The objectives of this study were to determine the genetic variation and phylogenetic relationships of Holstein Friesian, Jersey and Ayrshire crossbred dairy cows and Zebu cattle reared in the humid coastal region of Tanzania based on the HSF1 and HSPA6 genes responsible for heat tolerance. The animals used in the study were obtained from Tanzania Livestock Research Institute (TALIRI) - Tanga and Livestock Training Agency (LITA) Buhuri dairy farms located in Tanga districts and Mruazi Heifer Breeding Unit dairy farm located in Korogwe district. Sixty - five blood samples were collected from Holstein Friesian (23), Ayrshire (15), Jersey (12) crosses, and pure Zebu (15). For each animal, 10 ml of blood was collected by Jugular vein puncture. Total genomic DNA was extracted and amplification performed following manufacturer’s instructions. The polymorphic sites, haplotype diversity (Hd), nucleotide diversity (π), expected heterozygosity (He) and neutrality (FU’s FS and Tajima’s D) tests were calculated. The He was 0.23 ± 0.13, 0.22 ± 0.14, 0.16 ± 0.13, and 0.00 ± 0.00 in Zebu, Holstein Friesian crosses, Jersey crosses and Ayrshire crosses, respectively. The zebu had the highest Hd (0.47 ± 0.08) followed by Holstein Friesian (0.34 ± 0.14), and Jersey (0.33 ± 0.21), while the lowest Hd was observed in Ayrshire crosses (0.00 ± 0.00). The average π was 0.23 ± 0.14, 0.22 ± 0.13, 0.16 ± 0.11, and 0.00 ± 0.00 for Zebu, Holstein Friesian crosses, Jersey crosses and Ayrshire crosses, respectively. Dairy cattle breeds were grouped in one and three clusters based on HSPA6 and HSF1 genes, respectively. There is low genetic diversity and no significant genetic differentiation among the four dairy cattle breeds, an indication of a single panmictic population.
A cross-sectional study was conducted in Bahir Dar town, Northwestern Ethiopia, to quantify the major hoof and musculoskeletal disorders of cart mules and identify their predisposing factors. Both physical examinations of 250 cart mules and a questionnaire survey of 174 volunteer cart owners or drivers were used. The overall prevalence of gait problems was 18.8%, of which 83% were lameness, 6.3% staggering gait, and 10.6% stiffness. There was no statistically significant difference (p>0.05) in the proportions of lameness between age groups, sexes and body conditions. In contrast, epizootic lymphangitis (10.3%), trauma (4.6%), and harness injury (0.57%) were the major complaints of the respondents as the causes of lameness. The prevalence of wounds on the chest and back region was 23.2%. Only 8.6% of the respondents paid attention to the feet of their mules; they washed, picked foreign material from the hooves, and trimmed the hoof wall. Lameness caused by hoof problems was the most frequent gait abnormality encountered in the study area. Therefore, for feasible and prompt intervention of musculoskeletal problems, the provision of proper shoeing and regular checkup and treatment of the foot, joint, and back should be instituted as routine activities. Further training should also be implemented to change the owners’ awareness, particularly their practices. Key words: Musculoskeletal, lameness, mule, cart pulling, Bahir Dar, Northwestern Ethiopia
Improving the management of goat in rural areas and enhancing its ability to alleviate smallholder poverty requires a better understanding of the existing production systems. This study has been undertaken to characterize the diversity of goat farming systems and identify major constraints and opportunities for their sustainability in two agro-ecological zones of Burkina Faso, namely Sudano-Sahelian and Sudanian, as input for community-based breeding programs. Therefore, data of 372 goat keepers and their herd characteristics were collected in a questionnaire. Two quantitative and 12 qualitative variables were used to perform multiple correspondence analysis and hierarchical cluster analysis. The results indicated that farmers were largely illiterate, with men slightly outnumbered by women. The surveys were divided into 3 clusters. The first 2 clusters were composed of sedentary agropastoral systems. These 2 clusters, which include over 85% of all respondents, represented subsistence crop and livestock productions. Livestock is reared for multiple purposes including income, meat, manure, saving and socio-cultural reasons. The third and smallest cluster (14.5%) was composed entirely of Fulani people in both areas Sudano-Sahelian (85%) and Sudanian (15%). This cluster was the only one containing transhumant production system, with 85% of these farmers practicing seasonal mobility of their herds. Fifteen constraints of goat production were identified, the main ones including conflicts, feed shortage, diseases, lack of workforce and abortions. Although our results showed diversity on goat farming systems among identified groups. Given the lack of formal breeding scheme and institutional support, community-based breeding approaches, which harness the indigenous knowledge and farmers’ full commitment, should be explored to improve smallholder production system while conserving genetic diversity. Key words: Capra aegagrus hircus, farming, agropastoral, transhumance.
