Use of Remedies by Illiterate Small-Scale Farmers for Treatment of Livestock Diseases in Bozwana Village, Lady Frere at Eastern Cape Province of South Africa

Remedies used by rural farmers for their livestock production are divided into two; conventional medicine and also the non-conventional medicine. Both of these remedies are very important in livestock production and are used worldwide. Small-scale farmers use both conventional and non-conventional medicine to treat livestock diseases, in order to improve livestock production. However, most of them are illiterate thus they cannot follow the procedures of drug administration properly, as much as they find conventional drugs to be expensive. Therefore most of resource-limited farmers use ethno-veterinary medicines as their alternative, because they find the remedies to be cheap, easy to access and the procedures are easy to follow when administering as compared to conventional medicine. The main objective of this study was to assess the factors that influence the use of remedies by small-scale livestock farmers. The study was conducted at Bozwana Village, Lady Frere at Eastern Cape, South Africa. The results showed that illiteracy has an effect in the appropriate use of conventional remedies, while employment status did not affect any types of remedies use. It showed that 65.50% of the Bozwana Village used conventional remedies to treat their livestock, while 48.04% solely use non-conventional remedies. Keywords: Conventional, Education, employment, farmers, non-conventional, Remedie

THE USE OF LINEAR BODY MEASUREMENTS PREDICTORS OF BODY WEIGHT OF DONKEYS AT BLOUBERG LOCAL MUNICIPALITY, LIMPOPO, SOUTH AFRICA

The current study was conducted to estimate body weight (BW) by using body measurements including thoracic circumference (TC), withers height (WH), body length (BL), rump height (RH) and front leg length (FLL) of donkeys. The study was conducted at three villages (Thorne, Archibalt, and Genau) of Blouberg Local Municipality, Limpopo, South Africa. A total of 74 donkeys (40 males and 34 females) aged from 3 to 4 years were used in the current study. Data were analyzed using Pearson correlation and simple linear regression. Correlation results indicated that in female donkeys, BW had positive and highly statistical significant (p 0.01) correlation with WH (r = 0.67) and not significant correlated (p 0.05) with TC (r = 0.14) and FLL (r = 0.28). In male donkeys, BW had positive and highly statistical significant (p 0.01) correlation with RH (r = 0.60) and not significant correlated (p 0.05) to FLL (r = 0.27). Regression findings indicated that WH had the highest R2 = 0.45 in female donkeys, while RH had the highest R2 = 0.36 in male donkeys

A Study of Relationship between Body Weight and Morphological Traits by using Path Analysis in South African Indigenous Sheep

The aim of this study was to determine the relationship between five body measurement traits [hip height (HH), shoulder height (SH), body length (BL), heart girth (HG) and head width (HW)] and body weight of South African indigenous sheep (rams). For this purpose, data was collected from 96 rams of community farmers. Correlations and path analysis were executed for identifying the significant contribution of some morphological traits on body weight. Results of this study indicated that these body measurement traits especially body length and heart girth could be used as selection criteria for body weight in South African indigenous rams during breeding purposes. Keywords: sheep, shoulder height, body weight, body length, heart girth, head width, morphometri

Investigation of Egg Quality Characteristics Affecting Egg Weight of Lohmann Brown Hen with Data Mining Methods

Hen egg weight is one of the most important traits in the egg production industry; however, the egg traits influencing it are poorly understood. Random forest (RF), multivariate adaptive regression spline (MARS), classification and regression trees (CART), bagging MARS, chi-square automatic interaction detector (CHAID), and exhaustive CHAID were used in egg weight (EW) prediction from selected egg quality characteristics in chicken. A total of 400 egg weight (EW), egg length (EL), egg width (EWD), shell weight (SW), yolk weight (YW), and albumen weight (AW) predictors were turned into account. The goodness-of-fit criteria were used to select the best model to estimate Lohman Brown hen egg weight. The data was separated into train and test datasets for validation using a 10-fold cross-validation. The most significant EW predictors were albumen weight, egg width, and egg length. The correlation coefficient (r) value ranged from 0.957 (CHAID) to 0.99999 (MARS and Bagging MARS). The lowest RMSE (0.001) was found for MARS and bagging MARS algorithms and the highest (2.154) was obtained for CHAID. In general, the implemented algorithms excellently predicted the EW of hens. The ascertainment of the egg quality characteristics associated with EW using data mining algorithms can be considered an indirect selection criterion for further chicken breeding programs

Effectiveness of elephantorhiza elephantina as traditional plant used as the alternative for controlling coccidia infections in goats.

