Mengistu Urge

Perceptions of households on purpose of keeping, trait preference, and production constraints for selected goat types in Ethiopia

A study was carried out to understand the needs and perception of goat keepers in selected areas of Ethiopia in order to identify the breeding objectives, traits of preference, and production constraints that may be required in designing improvement programs. The study was conducted in three districts (Bati, Meta, and Kebri-Beyah) representing the lowland crop–livestock (LLCL), highland cereal–livestock (HLCL), and pastoral/agropastoral (P/AP) systems, respectively. The study targeted the three goat types (Bati, Hararghe Highland, and Short-eared Somali) found in Ethiopia. Households in all systems considered meat production, milk production, and income generation as major purpose of keeping goats. However, those in the low rainfall and arid environments of P/AP systems gave high ranking to adaptability to harsh environments and also to building social and religious values. In LLCL and HLCL systems, goat skin and manure were more valued than in P/AP systems. Principally, in P/AP systems, the awareness of households to skin utilization and marketing was very low. Despite diverse multiple breeding objectives identified, household breeding practices were affected by constraints related to disease prevalence, feed shortage and water scarcity, and lack of awareness on skin management, utilization, and marketing. Thus, designing and implementing of sustainable goat improvement programs is an overriding priority and should take into account the breeding objectives and knowledge of goat keepers in all production systems. Along with the breed improvement, a strategy should also be devised to enhance the utilization and marketing of goat skin at all levels of production.

Effect of Supplementation with Dried Leaves of Acacia albida, Acacia seyal and their Mixture on Feed Intake and Digestibility of Local Sheep FedBarley Straw as a Basal Diet

This study was conducted to evaluate the effect of supplementation of Acacia Albida (AA), Acacia Seyal (AS) and their mixture on feed intake and digestibility of local sheep fed a basal diet of barley straw (BS)”. “Twenty four yearling intact male sheep with initial BW of 16.6 kg ± 2.4 (Mean ± SD)” were blocked in to six based on initial BW and animals within a block were randomly assigned to treatments. Treatments were ad libitum barley straw(BS) and 100 g wheat bran (WB) alone (T1) or supplemented with 200 g of dried leaves of Acacia Albida(AA) (T2), Acacia Seyal(AS) (T3) and a 1:1 mixture of AA:AS (T4). The feeding and digestibility trial “was” conducted for 90 and 7 days, respectively. Dry matter (DM) intake of BS was in the order of T1>T2=T4>T3 (P 0.05) by the supplementation. Therefore, result of the current study suggested that 200g AA leaf meal supplementation to barley straw basal diet to be better in feed intake and digestibility.

Evaluating Production Performance of Tigray Highland SheepSupplemented with Air Dried Foliages of African Wild Olive and RedThorn: A Case Study of Carcass Production

An experiment was conducted at Wukro St. Mary Agricultural, Technical, Vocational Education and Training College to determine effect of feeding foliages from African wild olive and Red thorn on growth performance and carcass production of Tigray Highland sheep and to assess their economic benefits. Chemical composition and supplementation effect of foliages of these indigenous multipurpose tree species on growth performance of Tigray Highland sheep is available on line www.global academic research journals.org . Including air dried foliages of the multipurpose trees as protein supplement to grass hay improved carcass production. Supplemented sheep had significantly (P < 0.05) higher slaughter weight, empty body weight, hot carcass weight and dressing percentage on slaughter weight basis than the control treatment. It was economically feasible to poor smallholder sheep owners in the area, but supplementing T4 (mixed air dried foliages) was found as cost-effective with its high net income. The results obtained indicate that feeding foliages from the multipurpose trees alone or mixing at different proportions had potential as a protein supplement with less expense.