The study to document phenotypic characteristics of locally adapted pigs was carried out in South-Western Agro-ecological Zone (SWAEZ) Uganda. 784 households were included; keeping a total of 3032 pigs including piglets. Only one adult pig in each household was used for recording of phenotypic characteristics. These included 252 males and 1032 females totalling 1284 pigs. Piglets (0-3 months old) constituted a slightly bigger percentage of the population 1149 (38%), followed by adult females 1084 (34%), growing females 361 (11.9%), growing males 252 (8.3%) and adult males (7.8%), respectively. Locally adapted pigs displayed unique phenotypic characteristics, which differentiated them from exotic breeds. In this study, the key body features of the pigs included skin colour and pattern, type of head, ear orientation, tail, backline, and number of teats in addition to herd related data. The data was subjected to the analysis of variance and Chi-square test procedures in SPSS 2016 to compare prevalence of traits in the different districts. Majority of the pigs had black skin colour with long straight hair, with small body weight and long thin snouts and semi-lop ears projecting forward. Herd size was between 1 and 7 majority being piglets. Widespread phenotypic and genetic characterisation should be undertaken for effective conservation planning and sustainable utilization of locally adapted pigs. Key words: Phenotypic characterisation, locally adapted pigs, South-Western Agro-ecological Zone (SWAEZ), Uganda.
This study was aimed at investigating the influence of different proportion of water to dry meal, to give a moist feed form in feeding Muscovy duck (Cairina moschata) and assess the influence of these different feed forms on growth performance and carcass characteristics. A completely randomized design of fifty-four one to two weeks old ducklings weighing 64 to 67 g were randomly distributed into 3 treatments with three replicates each, was used for a study period of 8 weeks. Two standard starter and grower feeds were formulated for the study. Starter diet was fed for the first 4 weeks and grower for the final 4 weeks. The treatments based on water to dry feed ratios included a control treatment (TC: Dry feed), Moist 1 Treatment (M1T : 0.5 water : 1 dry feed) and Moist 2 Treatment (M2T : 0.75 water : 1 dry feed). Data was collected on growth performance (feed intake, weight gained, feed conversion ratio (FCR) and carcass characteristics. The results showed that feed intake, weight gain and FCR were higher (P≤0.5) for M2T than M1T and TC. M1T showed higher (P≤0.5) feed intake than TC and no differences (P>0.05) for weight gain and FCR. No significant differences (P>0.05) were found with the weights of different body parts (thigh, drumstick, breast, liver, heart, small intestine, gizzards and caeca) for all the treatments. In conclusion, providing moist feeds to Muscovy ducks compared to dry feed is more beneficial for growth performance. Key words: Muscovy ducks, moist feed, growth performance, carcass characteristics.
The purpose of this review is to provide an overview of the differentiation of goat population in Ethiopia based on husbandry, breeding practices, and morphological traits of goats. Ethiopian goats have long been known for their extensive production methods, which have been reared in all agro-ecological zones. Rather than competing for fodder with cattle and sheep, goats complement them. The major feed resources for goats were natural communal/private pasture, crop residue, local fodder trees, shrubs and browsing, road and riverside and crop aftermath. Good housing is required to protect goat from extreme temperature, disease, theft, to make management easier and controlled breeding. Selection is an important parameter in replacing parents by best performing stocks, which is one of the tools for improvement of genetics. The selection criteria for breeding buck were appearance, coat color, growth rate prolificacy and libido. However; the selection criteria of does were appearance, age at first maturity, twinning ability, milk yield, kid survival, short kidding interval and growth rate, coat color and litter size. High rate of reproductive efficiency of goat is essential for survival, as well as the production of meat, milk, and skin, and the replacement of breeding stock. The major constraints of goat were disease occurrences, feed shortage and drought. Phenotypic characterization is the first step in breeding program design and conservation strategy. This phenotypic characterization includes husbandry practice, way of breeding, reproduction traits and morphological traits. For molecular characterization and genome selection, phenotypic characterization is also used as a source of information. In conclusion goat management practiced in Ethiopia was traditional, kept primarily for income source. Key words: Conservation; goat breeding; husbandry practices, phenotypic characterization.
