 94 81 P < 0.01
Ovulatory oestrus 69 47 P < 0.01
Silent ovulation 25 34 NS
False oestrus 16 3 P < 0.01
Animals conceived 84 63 P < 0.01
Animals calved 75 50 P < 0.01
a MS1: full-time exposure to bull, free-stall housing, grazing was practiced for 4 h daily and natural suckling

was allowed for 2–3 months post-partum.

b MS2: twice daily exposure to bull, tie-stall housing, no grazing allowed and natural suckling was allowed

for only 7 days post-partum.

 E.B. Abdalla / Animal Reproduction Science 75 (2003) 1–8 5

Fig. 1. Percentage distribution of post-partum ovulatory cycle length of Egyptian buffalo cows raised under two
management systems (MS1 and MS2). MS1: full-time exposure to bull, free-stall housing, grazing was practiced
for 4 h daily and natural suckling was allowed for 2–3 months post-partum; MS2: twice daily exposure to bull,
tie-stall housing, no grazing allowed and natural suckling was allowed for only 7 days post-partum; figures in
parenthesis represent number of cycles; (∗ ) difference between MS1 and MS2 was significant (P < 0.01).

4. Discussion

The post-partum intervals to either first ovulation or first oestrus were shorter in MS1
than in MS2 buffalo cows. In agreement with the present results, Hurnik and King (1975)
reported that the post-partum interval to first oestrus was 34.5 days for free-stall and 56.6
days for tie-stall cows. However, longer intervals were reported by Abdou (2001) for Egyp-
tian buffalo cows raised under tie-stall housing system with twice daily exposure to bull.
The present results clearly indicate that continuous exposure to bull, free-stall housing and
grazing management for 4 h daily accelerates the resumption of ovarian activity. Mohamed
et al. (1980) reduced post-partum to first ovulation interval (49 days) in Egyptian buffalo
cows by improving nutrition and management. Several investigators have reported that body
condition score at and after calving (Wright et al., 1982), suckling (El-Fouly et al., 1976),
season (Raza et al., 2001) and bull–cow interactions (Custer et al., 1990) are important
factors influencing resumption of post-partum ovarian activity. Consequently, the combi-
nation of male presence, group housing with free-stall and additional grazing combined
with balanced nutrition probably account for the earlier post-partum resumption of ovarian
activity observed in MS1 in this study.
El-Wardani et al. (1998), however, reported that exposing buffalo cows to the male twice
daily resulted in a reproductive performance better than that for animals exposed continu-
ously to the male. The reason for this conflict is unclear, but it could be suggested that the
6 E.B. Abdalla / Animal Reproduction Science 75 (2003) 1–8

male effect on reproductive performance of buffaloes may be confounded with the man-
agement regime. Moreover, Aboul-Ela (1993) showed that reproductive performance of
buffaloes raised on small holdings was better than that of buffaloes raised under conditions
of large scale experimental farms where the animals received less attention and heat de-
tection was less accurate. Thus, the continuous exposure of cows to a fertile bull, as in the
present study, is likely to detect most oestrous cows, especially when the cows are loose
housed.
The present results indicate that about 88 and 47% of buffaloes have resumed ovulatory
activity by 3 months and these values amounted to 94 and 63% by 4 months post-partum
in the MS1 and MS2 groups, respectively. These findings are in agreement with those of
Khattab et al. (1990) and Barkawi (1993) who indicated that physiological disorders do
not appear to be the main reason for the post-partum reproductive disorders. However,
the incidence of silent ovulations which represented 25% and 34% in the MS1 and MS2
groups, respectively, may be an important reason for the post-partum reproductive failure
in buffalo cows. The presence of bull and free-stall group housing practiced in the present
study (MS1) reduced the incidence of silent ovulation, resulting in higher conception rate
and shorter days open and calving interval as compared with the restricted bull exposure and
the tie-stall housing management system (MS2). Several investigations have shown that the
incidence of oestrus in Egyptian buffaloes is highest around sunset and sunrise (Barkawi
et al., 1997; El-Wardani and El-Asheeri, 2000) and this needs more intensive observation
or continuous presence of bull to detect oestrous behavior. The higher incidence of false
oestrus in the MS1 group may be due to the male pheromone effect on the female’s central
nervous system (Aron, 1979). This may be also the reason of the increased percentage of
short ovulatory cycles (15–17 days) observed in this group.
It is worthy noting that more buffaloes in the MS2 group (28%) resumed ovarian activity
within 60 days post-partum than in the MS1 group (13%; P < 0.01). However, during
the third month post-partum more MS1 animals resumed ovarian activity than in the MS2
group (75% versus 19%; P < 0.01). It should be noted that the suckling period lasted
only 1 week for MS2 cows, but it continued for 2–3 months for MS1 cows. Suckling is
known to delay the resumption of post-partum ovarian activity while restricted suckling
and early weaning enhance post-partum ovarian cyclicity (Radford et al., 1978; Wettemann
et al., 1978). Barkawi (1993) found that 40% of suckled buffalo cows showed sustained
anoestrus during the first 90 days post-partum, as compared with only 10% of milked cows.
A similar effect was observed during the first 60 days post-partum in the present experiment.
Thereafter, the calves became less dependent on suckling and the adverse effect of suckling
diminished while other managerial factors became more effective. Thus, it is interesting to
note that managerial practices applied in MS1 may alleviate the adverse effect of suckling
on the post-partum reproductive performance of buffaloes and this was observed after 2
months post-partum.

5. Conclusion

This study showed that silent ovulation is a common problem in buffalo cows even un-
der good management. The continuous male–female interaction (through olfactory, visual,
 E.B. Abdalla / Animal Reproduction Science 75 (2003) 1–8 7

acoustic, tactile and pheromones) had a beneficial effect on the onset of post-partum cyclicity
in buffaloes. Incorporation of continuous male presence into free-stall housing and addi-
tional grazing may optimize the overall reproductive performance of post-partum Egyptian
buffalo cows. The present study confirmed that suckling has less powerful effect on the
inhibition of ovarian activity when animals are loose-housed, have access to grazing and
are continuously in the presence of a bull. Herds housed in a tie-stall barn should have an
exercise area where cows can associate freely with a bull for a few hours early and late in
the day.

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