Effects of Supplementation with Different Forms of Barley on Feed Intake,Digestibility, Live Weight Change and Carcass Characteristics of HarargheHighland Sheep Fed Natural Pasture

This study was conducted using 24 yearling intact male Hararghe highland sheep with initial body weight (BW) of 15.7 ± 2.3 kg (Mean ± SD), to determine effects of supplementing different forms of barley grain to natural pasture hay basal diet on feed intake, digestibility, average daily BW gain (ADG) and carcass parameters. Animals were grouped into 6 blocks of 4 animals based on initial BW and were randomly assigned to the four treatments. Treatments were feeding hay ad libitum alone (T1) or supplemented with 300 g dry matter (DM) of raw barley (RB, T2), malted barley (MB, T3) or cracked barley (CB, T4). All animals received 50 g DM supplemental noug seed cake (NSC) and had a free access to water and mineral block. The experiment consisted 90 days of feeding and 7 days digestibility trials and carcass evaluation at the end. The crude protein (CP) content of hay, NSC, RB, MB and CB were 6.6, 35.7, 11.7, 12.5 and 11.6%, respectively. Hay DM intake was higher for T1 (523 g/day) than other treatments (360- 425 g/day). Total DM intake (573, 710, 723 and 775 g/day (SEM = 29.5)) and CP intake (52, 77, 77 and 83 g/day (SEM = 2.0) for T1, T2, T3 and T4, respectively) was lower for T1 than supplemented groups, with no difference (P > 0.05) among the supplemented treatments. Digestibility of CP (55.8, 71.1, 69.0 and 70.0% for T1, T2, T3 and T4, respectively (SEM = 1.93)) were higher (P < 0.05) in supplemented sheep than T1. ADG of 13, 73, 87 and 83 g/day for T1, T2, T3 and T4, respectively (SEM = 6.0), was also greater (P < 0.05) for the supplemented groups than T1. Barley supplementation resulted in a higher (P < 0.05) hot carcass weight than T1 (6.0, 10.0, 10.7 and 10.5 kg for T1, T2, T3 and T4, respectively (SEM = 0.56). The results of this study highlighted that treatment of barley as in malting and cracking do not alter the performance of sheep as compared to the untreated barley. Thus, supplementation with raw barley is recommended. In general, supplementing animals with energy dense diet has proven to improve animal performance and profitability.

Effects of diet on leather quality and longissimus muscle composition of three Ethiopian indigenous goat types

A 3 × 2 factorial experiment was carried out to evaluate the effect of breed or genotype and levels of concentrate on muscle composition and skin and leather quality characteristics. The three indigenous goat genotypes used were Bati, Hararghe highland (HH), and short-eared Somali (SS), (12/genotype) with an average initial weight of 15.2 ± 0.245 kg. The goats were all males ~1 year of age. After grouping based on their initial weight, they were randomly assigned to two levels of concentrate feeding (six goats per genotype per treatment) and fed for 90 days. The two concentrate feeding levels were C1 and C2, where goats were fed at 1% and 1.5% of their bodyweights, respectively. At the end of the study, all goats were slaughtered and samples were taken from the longissimus muscle for chemical composition analysis. The skins were weighed, preserved and processed into leather for physico-chemical analysis. The longissimus muscle of SS goats had higher (P < 0.05) fat content (7.01%) than Bati (6.05%) and HH (6.02%) goats. Feeding concentrate at 1.5% bodyweight increased carcass weights (P < 0.01), and increased the protein and fat contents of the longissimus muscle by ~5.4% and 3.5%, respectively. Similarly, goats under C2 feeding group had heavier skin than those under C1. However, Bati and HH goats produced 250 g more heavier leather than SS goats. Leathers made from skins of HH goats were thicker (1.56 mm) than those from Bati (1.32 mm) and SS goats (1.23 mm). Leathers from SS goats tended to have lower (P = 0.07) tear strength and higher (P = 0.05) fat content than those from Bati and HH goats. Goats fed C2 produced leathers with higher (P < 0.05) tear strength (51.6 N/mm) and fat content (6.2%) than those fed C1. In conclusion, the study revealed that the meat obtained from the three goat types had low to medium fat content that can meet the needs of diversified consumers. Moreover, they produced quality leather comparable to the quality standard set for good quality leather despite leathers from SS goats tending to have lower tear strength and higher fat content.

Effects of replacing maize with sorghum on growth and feed efficiency of commercial broiler chicken.