Livestock including cattle, goats, sheep, pigs and poultry are kept under traditional farming systems producing manure, supporting crop production, insurance and financing emergency cash needs, and improving social status. The livestock feed resource base is mostly natural graze and crop residues whose quality and supply are dependent upon unreliable rainfall patterns. Due to rising demand for cropland, overgrazing, bush encroachment and bush burning, grazing supplies are being depleted. Grazing is supplemented using commercial feeds heavily infused with antibiotics contributing to antimicrobial resistance. Feed constitutes the largest expenditure, thus incorporating functional feed ingredients is favored. The study serves to increase farmers' awareness to substituting antimicrobials with functional feed ingredients. A systematic review of literature was done and keywords related to animal nutrition, functional feeds and antimicrobial resistance were used to identify relevant articles. Results revealed that functional feeding of livestock offers a potential diversity to animal production systems and may increase profitability in animal husbandry ventures. Functional feed ingredients improve productivity and vigor by enhancing digestibility, preserving and stabilizing beneficial gut microflora, and having a favorable impact on the environment. Probiotics, plant phytogenic compounds, and prebiotics, have the potential to replace antimicrobials as environmentally-friendly therapeutics and growth promoters. Key words: Animal nutrition, antimicrobial resistance, developing countries, functional feeds, livestock production.
In order to identify the vectors of bovine trypanosomiasis in the locality of Logone Birni, inventories were carried out from March to June 2020 in six sites. The purpose of this work is to contribute to the evaluation of the seroprevalence of bovine trypanosomiasis, to identify trypanosome vectors and to inventory the vector control methods already implemented in this area. Forty cattle were sampled for parasite analysis using the Rapid Diagnostic Test (RDT) method. Insect captures were made using Vavoua traps at a frequency of three successive days per week during the two months of investigations. Surveys and interviews were also conducted with thirty people (traditional leaders, livestock farmers and shepherds) about local control methods. The analysis results show that, of the 40 cattle tested, Trypanosoma vivax and Trypanosoma congolense are the most frequent parasites with a seroprevalence rate of 30 and 05%, respectively. A total of 12,482 Stomoxes and 494 Tabanids were captured with an average of Apparent Population Density (APD) of 173.36 Stomoxes/Trap/Day and 6.86 Tabanids/Trap/Day, respectively. In short, trypanosome seroprevalence is very high compared to the diversity of mechanical vectors (Stomoxes and Tabanids) and the absence of biological vectors ( Glossina species). According to breeders, control methods reduce the pressure of insect vectors on cattle and make pastures more accessible, hence the need to deepen by diversifying control methods against the mechanical vectors listed.
The present study was conducted in three districts (Arero, Moyale and Yabello) of Borana zone, from October 2016 to June 2018, with the aim to determine the prevalence, identify the species and detect the risk factors of GIT parasites. For this cross-sectional study, a total of 383 faecal samples were collected directly from the rectum of the animal and examined using flotation and sedimentation techniques according to standard parasitological procedures. The study revealed that the overall prevalence of GIT parasites was 56.92% (95% CI= 51.8 to 62%). The prevalence was higher in Moyale (71.65%; 95% CI=62.98 to 79.29%), followed by Yabello (52.76%; 95% CI= 43.70 to 61.67%) and Arero (46.51%; 95% CI= 37.69 to 55.50%). The occurrence of GIT parasites among districts was found significant (P<0.05). Among the identified parasites, the highest prevalence was determined for Strongyles type species (29.6%), followed by Eimeria (23.28%), while trematodes and cestodes were found at lower prevalence. The prevalence of GIT parasites was also found to be significantly associated to the age, body condition and history of anthelmintic use of the sampled animals (P<0.05). Sex was insignificantly (P>0.05) associated with the occurrence of GIT parasites. The study revealed that GIT parasites were one of the major problems that could affect health and productivity of cattle in the study area. Therefore, creation of awareness on the effects of GIT parasites for the pastoralists in the study area and designing strategic control approaches have a paramount importance to improve the health and productivity of cattle production in the area. Key words: Borana, Cattle, Ethiopia, gastrointestinal parasites, prevalence.
