Study on the reproductive performance of Jersey cows at Wolaita Sodo dairy farm, Southern Ethiopia

Retrospective study was conducted in Wolaita Sodo State Dairy Farm, Southern Ethiopia, to assess the reproductive performance and herd life of Jersey cattle, and the associated factors. The study breed was mainly kept in the farm on pastureland and with some supplementary feeds. The results revealed an overall mean of age at first service, age at first calving, calving interval, interval between calving and effective service and number of services per conception of 722.24 days (SE=36.4), 1035.21 days (SE=12.59), 450.09 days (SE=6.60), 174.68 days (SE=8.61) and 1.79 (SE=0.06) respectively. All the traits were significantly influenced by year of birth (

Characterization of village chicken production performance under scavenging system in Halaba district of southern Ethiopia

Village chicken production was characterized using retrospective and crosssectional methods, where 280 households rearing local chickens in Halaba district of southern Ethiopia were used for data collection. The study revealed that the average flock size was 8.5 chickens (95% CI=7.98 – 9.08). The average number of chickens added to a flock annually was 28.3 birds (95% CI=27.76 – 28.86) while 22.9 birds (95% CI=22.36 – 23.53) were leaving the flock. The majority of the households (77.7%) constructed a wooden perch for night resting of their chickens inside the main house. Scavenging was the major avenue of feeding chickens. Most of the respondents (83.6%) practiced selection in their chicken flocks for females (68.4%) and both sexes (31.6%). The average number of eggs laid by local hen was 13.3 eggs/hen/clutch (95% CI=12.81 – 13.85) and the mean annual egg production was 50.8 eggs per year with an average clutching frequency of 3.8 clutches (95% CI = 3.69 – 3.92). The average clutch length was 26 days (95% CI = 24.92 – 27.08). While the age at first lay of village chickens was 6.53 months (95% CI = 6.45 – 6.61), the average weight at first lay was 0.91 kg (95% CI = 0.87 – 0.96). The mean egg weight for the village chickens was 39.4 g (95% CI = 38.79 – 39.91). The average hatchability of eggs in this study was 83.7 % (95% CI = 81.73 – 85.72). The survival rate of chicks to 6 months of age was 52.3% (95% CI = 51.09 - 53.45). It was concluded that village chicken production was characterized by low input and output system, and scavenging was the dominant form of feeding of village chicken.Key words: Village chicken – Scavenging – Productivity – Clutc

Postnatal Care within One Week and Associated Factors among Women Who Gave Birth in Ameya District, Oromia Regional State, Ethiopia, 2018: Cross Sectional Study

BACKGROUND: Globally recorded large number of maternal and neonatal deaths are related to complications during pregnancy, childbirth and post-partum. Most neonatal deaths occur during the first week of life. It is also evidenced that the level of postnatal care utilization in Ethiopia is very low. This study aimed to assess postnatal care utilization within one week and associated factors among women who had given birth in the last six weeks in Ameya district, Oromia, Ethiopia.METHODS: Cross sectional study design was employed on 332 study participants who were selected by systemic sampling method and interviewed using structured questionnaires. The data were analyzed using SPSS version 23.0. Bivariate and multivariate logistic regression analysis was used to identify the associated factors with the outcome variable. Figures, tables and sentences were used for the presentation of descriptive statistics.RESULT: The finding revealed that the proportion of postnatal care utilization within one-week in the study area is 25.3%. Partner occupation[AOR=5.575, 95% CI= (1.071, 29.023)], mothers who had complication during labor and delivery[AOR=7.841, 95% CI= (2.287, 26.879)], distance from mothers to health facilities[AOR=5.127, 95% CI= (1.149, 22.878)] and awareness on postnatal care within one week services[AOR=4.161, 95% CI= (1.300, 13.314)] were the main contributing factors of postnatal care utilization within one-week.CONCLUSION: Postnatal care utilization within one-week is very low (25.3%). Partner occupation, complication during labor and delivery, distance from health facilities and awareness on postnatal care within one week service were the associated factors

Detection and determination of Oxytetracycline and Penicillin G antibiotic residue levels in bovine bulk milk from Nazareth dairy farms, Ethiopia

A cross-sectional study was conducted between October 2007 and May 2008 to detect and determine oxytetracycline and penicillin G residue levels in bulk milk of cows in Nazareth dairy farms. A total of 400 bulk milk samples were randomly collected. All samples were qualitatively screened for antibiotic residues by Delvotest SP assay. Questionnaire survey was carried out by personal interviews with some of the dairy farm owners in Delvotest positive farms (cases) and Delvotest negative farms (controls) to identify various risk factors for the occurrence of antibiotic residue in milk. Farm management practices, disease conditions and treatment factors have been identified as the main risk factors. Concentration of Oxytetracycline and Penicillin G in the positive samples was determined by High Performance Liquid Chromatography. Out of 400 samples analyzed for antibiotic residue, 48 (12 %) milk samples were positive for antibiotic residues. The mean residue level of oxytetracycline was 125.25μg/l and that of penicillin G was 4.52 μg/l. Concentrations of oxytetracycline and penicillin G in all samples were between ranges of 45 -192 μg/l and 0-28 μg/l, respectively. The antibiotic residue positive samples which showed residues of oxytetracycline above the WTO/FAO/ CAC established maximum residue limit of 100μg/l were 40 (83.33%). For penicillin G, the number of samples above the maximum residue limit of 4μg/l, were 8 (16.66%). In conclusion, this study revealed that oxytetracycline and penicillin G were imprudently used in dairy farms of the study area.Keywords: Delvotest SP, High Performance Liquid Chromatography, Milk, Oxytetracycline, Penicillin G, Residu

