Study on Breeding Practices and Reproductive Performance of Black-Head Somali Sheep under Traditional Management System: The Case of Awbarre District, Eastern Ethiopia

The study was conducted in the Awbarre district of the Fafen zone of the Somali regional state of Ethiopia. The objective of the study was to assess the breeding practices and reproductive performance of Black-head Somali sheep under a traditional management system. Purposive and simple random sampling techniques were used to select targeted kebeles and households, respectively. A total of 120 households were selected from four kebeles, each of 30 households, based on the production system and sheep population. Semi-structured questionnaires, group discussions, key informants interviews and field observations were used to generate the required data. The primary purpose of keeping sheep was for income generation, followed by saving as a future asset. The majority (89.2%) of the respondents separated male and female animals during herding. The selection criteria for breeding rams were appearance, growth, pedigree, and color while for breeding ewes were appearance, adaptability, pedigree, color, and lamb growth. The overall weaning age of Black-head Somali sheep in the study area was 3.7 months for both males & females. The castration of male sheep was common for the purpose of fattening, fattening with breeding control and breeding control as well. The castration is mainly performed during the summer and autumn and the methods of castration were both traditional and modern methods, the traditional castration method being the most important one in pastoral areas. The age of sexual maturity was 7.64 months for rams and 8.97 months for ewe’s male and female lambs in the pastoral area and 8.42 & 8.38 for rams & ewes in agro-pastoral and overall lambing interval was 11 months. On average, the ewe of Black-head Somali sheep in pastoral & agro-pastoral could produce 9.49 & 9.57 lambs, respectively in their lifetime. As the pastoralists and agro-pastoralists indicated the source of the breeding ram was their own, so the exchange of breeding ram is recommended to minimize the risk of inbreeding and further studies of on-farm performance investigation would be necessary to be carried out so as to understand the uniqueness of the breed better.

Management Practices and Production Constraints of Indigenous Somali Cattle Breed in Shabelle Zone, Somali Regional State, Ethiopia

This study was conducted in Shabelle zone of Somali Regional State to assess management practices and production constraints of indigenous Somali Cattle. A total of 200 household heads were selected from four cattle potential districts;Dhanan, Ber’ano, Godey & Adadle. The relevant information was collected through semi-structured questionnaire, focus group discussion, key informants interview, and personal observations. Majority of the respondents were illiterate. The average cattle holding size was 8.97 heads/household and cattle were mainly kept for milk production. The major feed resources in the study area were natural pasture and crop residue, and communal grazing was the most important feeding system in the area. Feed shortage was a problem hindering cattle production in the study area during dry season mainly January up to March. Animals traveled long distances to watering points (>5 km) during dry season, while in wet season, animals were watered in nearby water sources. Cattle housing was open kraal fenced with the thorned plenty acacia trees and calves were housed separately from other cattle. Breeding in the study area was uncontrolled and was bred with their own or neighbors’ bull. Age at first mating, age at first calving and calving interval were 3.25 years, 4.05 years and 16.56 months, respectively. The daily milk yield and lactation length were 2.22 liters and 8.07 months, respectively. The production and reproduction performance of Somali cattle was relatively higher than other local breeds in the country mainly in terms of milk yield and fertility potential under the existing environmental conditions. The major constraints of cattle production were feed shortage, disease, water scarcity, lack of veterinary services, marketing problem and predator. Among those constraints, inadequate supply of quality feed, diseases and water shortage were the main reasons for low productivity of cattle and are the major factors limiting productivity. Therefore, to sustain the production system in the study areas, it is recommended to improve the current condition of communal rangelands through management of degraded areas by awareness creation on the value of these common resources and development of rules and regulation to sustain the existing resource and implement over the utilization of communal/pastoral rangeland management systems to reduce constraints such as shortage of feed, drought and grazing land deterioration which perpetuated through time due to land-use changes and seasonal fluctuation).