Background: The ever-rising prices of feed ingredient remained to be the greatest single item determining the profit margins in poultry farming, especially in developing countries. The most appropriate strategy for these countries is to develop diets which allow locally available new ingredients to be used. This experiment was conducted to evaluate replacement of maize by sorghum on growth rate and feed conversion ratio, on Hubbard classic broiler chicken. Methods: Two-hundred forty chicks day-old with mean initial body weight of 42.5 ± 0.24 g were used for the experiment in complete randomized design. The experiment consisted of 28 days starter phase and 21 days finisher phase. The treatment were T1 (maize based, control), T2 (15% sorghum), T3 (30% sorghum) and T4 (45% sorghum). The experiment lasted for 7 weeks, during which dry matter intake (DMI), body weight gain were measured and Feed conversion ratio. Results: The laboratory chemical analysis of feeds showed that the CP content and ME values of the formulated feed were 22% CP and 3200 kcal/kg DM; and 21 CP and 2883 kcal/kg DM, for starter and finisher ration, respectively. No significant (P>0.05) difference was seen in daily, total DM intake, Final body weight, average daily body weight gain and DM conversion ratio between treatments and the control group for starter, finisher and entire period Conclusion: From the present study, it can be conclude that replacement of sorghum with maize up to 45% appeared to be biologically better and not having adverse effect on broiler performance.

Effects of Feeding Processed Kidney Bean Meal(Phaseolus vulgaris) by Replacing Soybean Meal on Egg Fertility and Qualities of Chicks of White Leghorn Hens

A study was conducted to evaluate the effects of feeding processed kidney bean meal (PKBM) by replacing soybean meal (SBM) on fertility, hatchability, embryonic mortality and chick quality of white leghorn (WL) hens. A total of 210 white leghorn hens (180 layers and 30 cocks) with uniform body weight (BW) (1121.17 g ± 24.92) and age (6.5 months) were randomly distributed into 15 pens and assigned to five treatments (i.e., T1, T2, T3, T4, and T5). A total of 195 eggs collected from all the treatment birds were used for the analysis. The feeds of the treatments were SBM substituted by PKBM at 0, 25, 50, 75 and 100% levels for T1, T2, T3, T4, and T5, respectively. Replacement of SBM with PKBM in the diet did not affect the fertility, hatchability and embryonic mortality. Chick length (15.63, 15.00, 15.33, 15.03 and 14.33(SEM ± 0.02)) and chick weight (34.13, 34.20, 33.13, 33.06 and 32.47(SEM ± 1.39)) for T1, T2, T3, T4 and T5 respectively, were significantly (P<0.05) lower for T5 than the rest treatments. Visual assessment of chick quality is lower for treatments containing higher proportion of PKBM than treatments containing lower proportion of PKBM. Therefore, as it affects the quality of chicks at 100% replacement, it is only up to 75% replacement of SBM by PKBM (dosed at 195 g/kg concentrate diet) is possible without having significant negative effect on chick quality.

Effect of Different Levels of Dried Sugar Cane Tops Inclusion on the Performance of Washera Sheep Fed Basal Diet of Grass Hay, Ethiopia

Background: Ruminants feed largely on crop resides as their basal diet. Despite their vast use as a livestock feed, crop residues are naturally of low quality and do not fulfill the nutrient requirement of animals. Thus, the deficit in the basal feed of quantity can be covered with sugar cane tops that are potential feed for better performance of animals. This study aimed with to evaluate the effect of different level of Dried Sugar Can tops inclusion on carcass characteristics and Economic Feasibility of Washera sheep fed a basal diet of grass hay. Methodology: A study was conducted at Bure Agricultural Technical Vocational Educational Training (ATVET) College using twenty yearling Washera sheep with initial body weight (BW) of 18.15 ± 1.85 (mean ± SD). The experimental design was randomized complete block design, and sheep were blocked into five blocks of four animals based on their initial BW and randomly assigned to one of the treatments within a block. Treatments were hay ad libitum+100 g/head/d CM for T1 and an additional 120 g, 240 g and 360 g SCT per head/day on dry matter basis for T2, T3 and T4, respectively. The experiment consisted 90 days of Growth trials followed by evaluation of carcass components at the end. Result: Average Daily Gain (ADG) was 21, 46, 56 and 75 g/d for T1, T2, T3 and T4, respectively and was highest for T4 and lowest for T1. Hot carcass weight (HCW) was 6.4, 8.2, 8.7 and 9.1 kg for T1, T2, T3 and T4, respectively and was greater for T4 but similar among the other three treatments. Dressing percentage on slaughter or empty body weight basis also took a similar trend like that of HCW. Net return was 63.01, 105.7, and 204.73 Birr for T2, T3 and T4, respectively. Conclusion: The supplementation has positive impact on the growth and carcass characteristic. Therefore, it was concluded that sugar cane tops could be used as part of a diet for sheep to improve animal performance where it is available.

