(Peer Review) Calf birth weight prediction accuracy using calf parturition durability and metric body measure-ments in ongole crossbred heifers.

Normal parturition should be completed without human interference, leaving a healthy heifer with a viable calf to avoid serious economic losses due to their increasing mortality. Calf birth weight (CBW) was reported to be the most important factor influencing calving difficulty. Considering those problems, this study was undertaken to estimate CBW using linear body measurements of heifers mated by artificial insemination method. Study was involving 103 Ongole crossbred heifers at the artificial insemination center of North Sulawesi province, Indonesia. Data on heifer live weight (HLW), heifer body length (HBL), heifer chest girth (HCG), calf parturition durability (CPD) and CBW were collected from 103heifers at ages of two to three years old. To predict CBW, all linear body measurements as independent variables in multiple regression equation affecting dependent variable of CBW were included in the models using statistical datasheet of Microsoft Office Excel 2007. Results showed that multiple regressionmodel can be recommended to predict CBW of Ongole crossbred heifers using HCG, HBL and CPD as independent variables as follows: CBW (Y in kg) = 26.8862 + 0.00478 HBL (X1 in cm)– 0.02703 HCG (X2 in cm)+ 0.04741 CPD (X3 in minute) with determination coefficient (R 2 ) of 0.93.