This study was conducted at Yabello district of Borana zone with the objectives of evaluating the productive performance of the 25% Dorper crossbred and the local blackhead Somali sheep under agro pastoralists’ conditions, creating awareness, improving pastoralists’ knowledge and skill. The training was given to the selected pastoralists, development agents, and experts on the importance and management of the improved sheep. A total of four F1 50% Dorper crossbred were provided for the two established Pastoralists’ Research Groups (PRGs). Both quantitative and qualitative data were collected using appropriate methods. The quantitative data were analyzed using simple descriptive statistics and an independent sample t-test while qualitative were analyzed using pairwise ranking and narration methods. The result of the study indicated that 25% Dorper crossbred ram were significantly higher in birth weight, weight at 6 months, and yearling (marketable) weight at 12 months compared to the local blackhead Somali sheep. Moreover, Dorper crossbred had better marketability, weight, meat, drought, and disease resistance compared to their counterparts. As a result, all concerned parties should make 25% Dorper crosses more popular and scaled up in order to improve the productive performance of the local blackhead Somali sheep in the study areas. Key words: Dorper, evaluation, blackhead Somali.
A cross-sectional study was conducted in five districts in South Western Agro-Ecological Zone (SWAEZ), Uganda, to map pig breed distribution and determine their abundance and population structure.Purposive and snowball sampling methods were used to identify pig farmers whose pigs were included in the study.Pig breeds were identified using the NAADS user guide on pig husbandry.The breeds that were properly identified in the study districts included Camborough, Landrace, and Large White; crosses and locally adapted pig populations were not differentiated into specific breeds.Camborough breed was the least abundant (0.69%), Landrace (5.0%),Large white (15.75%), crosses constituted 23.35% and majority of the pigs (55.2%) belonged to the non-descript locally adapted ecotypes.Piglets (36.82%), constituted the highest percentage to the total pig population followed by females (30.22%), growing females (15%), growing males (11%) and the least were adult males (6.89%).More farms kept the locally adapted populations (56.5%) compared to those with the other breed types, all combined and majority of the farms were owned by females (63.22%).Herd size ranged from 1 to 3 pigs at any given time.Exotic breeds and or crossbreds were kept in big numbers while the locally adapted pigs were few per household; 20.1% of the farms had only one pig.Tethering was the most used type of holding at the farms (62.55%).Exotic breeds have penetrated the rural areas and are very abundant.Locally adapted ecotypes are therefore threatened by continued crossbreeding for breed improvement and introduction of new breeds.Farms keeping locally adapted pigs can be facilitated to increase their herd sizes for profitable projects instead of changing breeds.New breed introduction and promotion should be regulated and monitored.
A study to investigate the factors affecting hatchability of Archachatina marginata eggs, had 600 eggs collected from snail pens and incubated in treated substrates; moist soil/sawdust mixture (MSD), moist sawdust (MD), moist soil (MSb), dry sawdust (DD) and dry soil (DS) as well as in rearing pens (1 m × 1 m × 0.8 m) containing moist soil (MSp). Results showed that snail egg weights at laying ranged from 250 to 1100 mg (mean of 670±247 mg). Egg lengths and widths ranged from 13.0 to 16.00 mm (mean of 14.88±0.94 mm) and 9.00 - 11.00 mm (mean of 10.80±1.02 mm) respectively. Snail egg hatchability in MSD and MD of 64.0±4.8 and 61.5±3.9%, respectively were better (p<0.05) than in MSp (50.5±4.4%) and MSb (45.5±3.5%) among media in which eggs hatched. Dry Incubation media (DS and DD) had 0% hatchability. Best hatchability was between 50 and 70% humidity. Embryonic mortality showed a reverse trend with MSD (36.0±4.8%) and MD (38.5±3.9%) recording significantly lower (p<0.05) values than MSp (49.5±4.4%) and MSb (54.5±3.5%). Incubation temperature ranged from 17 to 20°C and Incubation duration ranging from 22 to 35 days. Correlated analysis revealed a weak significantly (p<0.05) positive relationship (r=0.097) between egg weight and hatchability and a negative relationship (r=-0.234) between egg weight and embryonic mortality. Therefore, snail eggs could be incubated in moist sawdust and moist soil/sawdust mixture with humidity from 50 to 80%, at temperatures ranging from 17 to 20°C and that snail eggs with higher weights are most recommended for incubation. Key words: Temperature, humidity, hatchability, embryonic mortality, Archachatina marginata eggs.