Elephantorrhiza elephantina Bruch Skeels is used by farmers in the Eastern Cape Province of South Africa to control Gastro-intestinal parasites in goats. The objective of the study was to determine the effects of E. elephantina on coccidia oocysts and determine the effectiveness of the dose levels on goats. Thirty six goats (18 males and 18 females) between ages of 8-12 months were used; randomly assigned to six treatments (A-F).  Treatments A and B received Prodose orange® at 2ml/10kg and distilled water at 0.5 ml/kg per goat respectively, whereas treatments C (12.5mg/ml), D (25mg/ml), E (50mg/ml) and F (75mg/ml) received aqueous extract of E. elephantina at different concentrations dosed at 2ml/10kg.  Faecal samples were collected on first month, second month and third month for faecal egg counts (FEC) and body-weights recorded to assess weight changes. Animals receiving the extract had weight increases of between 3 to 4 kg by end of experiment, but those drenched with Prodose orange ® gained by less than 2 kg. Findings are indicative that E. elephantina possess some anti-coccidian properties against coccidia oocysts in goats. Keywords: Elephantorrhiza elephantina; faecal egg counts; coccidia oocysts, Ethno-veterinary medicine

Assessing the effect of nutrition on milk composition of dairy cows: A review

Abstract The main objective of this study was to investigate the effects of nutrition on the milk composition of dairy cows used in the commercial pasture and supplement based dairy enterprises. Most dairy farmers tend to give more attention to the overall milk yield in their dairy cows and pay less attention to the overall milk components of a their dairy herd. However, consumers and dairy product producing companies that buy milk from dairy farms are more interested in milk components than milk yield. Hence, milk of dairy farmers known to produce milk that has high percentage of components such as fat and protein tend to be more profitable in markets than milk with low percentage of these components. Milk quality problems of the overall dairy herd of a farm are more likely affected by nutrition which is in turn affects milk composition. Therefore, poor knowledge of the relationship between dairy cow nutrition and milk components results in production of low quality milk with low milk

Weed Infestation Rate and Effect on the Cultivated Pasture Productivity at University of Fort Hare Dairy Trust, South Africa

Pasture-based dairy farming is widely practised along coastline of South Africa. Cultivated pastures serves as cheapest source of protein for dairy cows of these dairy farms; although, unwanted plants (weeds) reduce their production. Here, we evaluate the weed infestation rate with its effect on the biomass production of the cultivated pasture. Weeds exert a competition which can cause considerable pasture yield reduction. A total of 6 camps were selected for this study. Selection criteria included the presence of weeds on three camps that were previously applied roundup herbicide and three camps that were not applied roundup herbicide. And also, different levels of weed infestation were considered. The application of roundup herbicide did not really affect weed infestation. Thus, indicates that some are resistant to the herbicide. Moreover, high infestation of weeds has a significant effect on the total biomass production. From these findings, nutritional analysis of these weeds would be necessary to examine the quality or condition of weeds in terms toxicity levels. Thus, also test out whether those weeds contribute on the total biomass does not have smell on the feed that could affect feed intake or quality of the milk. Key words: Weeds infestation, cultivated pastures, Weed densit

Predicting body weight of Kalahari Red goats from linear body measurements using data mining algorithms

Background and Aim: The Kalahari Red goat breed is the finest meat-producing species in South Africa, and its coat color ranges from light to dark red-brown. A practical approach to estimating their body weight (BW) using linear body measurements is still scarce. Therefore, this study aimed to determine the best data mining technique among classification and regression trees (CART), Chi-square automatic interaction detection (CHAID), and exhaustive CHAID (Ex-CHAID) for predicting the BW of Kalahari Red goats. Materials and Methods: This study included 50 Kalahari Red goats (does = 42 and bucks = 8) aged 3–5 years. Body length (BL), heart girth (HG), rump height (RH), height at withers (WH), sex, and age were the essential indicators to estimate BW. The best model was chosen based on the goodness of fit, such as adjusted coefficient of determination (Adj. R2), coefficient of determination (R2), root mean square error (RMSE), standard deviation ratio (SD ratio), mean absolute percentage error, Akaike information criteria, relative approximation error, and coefficient of variation. Results: The SD values of the ratio ranged from 0.32 (CART) to 0.40 (Ex-CHAID). The greatest R2 (%) was established for CART (89.23), followed by CHAID (81.99), and the lowest was established for Ex-CHAID (81.70). CART was established as the preferred algorithm with BL, HG, and WH as critical predictors. The heaviest BW (73.50 kg) was established in four goats with BL higher than 92.5 cm. Conclusion: This study reveals that CART is the optimum model with BL, HG, and WH as the essential linear body measurements for estimating BW for Kalahari Red goats. The updated records will assist the rural farmers in making precise judgments for various objectives, such as marketing, breeding, feeding, and veterinary services in remote areas where weighing scales are unavailable

