Objective: This study aimed to make an inventory of animal diseases that affect milk production and the plants locally used against these diseases. Materials and methods: A survey was carried out from April to August 2013 in 41 farms in department of Collines, 40 in Alibori, 40 in Borgou and 21 in Mono using questionnaires. SAS software was used with Chi-square test and bilateral Z test. Results:The study revealed twelve main pathologies that limit milk production. Among these pathologies, foot-and-mouth disease and trypanosomiasis were the most mentioned pathologies. To fight these pathologies, 60 medicinal plants of 32 families were recorded. The most cited families were Leguminosae (31.67%), Combretaceae (6.67%), Meliaceae (5%) and Rubiaceae (5%), whereas the predominant species used by animal keepers were Khaya senagalensis, Vitellaria paradoxa, Parkia biglobosa and Securidaca longipedunculata. The 60 listed species were used in 85 recipes which varied from one department and farmer to another. The most used organs were plant barks (41.06%) and roots (31.13%), while the most common methods of preparation were decoction (37.5%), maceration (32.5%) and powders (22.5%). Oral route was the main route of administration. Conclusion:The inventory has shown that the important pathologies are footand-mouth disease and trypanosomiasis. This needs immediate actions. Barks and roots were the commonly employed plant organs used as infusion (decoction and maceration) and powder that farmers administer orally to animals. The harvest did not require a special season or time. Furthermore, farmers inherited most of these recipes from their parents and they use them because of their effectiveness.

In Benin, the effect of supplementation of newborn piglets from local breed with lyophilized bovine colostrum was evaluated over a 49-d trail on the survival, the growth performances and the absorption of bovine and porcine immunoglobulin G (IgGs). Three groups of 24 piglets, stemming from five sows (Parity 2) belonging to a unique traditional farm, were respectively fed for the first 7 d of life with only sow colostrum (SC group n = 9), shea butter in addition to suckling (SCB group; n = 7) and a mixture of lyophilized bovine colostrum and shea butter in addition to suckling (BCB group; n = 8). Risk of diarrhea was not affected by the treatments, but BCB treatment tended to reduce it (P = 0.09). Diarrheal and healthy piglets had similar average levels of serum porcine IgG at 10 d (13.9 ± 1.6 mg/ml vs 14.7 ± 1.4 mg/ml, P > 0.05). No bovine IgG was detected in the piglets serum at 10 d of age. Serum porcine IgG at 10 d was not affected by the treatments (P > 0.05). However, bovine colostrum improved serum IgG at 49 d (P < 0.05).

Afin d’identifier les facteurs de risque associés aux taux de mortalités élevés et à la faible vitesse de croissance des porcelets en postsevrage observés dans les élevages porcins au Sud-Bénin, une étude diagnostique a été conduite en 2019 dans 129 élevages des départements de l’Ouémé et du Plateau sous forme d’enquêtes rétrospectives et d’observations directes sur ces élevages. Les résultats ont montré que les pratiques des éleveurs étaient surtout traditionnelles, basées sur la race locale, et tributaires des modes de divagation et de claustration. Les principaux facteurs de risque liés au statut de l’éleveur étaient l’âge moyen de 42 à 45 ans (supérieur à l’âge économiquement actif des agriculteurs), la presque absence de formation et le faible taux d’instruction. Les principaux facteurs de risque liés aux pratiques de reproduction étaient la divagation, la consanguinité entre verrat et femelles reproductrices, le non-respect des normes pour le logement des truies gravides et lactantes, l’absence de mesures d’hygiène et de soins préventifs et curatifs aux reproductrices et aux nouveau-nés, le non-respect des normes zootechniques d’alimentation des reproductrices, et la non-assistance de la truie lors de la mise bas. Dans ce contexte, les principales causes de mortalités étaient le cannibalisme, les accidents divers, le manque de lait, l’écrasement des porcelets et les pathologies. Les truies présentaient des mises bas difficiles et le syndrome agalactie-mammite. Chez les porcelets, les diarrhées, la conjonctivite, les plaies et le poids faible à la naissance étaient le plus souvent signalés. La prise en compte de ces facteurs et des atouts certains des élevages de porc local béninois contribuera à améliorer le système de gestion de la reproduction, et la productivité.