Hygienic Production and Post-Harvest Handling Practices of Raw Camel Milk in Degahbour District of Jarar Zone, Somali Regional State, Ethiopia

A cross-sectional study was carried out to assess hygienic production and postharvest handling practices of raw camel milk in Degahbour district. The survey studies were based on a total of 120 (2 production systems * 2 rural kebele * 30 households) milk producers, which were selected from Degahbur district using stratified sampling technique. Data from the selected producers were collected using questionnaire survey and field observation. The results showed that the majority of the sampled household heads in pastoral (93.3%) and agro-pastoral (76.6%) production systems were illiterate. Moreover, none of the respondents in the study area had training on hygienic milk production and postharvest handling practices. The study result also indicated that none of the respondents in the study area washed the udder of milking camel before milking. Moreover, only 6.6% of pastoralists and 25% of agro-pastoralists wash their hands before milking. Equipment made of wooden materials are mainly used for milking, whereas, plastic jerry-cans were most commonly used for storage. About 45% of the pastoralists and 81.6% of the agro-pastoralists were cleaning milk vessels regularly;however, majority of the respondents both production systems were using water from non-tap sources for hygienic practices. Bosciaminimifolia, Acacia ethaica and Blanitesgalabra were the most commonly used plant species for smoking in the study area. Therefore, hygienic production and postharvest handling practices should be followed to improve the quality and suitability of camel milk for its intended use in the study area.

Identification and Chemical Composition of Major Camel Feed Resources in Degahbur District of Jarar Zone, Somali Regional State, Ethiopia

This study was conducted to identify major available camel feed resources and determine their chemical composition in Degahbur district. A total of 120 respondents were selected using purposive sampling technique. Data from the selected actors were collected using a semi-structured questionnaire survey, focus group discussion and field observations. The study revealed that the majority (82.5%) of the respondents in the study area were male headed households. Browsing trees and shrubs were the major available livestock feed resources both in dry (51.6%) and wet (68%) season, and followed by herbaceous species (26.6 and 23.7% for dry and wet season, respectively). The study identified about 20 herbaceous, 24 trees, 11 shrubs, 7 bush and 17 grass species which are used as camel feed in the study area. Chemical composition analyses of the sampled feeds indicated that there was a significant difference in crude protein (CP), neutral detergent fiber (NDF) and acid detergent fiber (ADF) between species in different seasons. The NDF contents in the current study were above the critical value of 60% which was reported to result in decreased voluntary feed intake, feed conversion efficiency and longer rumination time. In general, the findings indicated that the use of improved forages and agro-industrial by-products as camel was minimal;thus, camels were fed on available feed resources which are poor in nutritional quality without any supplementation. Therefore, the study suggests the need for improving camel feeding practices in the study area to enhance camel productivity.

Management Practices, Utilization and Challenges of Donkey in Godey Town, Somali Regional State, Ethiopia

The study was conducted in Godey town of Shebelle zone, Somali Regional State, Ethiopia. The objective of the study was to assess management practices, utilization, and challenges of donkey. A total of 200 households who own working donkeys were selected purposely for this study. Data were collected using semi-structured questionnaires, key informants interviews, focus group discussions with communities who own donkeys and personal observations. The study revealed that the majority of the respondents were illiterate which might be associated with poor education access in the area. The study further revealed that 92% of working donkeys were involved in drought work, whereas 18% were used for pack work. The common feed resources for donkeys were feeds obtained from natural pasture, green maize leaves, hay, household wastes and grain supplements. Pipe water, river water, and pond water were the main water sources for working donkeys in the study area. About 91% of households kept their donkeys in an open backyard, while 9% of them kept them in a separate shed built adjacent to or a short distance away from the family home. Donkeys provide cart services in the study area, transporting various items weighing more than 300 kg in order to obtain a high benefit in a short period of time and are more than six days per week. Working donkeys in the current study area had a life span of fewer than 6 years, 7 - 10 years, and more than 10 years, with 18.5%, 75.5%, and 6%, respectively. The most important constraints that affect donkey production and utilization in the study area were a lack of feed, health problems (sickness, wounds, etc.), overloading and overworking, poor road and harnessing problems, and poor attitude/lack of awareness. As a result, in order to enhance working donkey management concerns, area-based development interventions that can overcome current constraints should be employed.

Handling and Hygienic Production Practices of Goat Milk in Degahbur District of Jarar Zone, Somali Regional State, Ethiopia