The effect of feeding dried tomato pomace and concentrate feed on body weight change, carcass parameter and economic feasibility on Hararghe highland sheep, Eastern Ethiopia.

The study was conducted using 24 yearling intact Hararghe highland male sheep with mean initial body weight (BW) of 16.73 ± 2.47 kg (Mean ± SD), with the objectives to evaluate the effect of supplementation of dried tomato pomace, and concentrate feed on live weight gain, carcass characteristics and economic feasibility of the feeding regime of sheep fed a basal diet of natural pasture hay. The experiment consisted 90 days feeding and followed by evaluation of carcass parameters at the end. The animals were fed concentrate at a rate of 300 gm per day on dry matter basis. The experimental sheep were blocked into 6 blocks of 4 animals based on their initial BW and randomly assigned to one of the four treatments within a block. Four dietary treatments used in the experiment were ad libitum feeding of hay alone (T1), ad libitum feeding of hay supplemented with 359.61 g dried tomato pomace (DTP) (T2), ad libitum feeding of hay supplemented with 300 g concentrate mix (CM=33% Noug seed cake (NSC) + 67% Wheat Bran (WB); T3), and ad libitum feeding of hay with 1:1 ratio mixture of DTP and concentrate mix (CM=33% Noug seed cake (NSC) + 67% Wheat Bran (WB);T4). Average daily gain (ADG) was lowest for T1 (30 g/day), and among the supplemented treatments values for T4 (65 g/day) was numerically higher than that for T3 (58 g/day) and T2 (57 g/day). Feed conversion efficiency showed a similar trend to Average daily gain (ADG). Hot carcass weight was 6.5, 8.5, 8.5 and 8.5 kg for T1, T2, T3 and T4, respectively and was lower for T1 than the other three treatments. Rib eye muscle area (REA) was 6.1, 7.3, 8.1 and 8.2 cm2 (SEM=0.446)) for T1, T2, T3 and T4, respectively was significantly lower (p < 0.05) in T1. There was a negative net return for T1. The net return from the supplemented treatments was 62.3, 5.8, and 45.2 ETB, and the corresponding marginal rate of return was 2.49, 0.54, and 1.44 % for T2, T3 and T4, respectively. Integrating this feed resource into the feeding system of sheep in areas of availability will not only solve the existing critical feed shortage, but also avoid the problem of environmental pollution. In this study, supplementation of dried tomato pomace and concentrate feed positively affected the measured growth and carcass characteristics. Therefore, the results of this study suggested that dried tomato pomace can totally replace concentrate mixture used in the present study as a supplement to sheep fed a basal diet of natural pasture hay with better economic return.

Identification of breeding objectives for Begait goat in western Tigray, North Ethiopia

A sound breeding objective is the basis for genetic improvement in overall economic merit of farm animals. Begait goat is one of the identified breeds in Ethiopia, which is a multipurpose breed as it serves as source of cash income and source of food (meat and milk). Despite its importance, no formal breeding objectives exist for Begait goat. The objective of the present study was to identify breeding objectives for the breed through two approaches: using own-flock ranking experiment and developing deterministic bio-economic models as a preliminary step towards designing sustainable breeding programs for the breed. In the own-flock ranking experiment, a total of 45 households were visited at their homesteads and were asked to select, with reasons, the first best, second best, third best, and the most inferior does from their own flock. Age, previous reproduction, and production information of the identified animals were inquired; live body weight and some linear body measurements were taken. The bio-economic model included performance traits (weights, daily weight gain, kidding interval, litter size, milk yield, kid mortality, pregnancy, and replacement rates) and economic (revenue and costs) parameters. It was observed that there was close agreement between the farmers’ ranking and bio-economic model results. In general, the results of the present study indicated that Begait goat owners could improve performance of their goats and profitability of their farms by selecting for 6-month weight, litter size, pre-weaning kid survival rate, and milk yield.