Dairy Heifer Rearing in Hot Arid Zone: An Economic Assessment (Report‪)‬

INTRODUCTION Many countries of hot arid zone including Kuwait do not possess a dairy cattle breed of their own, therefore, depend on imported Holstein Friesian cattle. Imported pregnant heifers are exposed to an extreme hot arid feedlot environment. After their calving and subsequent breeding, they can last for 2-3 lactations. In Kuwait, the calves born from unadapted imported dams suffer from a very high mortality rate. Mean crude mortality rate was 43.6% in 1997 (Razzaque et al., 2009a). Observing the high young calf losses in Kuwait, studies were initiated in 1998 to investigate the causes of calf mortality. The management constraints and the pathogens causing the high death rates were identified. Intervention measures were undertaken in the commercial dairy farms from year 1999 through 2006 resulting in a phase-wise reduction of crude mortality rate of pre-weaned calves from mean high of 43.6% to a low of 4% (Razzaque et al., 2009b). Subsequent work in Kuwait involved raising of heifers from their 91d age through their breeding and lactation stages.