Implementation of the new milk recording scheme in dairy camels

As a result of market demand for commercial milk production, intensive dairy camel's farms using modern machine milking have been recently implemented in different places, especially in Gulf countries. However, the genetic improvement for milk productivity in dairy camels is slow due to their long life-span, low fertility, and unknown heritability of specific dairy traits in addition to the lack of selection policy at national levels. In that sense, the lack of milk recording systems is considered to be major constrain that faces any attempt to develop camel agribusiness. Indeed, recording of individual animals' performances is an essential step for selection and is usually associated to genetic improvement. Little is known about milk recording systems in dairy camels. Therefore, dairy camels recording system must satisfy a certain number of criteria such as: (i) the procedure should be simple, (ii) the dairy traits should be economically important, (iii) the data recorded should be useful for management, (iv) the records should be time and cost efficient, able to unequivocally identify the best individuals in each farm, (v) records able to identify genetic differences between populations at a national level. Recently and to facilitate standardized comparison of milk yield between individuals, a fat corrected milk equation at 3% fat level was proposed. Udder morphology traits had positive correlations with milk yield and should be explored for genetic improvement. Recently, a 5-point linear scoring template for evaluating the udder of dairy camels was designed based on 5 main traits. Most dairy camels are raised in nomadic system where small farmers of low education level (i.e., low writing skills) own the majority of the herds. Different factors should be taken into account when implementing a new milk recording scheme in dairy camels, such as: farming systems (nomadic, settled or intensive), breed, milking routine, operator training and cooperation between camel farmers, recording organizations and health care institutions (i.e., veterinary services and practitioners). Therefore, the main steps for camel dairy improvement include (1) establishing performance recording organizations (effective dairy production, growth performance, udder morphology, and reproduction performances), (2) subsidising and rewarding the responding farmers and, (3) standardize the recording procedures. Those steps are the key of the success of the new milk recording system in dairy camels.

Bibliographic Details

Main Authors:	Moez, A., Aljumaah, Riyadh Saleh, Samara, Emad Mohammed, Faye, Bernard
Format:	conference_item biblioteca
Language:	eng
Published:	ISOCARD
Online Access:	http://agritrop.cirad.fr/591636/ http://agritrop.cirad.fr/591636/1/ID591636.pdf
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