Relationship between body measurement traits, udder measurement traits and milk yield of Saanen goats in Capricorn district of South Africa

La asociación entre las mediciones corporales y las mediciones de la ubre se puede utilizar para mejorar la producción de leche. El objetivo del estudio fue investigar la correlación entre los rasgos de mediciones de la ubre y la producción de leche. El estudio se realizó en el pueblo de Sikline en Mankweng, distrito de Capricorn de la provincia de Limpopo, Sudáfrica, donde se utilizó un total de 30 cabras Saanen lactantes. Se utilizó la técnica de correlación de Pearson para el análisis de los datos. Los resultados mostraron una correlación significativa (P<0.05) entre la distancia entre pezones y la producción de leche (r= 0.45) y una correlación negativa altamente significativa (P˂0.01) entre el diámetro del pezón y la producción de leche (r= -0.57). El peso corporal y la producción de leche (r= 0.54) tuvieron una correlación positiva altamente significativa (P˂0.01). El hallazgo del presente estudio implica que el peso corporal y la distancia entre pezones se puede utilizar para mejorar la producción de leche en las cabras Saanen. El hallazgo del estudio podría usarse para predecir la producción de leche de las cabras Saanen. Sin embargo, es necesario realizar más estudios sobre la relación de las mediciones corporales y de la ubre y la producción de leche utilizando un tamaño de muestra más grande.The association between body measurements and udder measurements can be used towards the improvement of milk yield. The objective of the study was to investigate the correlation between udder measurement traits and milk yield. The study was conducted at Sikline village in Mankweng, Capricorn district of Limpopo province, South Africa where a total number of 30 lactating Saanen goats were used. Pearson’s correlation technique was used for data analysis. The results showed a significant (P<0.05) correlation between distance between teats and milk yield (r= 0.45) and a highly negative significant (P˂0.01) correlation between teat diameter and milk yield (r= -0.57). Body weight and milk yield (r= 0.54) had a highly positive significant correlation (P˂0.01).  The finding of the current study implies that body weight and distance between teats can be used to improve the milk yield in Saanen goats. The finding of the study might be used to predict the milk yield of Saanen goats. However, further studies need to be conducted on relation of body and udder measurements and milk yield using higher sample size

Evaluation of breeding practices and morphological characterization of donkeys in Blouberg Local Municipality, Limpopo province: Implication for the design of community-based breeding programme.

Identification of livestock farmers' breeding practices and morphological characterization of livestock are the important first steps to the successful implementation of any breeding programme. Community-based breeding programme (CBBP) has gained attention as a promising method for the genetic improvement of livestock but lacks information on donkey breeding. The study was conducted to identify donkey farmers' breeding practices and donkey morphological characterization in three purposely selected villages (Thorne, Archibalt and Genau) located in Blouberg Local Municipality, Limpopo province of South Africa. Questionnaire survey method was used to collect the data from twenty-one donkey farmers while body weight and seventeen morphological traits were measured for the morphological characterization from seventy-four donkeys. Descriptive statistics and index values were computed to describe donkey breeding practices. Chi-square statistics were used to compare categorical variables among villages. General Linear Model procedure was used to compare morphological characteristics of donkeys among villages. The results revealed that there was no statistical different (P>0.05) observed on socio-economic characteristics of donkey farmers except on education level (P0.05) among villages. The most common trait preferences of donkey farmers among the surveyed villages were body size and growth rate in breeding males while in breeding females were body size, twining ability and mothering ability. The results indicated that in all the eighteen measured traits only four showed a significant difference (P<0.05) among the villages and some were significantly correlated with body weight (P<0.05). The results of this study will serves as basis for the development and implementation of CBBPs for donkey farmers at Blouberg Local Municipality of South Africa