Reproductive performance of sheep and goats on backyard farms in southern Ghana

The reproductive performance of sheep and goats on backyard farms was studied in selected areas of southern Ghana. Out of 80 farms surveyed, 16 (20 percent) kept only goats while 38 (47.5 percent) kept only sheep; 26 (32.5 percent) had both species. Around 93 percent of the backyard farmers had 20 animals or less. The only breed of goats found on all the farms was the West African Dwarf, while the forest type sheep (Djallonke) was the predominant breed. The average ages at first parturition for sheep and goats were 13.2 and 11.0 months, respectively. Three lambings in two years occurred more frequently than 2 lambings a year. On the other hand, with respect to goats, 2 kiddings a year was more frequent than 3 kiddings in two years. The incidence of multiple births was observed to be higher in goats than in sheep. Single births were most common with sheep while twin births occurred more frequently in goats. The mean prolificacy values for sheep and goats were 1.3 and 1.8 respectively. Fertility was 93.9 percent in sheep and 99.0 percent in goats. The percentages of offspring weaned were 87.8 percent for sheep and 85.8 percent for goats