A cross-sectional study was carried out to assess handling and hygienic production practices of goat milk in Degahbur district of Jarar zone, Somali Regional State, Ethiopia. A total of 120 households were purposively selected for this study using a stratified sampling technique. The data were collected through the questionnaire, field observations, key informants interview and focus group discussions. The study showed that majority of the sampled households were illiterate. The goats were kept in an open kraal made of thorny acacia trees on an earthen floor that had no roof. The goats were milked inside these open kraals, and were sometimes contaminated with muck and animal dung mainly the rainy season which could raise the possibility of milk contamination & spoilage. Moreover, traditional hand milking was the only milking method and majority of the respondents didn’t wash their hands and the udder of the animal before milking, indicating low community awareness and knowledge of sanitary milk production procedures. Plastic equipment which is difficult to clean and can increase milk contamination and spoilage was used. About 43.3% of the pastoralists and 76.67% of the agro-pastoralists were cleaning milk vessels regularly. The most often used plant species for smoking milk handling equipment in the study area to extend shelf life and add flavor & aroma were Acacia ethaica, Blanites galabra, and Solanum Carense. The main constraints to hygienic goat milk in the area were identified to be poor barn hygiene, poor production procedures, disease, source of washing water and lack of extension services. In general, it can be concluded that handling and hygienic production practices of goat milk used in the study area were unsanitary, which may have been primarily caused by the community’s lack of awareness & understanding as well as a lack of supporting infrastructures. Therefore, the concerned bodies should place a high priority on the improvement of hygienic practices by carrying out various relevant development interventions, such as raising milk producers’ awareness, improving the health of goats, and providing the necessities for milk handling.

Microbiological Quality of Goat Milk in Degahbur District of Jarar Zone, Somali Regional State, Ethiopia

A cross-sectional study was carried out to evaluate microbiological quality of raw goat milk in Degahbur district of Jarar zone, Somali Regional State, Ethiopia. A total of 40 pooled raw goat milk samples (each with a volume of 450 mL) were collected from the udders and milk handling equipment of targeted goat milk producers in the study area. The milk samples were subjected to laboratory analysis to evaluate total bacterial count (TBC) and total coliform count (TCC) in order to determine the microbiological quality of the raw goat milk in the study area. The study showed that the mean total bacterial count (TBC) and total coliform count (TCC) for raw milk samples collected from the udder were 4.92 ± 0.23 and 2.68 ± 0.36 log10 cfu·mL-1, respectively. The mean counts for samples collected from milk equipment were 5.61 ± 0.32 and 3.93 ± 0.21 log10 cfu·mL-1 for TBC and TCC, respectively. The values for the samples collected from pastoral production system were 5.63 ± 0.13 and 4.02 ± 0.20 log10 cfu·mL-1 for TBC and TCC, respectively. The average means of TBC and TCC for samples collected from the agro-pastoral production system were 4.9 ± 0.41 and 2.59 ± 0.37 log10 cfu·mL-1, respectively. Significant difference (P 0.05) in mean TBC and TCC was observed between milk samples collected from pastoral and agro-pastoral production systems as well as milk samples collected from udders and milk handling equipment of the producers. It could be concluded that both TBC & TCC of goat milk samples collected from the udder as well as from the milk handling equipment of producers exceeded the acceptable limits. This indicated that production practices performed during milk production and postharvest handling in the study area were unhygienic. Therefore, hygienic and proper milk production procedures should be followed to improve the quality of goat milk for its intended use in the study area.

Study on Management Practices and Constraints of Black Head Somali Sheep Reared in Awbarre District of Fafen Zone, Somali Region, Ethiopia

The study was conducted to assess management practices and constraints of Black head Somali sheep in Awbarre district of Fafen zone, Somali regional state, Ethiopia. A total of 120 households were purposively selected for this study using purposive sampling technique. The data were collected through the questionnaire, key informants interview, focus group discussions & field observations. The primary purpose of keeping sheep was for income generation followed by saving, meat production, milk, social and cultural functions. The main feeds for sheep during wet season were communal & private natural pastures. In dry season, communal natural pasture, crop residues & private natural pasture were used. The major source of water during wet season was dam/pond, whereas in the dry season spring & pipe water were used. The majority of the respondents (85.8%) used houses enclosed with thorn woody trees and houses enclosed with stone/brick fence were also reported. Majority of the respondents used controlled mating system and sheep are bred to lamb when forage is plentiful because they are less drought tolerant than goats and to avoid unwanted lambing in dry season. Majority (90%) of respondents own their breeding ram and those who have no breeding males used their neighbors’ rams and borrow from others. The breeding rams were born in the flock implying that animals within the flock are very closely related which leads to inbreeding. The most important health problems affecting sheep were circling disease, sheep pox, tick lameness (tick paralysis), Peste des Petits Ruminants (PPR), bloating, and Foot & mouth disease (FMD). The major constraints hindering sheep production in the study area were shortage of veterinary service, feed shortage, scarcity of water, predators, diseases, and marketing. Therefore, to improve and increase the productivity of sheep production in the study area, better management practices and establishing of veterinary service centers are necessary.