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.

Study of Camelina Biodiversity in Southwestern of Algeria

In the framework of biodiversity＇s studies of animal＇s genetic resources in general and especially camels, the authors focused, in the case of biodiversity, on the phenotypic and genetic variability of each camel populations studied in southwestern of Algeria. The objective of the present study is to describe the conditions of dromedaries breeding, to analyze their phenotypic diversity, redefine the range flocks, highlight the perspectives of exploitation and use their products in livestock systems sustainablely. Knowing that the camel occupies a vital place in the socioeconomic development of breeders, owing to the multiple functions and services it provides. However, the pressures of diverse origins including population growth and recurrent droughts take serious threats to the development of the species. This survey was conducted during 2 years over 2500 animals owned by 60 farmers were studied. These animals were analyzed in terms of phenotypic and ethno-geographical evolution of breeding. A large number of blood samples （200） were collected, which allowed us to be the first DNA bank of camels in Algeria.