Indigenous sheep are important to food security and the livelihoods of smallholder farmers in Ethiopia; however, information on their morphological characteristics and farmers' trait selection criteria remains limited in the Gurage area. This study aimed to characterize morphological traits of the indigenous sheep populations and identify farmers' selection criteria across highland and midland agro-ecologies of Gurage Area, Central Ethiopia. A total of 280 sheep were characterized using qualitative and quantitative morphological descriptors, while selection criteria were assessed through interviews with 120 randomly selected households. Both qualitative and quantitative data were analyzed by using SPSS version 26. Farmers prioritized mothering ability and short lambing interval when selecting breeding ewes, whereas body conformation and growth rate were the principal selection criteria for rams. Agro-ecology significantly (P < 0.001) affected morphometrical measurements, particularly BW, HW, PW, CC, and SC, demonstrating considerable phenotypic variation and adaptation to diverse production environments. Among coat color patterns, patchy was the predominant phenotype (49.28%), followed by plain (35.43%) and spotted (14.28%), reflecting the broad phenotypic variation of the local sheep population. The overall least squares means indicated a medium-sized sheep population with a live body weight of 27.83 ± 5.00 kg, body length of 58.07 cm , heart girth of 70.67 cm, and height at withers of 63.21 cm. Sheep reared in the midland agro-ecology consistently exhibited significantly greater live body weight and superior linear body measurements than those in the highland. The observed phenotypic diversity and farmers' trait preferences provide a strong foundation for designing community-based breeding programs, and context-specific research and development interventions that enhance productivity while conserving the valuable indigenous sheep genetic resources of the Gurage area.
Sheep production plays an important role in the livelihoods of rural households and contributes substantially to food security, income generation, and the national economy in Ethiopia. However, the productivity of indigenous sheep breeds remains constrained by inadequate nutrition and seasonal shortages of quality feed resources. Therefore, this study evaluated the effects of replacing cottonseed cake (CSC) with different proportions of mung bean straw (MBS) on feed intake, nutrient digestibility, growth performance, and economic returns of Simien sheep fed natural pasture hay. The experiment was conducted at the University of Gondar Livestock Farm during 2025–2026. Twenty yearling intact male Simien sheep with an initial body weight of 16.0 ± 0.71 kg (mean ± SD) were assigned to five dietary treatments in a randomized complete block design with four replications. The treatments consisted of ad libitum natural pasture hay supplemented with 300 g head⁻¹ day⁻¹ of T1 (100
This study investigated the effect of spraying hatching eggs with propolis on embryonic development, hatching, chick quality, growth, carcass, and organ traits at 10 d of age in broiler chickens. The experimental groups consisted of N-S (non-sprayed eggs), S-W (eggs sprayed with distilled water), and S-P (eggs sprayed with propolis). The results showed that egg weight at embryonic days (ED) 7, 14, and 18 were similar among the groups (P > 0.05). The egg weight loss at ED 0–7 and 0–14 was lower in N-S compared to the other treatments (P < 0.05). The yolk weight and yolk yield were lowest in N-S and highest in S-W at ED 14 (P < 0.05); however, the yolk-free body mass weight was highest in N-S and lowest in S-P (P < 0.05) at ED 18. In addition, at ED 18, the embryo width was highest in N-S and lowest in S-W (P < 0.05). The chick length at hatch was highest in S-W, and the appearance score was better in S-W and S-P chicks (P < 0.05). The body weight and feed conversion ratio at 7 d of age were better in S-P chicks (P < 0.05). The intestinal yield, breast, slaughter, liver, and thigh weight were lowest in S-W chicks (P < 0.05). It was concluded that spraying hatching eggs with propolis may improve early post-hatch growth performance, and carcass traits without any negative effect on hatching traits.
Heat stress (HS) is a major constraint in dairy production, disrupting metabolic regulation, mammary function, and milk synthesis, thereby limiting the productivity, health, and sustainability of lactating cows. This narrative review synthesizes current knowledge on HS effects, including reduced dry matter intake (DMI), endocrine and metabolic imbalances, and altered nutrient utilization. It highlights impacts on mammary function, milk yield, immune response and somatic cell count (SCC), with emphasis on carryover effects from the dry period into subsequent lactation. The narrative review indicates that HS reduce DMI and milk yield, milk composition, while SCC may increase under HS depending on breed, climate, and management. Heat stress disrupts hormonal signaling, including growth hormone, insulin and prolactin, redirecting nutrients from milk synthesis toward thermoregulation. It also induces oxidative stress and epithelial damage in the mammary gland. Exposure during the dry period further impairs mammary development, shortens gestation length, reduces fetal growth and negatively affects calf performance, ultimately lowering milk yield in the next lactation. The threshold temperature-humidity index (THI) values associated with these effects typically range from 59 to 78, with more severe impacts observed above 80. By integrating physiological, metabolic, and production perspectives, this narrative review identifies key knowledge gaps related to metabolism, mammary function, immune responses, SCC, and dry-period carryover effects under HS. It also outlines evidence-based mitigation strategies, including targeted nutrition, precision cooling, and breed-specific approaches, to enhance thermotolerance and sustain dairy productivity and guide future research under rising global heat stress.
Antimicrobial resistance (AMR) in veterinary medicine is sustained by dependence on antibiotics for disease treatment, prophylaxis, and, in many production systems, growth promotion. Existing reviews of non-antibiotic alternatives typically treat each strategy, including probiotics, phage therapy, antimicrobial peptides, vaccination, biosecurity, and husbandry, as a self-contained topic, which leaves an important question unanswered: which of these strategies are mature enough for field deployment now, and which still depend on evidence too preliminary to support routine use? This review addresses that question directly. It synthesizes literature on eight intervention categories and introduces a comparative framework, developed by the authors and not derived from an external grading system, that classifies each strategy’s evidence base as strong, moderate, emerging, or mixed, and separately assesses field applicability, scalability, and regulatory maturity. The review distinguishes three outcomes that are frequently conflated in this literature: reduced pathogen burden, reduced antimicrobial use, and reduced antimicrobial resistance. An intervention that lowers antibiotic consumption does not automatically demonstrate an AMR-related benefit unless resistance itself, or a resistance-relevant proxy, was measured. Vaccination and biosecurity emerge as the most field-ready strategies, supported by national-scale intervention data. Bacteriophage therapy and antimicrobial peptides show a growing but still largely early-stage evidence base. Microbiome-based and breeding-based interventions remain the most heterogeneous in outcome and are the hardest to generalize across species and production systems. The review also traces an explicit One Health pathway from intervention to reduced antimicrobial exposure, altered selection pressure, and downstream implications for human and environmental health, while distinguishing demonstrated veterinary outcomes from plausible cross-sectoral effects that have not yet been measured directly. The principal implication for practice is that no single alternative is likely to substitute for antibiotics broadly. Layered combinations, matched to production system and disease ecology and paired with functioning surveillance, represent the more realistic path toward sustained antimicrobial reduction.
