Authors : M.N. Opara , E.C. Nwachukwu and I.C. Okoli
Abstract: During the months of August to November 2003, ovaries collected from 205 Bos indicus cows of different ages slaughtered at Ogbe-Ahiara abattoir in Imo State, Nigeria were used to study the reproductive activities in such slaughter animals. One hundred and thirteen (55.1%) of the cows were aged 4-5years, while 24.4 and 12.5% were aged between 6-7 and 8-9 years respectively. Macroscopic examination of the ovaries revealed that 130 (63.4%) of the cows were undergoing active estrous cycle, with 89 (68.5%) falling within the 4-5 years cohort. Across the different age groups, follicles of >3mm were more in number than those of <3mm, indicating their active reproduction status. Presence of Corpora Albicans (CA) indicating the occurrence of previous pregnancies was observed in 183 (89.3%) of the cows, with 54.6% of these again falling within the 4-5 years cohort. Mean ovarian dimensions (pole-to-pole and side-to-side in mm) increased with age of the animals. A number of atrophied ovaries were observed among the 6-7 years age group. Mean ovarian weight was highest for cows in the 4-5 years (6.49g?0.28). It was concluded that over 55% of cows brought for slaughter in Imo state are in their active reproduction ages and that the continued slaughtering of such animals constitute serious reproductive wastage among breeding cattle in the area.
M.N. Opara , E.C. Nwachukwu and I.C. Okoli , 2005. Ovarian Activities in Cows of Different Ages Slaughtered in Imo State, Nigeria . Asian Journal of Information Technology, 4: 640-643.