Milk production performance of Jersey cows at Wolaita Sodo State Dairy Farm, Southern Ethiopia

This study was conducted in Wolaita Sodo State Dairy Farm to determine the milk yield, lactation length and productive herd life of Jersey cattle, and also the potential factors affecting these parameters. The Jersey cattle in the study farm were mainly kept on pastureland and with some supplementary feeds. The result of this study revealed that the overall mean values of milk yield, lactation length and lifetime milk yield were 1691.59 kg, 318.42 days and 5565.19 kg respectively. Milk yield, lactation and lactation length were significantly affected by year of calving and cattle source (p< 0.001). But lifetime milk yield was only affected by the year of calving (p< 0.01). Imported cattle had better lactation milk yield and length than those reared on farm. In addition, lactation length was significantly decreasing with parity number (p< 0.001). The overall mean values for total herd life, productive herd life and effective productive herd life were 2983.74 days, 2310.11 days and 1663.15 days, respectively. Year of birth affected the total and effective productive herd life (p< 0.01). Imported cattle had longer total (p< 0.01) and productive herd life (p< 0.05) than on-farm reared cattle. From this study it can be concluded that Jersey cattle kept in the study farm had low milk yield, but the total herd life, productive herd life and effective productive herd life in general were satisfactory.

Мирные средства урегулирования территориальных споров в Африке

Territorial issues are serious sources of constant tension, instability and inter-state armed conflicts in Africa. This article addresses the necessity to resolve territorial disputes between African States within the strict framework of regional and international organizations only by peaceful means.Территориальные проблемы являются серьезными источниками постоянной напряженности, нестабильности и межгосударственных вооруженных столкновений в Африке. В связи с этим в статье рассматривается необходимость разрешения территориальных споров между африканскими государствами строго в рамках региональных и международных организаций исключительно мирными средствами

Factors that Affect the implementation of Teaching Writing Skills: Focus on Second Cycle Primary Schools in North Shoa

The purpose of this study was to determine the variables affecting the implementation of writing skills instruction and learning in grades 7 and 8 in North Shoa Zone Second Cycle Primary schools. The study's primary purpose was to determine the difficulties encountered by English language instructors and students while teaching and learning to write in English classes. The research included the participation of 25 English language instructors and 1484 pupils from 14 Second Cycle Primary Schools. A questionnaire and an interview were used to obtain the required data. Questionnaires were completed by instructors and students, and English language teachers were interviewed. The questionnaire data was tallied and examined statistically in terms of frequency and percentage. Similarly, interview data were categorized and qualitatively characterized. The investigation revealed that the majority of instructors and students struggle with teaching and learning writing skills. Additionally, although both English instructors and students believe they are engaging in writing activities in the classroom, the students' writing performance is not as promising as shown by open-ended questions and comments from English language teachers interviewed. Several key suggestions are made in light of the results of this research in order to mitigate the issues that impede the efficient implementation of writing instruction and learning in second cycle primary schools. The primary recommendation is to offer enough training for English language instructors on how to teach writing skills, which will then be conveyed to students in order for them to enhance their writing performance

Effect of Brucella Infection on Reproduction Conditions of Female Breeding Cattle and Its Public Health Significance in Western Tigray, Northern Ethiopia

The most common clinical manifestations of brucellosis in livestock are associated with reproduction. This paper reports the result of a cross-sectional study conducted between October, 2007 and April, 2008 in Western Tigray, North Ethiopia, with the objectives of assessing the effect of Brucella infection on reproduction conditions of female breeding bovine and to explore the presence of Brucella seroreactors in vulnerable humans. A total of 1,354 and 246 sera were collected from female cattle and humans, respectively. The sera were screened using Rose Bengal plate test (RBPT), and positive samples were confirmed by complement fixation test (CFT). Reproductive conditions for female cattle and risk to human brucellosis seropositivity were tested by using logistic regression analysis. The result indicated that the overall prevalence in female cattle was 6.1%. The study showed 1.2% prevalence among human risk groups, all of which were herdsmen. Logistic regression identified parity status, calving interval, abortion history, and abortion period were significantly associated with seropositivity. The association was not significant with reproductive status and parity number. Proper hygienic practices and team work between veterinary and health personnel should improve the efforts to combat disease transmission

Investigating University EFL Teachers’ Perception, Practice, and Challenges in Self-Initiated Professional Development

The topic of self-initiated professional development has garnered increasing attention among English as a Foreign Language (EFL) teachers who are motivated to identify and address gaps in their professional development. This study aimed to investigate the perceptions, practices, and challenges of EFL teachers at Addis Ababa Science and Technology University with regard to self-initiated professional development. The participants consisted of 35 EFL instructors with 12 holding PhD degrees and the remaining 23 holding MA degrees at Addis Ababa Science and Technology University. The study adopted a concurrent mixed methods research design, utilizing both a questionnaire and semi-structured interviews for data collection. The study employed a total population sampling method and conducted semi-structured interviews with four randomly selected EFL teachers. Data analysis was performed separately for the questionnaire and interview data, followed by a mixed analysis to triangulate and corroborate the results. The findings revealed that the majority of the EFL teachers had a positive perception of self-initiated professional development, which was reflected in their practice of self-monitoring and analyzing critical incidents. However, the teachers did not engage in practices such as keeping a teaching journal, conducting action research, reflecting on their teaching, or developing a teaching portfolio. The challenges to self-initiated professional development were identified as lack of commitment, collaboration among colleagues, communication, and institutional support. This study highlights the potential of self-initiated professional development as an alternative means of addressing professional development needs among EFL teachers