Abstract
This study was conducted to evaluate the reproductive performance of Yellow cows and crossbred cows (Brahman × Yellow) inseminated with Brahman semen, the growth of their offspring, and the production efficiency of households raising Brahman × Yellow (BrV) cattle and Brahman × (Brahman × Yellow) (BrBrV) cattle in Hue City, Vietnam. A total of 50 households from each production system were surveyed to assess household characteristics, herd size, and production efficiency. Reproductive performance was evaluated in 97 Yellow cows and 85 (Brahman x Yellow) crossbred cows. The results showed that the two household groups did not differ significantly in family size or agricultural land area (p>0.05), whereas the total landholding of BrV households was significantly larger than that of BrBrV households (p<0.05). Herd size was similar between the two groups (P>0.05). Calving interval was comparable between the two groups (p>0.05). At 18 months of age, male and female offspring from the (Brahman x Yellow) cross reached average body weights of 261.7 kg and 217.4 kg, respectively, whereas those from the (Brahman x (Brahman x Yellow) cross reached 282.6 kg and 241.1 kg, respectively. The evaluation of production efficiency indicated no statistically significant differences between the two household groups (p>0.05); however, BrBrV households showed a tendency toward higher production efficiency per unit of land area or per animal unit. These findings suggest that increasing proportion of Brahman genetics has greater potential to improve offspring growth performance and overall production efficiency in smallholder cattle production system in Hue city.