Reproductive Management Technologies and Their Application in Nigerian Dairy Cattle Herds

This study examines reproductive management technologies and their practical application in Nigerian dairy cattle herds, assessing adoption levels, technical outcomes, and profitability implications. Efficient reproductive management is critical for dairy productivity, as calving interval directly determines annual milk production per cow and replacement heifer availability. Reproductive biotechnologies including artificial insemination, synchronisation protocols, and early pregnancy diagnosis offer significant advantages over natural service for genetic improvement and reproductive efficiency. This study surveys reproductive management practices in 35 commercial dairy farms in Kaduna, Lagos, and Rivers States, documenting breeding methods, reproductive performance metrics, veterinary support for reproductive management, and economic analysis of reproductive efficiency improvements. Case study assessments examine five farms that have implemented AI and synchronisation programmes against matched farms using natural service. Findings reveal that farms implementing AI-based reproductive programmes with synchronisation protocols achieve calving intervals averaging 14.2 months compared to 18.8 months in natural service herds, directly improving annual milk production potential per cow by 24 percent. Conception rate to AI averages 52 percent, which is lower than international benchmarks of 60 percent, attributed to heat detection and semen handling challenges. Cost benefit analysis shows a positive return on AI investment of 2.8:1 over natural service on farms with more than 30 cows. The study recommends a professional reproductive management training programme for dairy farm managers and veterinary technicians.

Keywords: reproductive management, dairy cattle, artificial insemination, Nigeria, calving interval.