preliminary findings on the general characteristics of the oestrus cycle in postpartum ngaoundere gudali cows

A study was conducted to determine some important oestrous cycle characteristics (length and duration of oestrus) of Ngaoundere Gudali cattle at the Wakwa Agricultural Research Centre, Cameroon. The mean length of the oestrous cycle was 21.8 ± 0.5 d, significantly (P< 0.05) longer during the dry (24.1 ± 0.7 d) compared to the rainy (20.6 ± 0.5 d) season. A seasonal occurrence of oestrus was detected, suggesting that the oestrus in the Ngaoundere Gudali cow is more frequent during the rainy season. The oestrous period averaged 9.8 ± 0.6 h, with a range of 5 to 13 h. It was concluded that although the oestrous characteristics of the Ngaoundere Gudali do not seem to differ significantly from what is reported in other zebu breeds, more studies are needed to draw a clearer picture of the oestrous cycle characteristics of the breed.