No abstract

A cross sectional study was conducted from April to June, 2016 with the objective of assessing the beef cattle fattening practices and its challenges in and around Mekelle. Accordingly, data was collected from all (N=108) beef cattle fatteners in the study area, by face-to-face interview using a pretested structured and semi-structured questionnaires. Moreover, participatory group focused discussion and personal observation were among the tools used to collect relevant data for this study. Based on the results of the current study, all of the interviewed farmers use male animals for fattening purpose. The farmers use different criteria to select the best animals to be fattened, and age, body size and body condition status of the animals are among the major ones. Regarding the housing condition of the animals to be fattened, 61.1% of the fattening houses had complete roof and side walls to protect the animals from predators and being exposed to rain and sun light. On the other hand, 38.9% of the fattening houses were constructed without roof, but fenced with different locally available fencing materials, such as wood, thorny plants and stones. Almost all (97.2%) of the fattening houses' floors were soil type without drainage system. The beef cattle fattening in the study area is challenged by different constraints, such as shortage of feed (100%), shortage of land (78.7%), market problem (75.9%), and diseases (58.3%). Therefore, it is very important to solve these constraints to enhance production and productivity of the beef cattle, and thereby improve the livelihood of the farmers in the study area.

Infestation by external parasites causes mortality, decreased productivity and financial loss in the animal exports. A cross sectional study was conducted from November, 2016 to April, 2017 in and around Haramaya University, Eastern Oromia region, Ethiopia to determine the prevalence, host risk factors and identify ectoparasites on small ruminants. Accordingly, a total of 384 small ruminants (190 sheep, and 194 goats) were randomly selected and examined for the presence of ectoparasites. Then, samples of ectoparasites were collected manually and put in clean universal bottles containing 70% ethanol. The samples were transported to the Haramaya University Veterinary Parasitology laboratory and identified to genus/species level under stereomicroscope. The overall prevalence of ectoparasites was 98% (sheep 55.8% and goats 42.2%), and the major identified ectoparasites were ticks 80 (20.8%), lice 78 (20.3%) and fleas 70 (7.8%). The genus/species of the identified ectoparasites were lice (Damalina ovis, 12.8% and Linognathus stenopsis, 7.5%), fleas (Ctenocephalus, 7.8), ticks (Ambyloma variegatum, 6.8%, Boophilus decoloratus, 9.4%, Rhipicephalus evertsi evertsi, 2.9% and Hyalomma truncatum, 1.8%). Host risk factors such as sex, species, breed, body condition score and physiological status (pregnancy) were significantly associated (p<0.05) with the overall prevalence of ectoparasites in small ruminants. According to this study, there was high prevalence of ectoparasites in small ruminants of the study area. Therefore, to minimize this high prevalence of ectoparasites in small ruminants and their impacts, appropriate and strategic control measures are paramount important.

A cross-sectional study was conducted from March to June 2016 on randomly selected 250 households who reared goats in Emba Alaje District to assess management practices of central highland goats and their major constraints. A pretested and semi-structured questionnaire was used to collect the required data. Out of the total respondents, 213 (85.2%) were male and 38% of them had a basic education. Almost all 249 (99.6%) of the respondents practiced a mixed crop livestock production system, and majority of them (85.2%) reared goats for an immediate cash source. About 78.8% of the respondents had a separate farming area for their goats. Regarding the feeding management, majority of the respondents, 223 (89.2%) used a communal grazing/browsing area. Provision of supplementary feeds for goats was not common, and the breeding system was almost uncontrolled. Majority of the respondents 154, (61.65%) did not select buck for breeding, and 88 (35.2%) of them did not know the source of the bucks that mated their goats. In the present study, 100% of the respondents complained that, there were diseases that affected the health and production of their goats, of which 33.6% of the respondents complained, pasteurellosis as one of the major goats' diseases in the study area. Feed shortage (36%) and diseases (33.6%) were among the major constraints raised by the respondents. Therefore, solving the above constraints is of paramount importance to improve the goat production potential and livelihood of the farmers in the study area.

A cross sectional study was conducted from November 2016 to April 2017 in Minjar Shenkora district, Amhara region, to assess marketing, customer preference and health management of chickens kept in intensive and in free production systems. Eight out of twenty nine Kebeles were purposively selected based on their poultry production potential and level if intensification. Data was collected from randomly selected 250 poultry producers by interview using structured and semi-structured questionnaire survey, group focused discussion and observation. The production systems were, intensive (36%) and free range (64%), and 66.6% of the producers were rearing chickens for income generation. Chickens in the present study were, cross breed (48.4%), and local breed (51.6%). This study indicated that, 93.6% of the poultry producers complained that, Newcastle Castle Disease (24%), Fowl pox (40%), Gumboro (20%), Coccidiosis (8) and others (8%) as the major poultry diseases in the study area. It was revealed that, 94.4% of the poultry producers have lack of market for their products due to fasting periods and customers preference. Age, sex, color, breed and other traits of the chickens were identified as the major customers' selection criteria. Therefore, designing disease control strategies, creating market linkage and rearing of chickens with desirable traits is very important to develop the poultry sector and improve the livelihood of the poultry producers in the study district.