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

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

Infection-interactions in Ethiopian village chickens

Chickens raised under village production systems are exposed to a wide variety of pathogens, and current or previous infections may affect their susceptibility to further infections with another parasite, and/or can alter the manifestation of each infection. It is possible that co-infections may be as important as environmental risk factors. However, in cross-sectional studies, where the timing of infection is unknown, apparent associations between infections may be observed due to parasites sharing common risk factors. This study measured antibody titres to 3 viral (Newcastle disease, Marek's disease and infectious bursal disease) and 2 bacterial (Pasteurella multocida and Salmonella) diseases, and the infection prevalence of 3 families of endo- and ecto-parasites (Ascaridida, Eimeria and lice) in 1056 village chickens from two geographically distinct populations in Ethiopia. Samples were collected during 4 cross-sectional surveys, each approximately 6 months apart. Constrained ordination, a technique for analysis of ecological community data, was used to explore this complex dataset and enabled potential relationships to be uncovered and tested despite the different measurements used for the different parasites. It was found that only a small proportion of variation in the data could be explained by the risk factors measured. Very few birds (9/1280) were found to be seropositive to Newcastle disease. Positive relationships were identified between Pasteurella and Salmonella titres; and between Marek's disease and parasitic infections, and these two groups of diseases were correlated with females and males, respectively. This may suggest differences in the way that the immune systems of male and female chickens interact with these parasites. In conclusion, we find that a number of infectious pathogens and their interactions are likely to impact village chicken health and production. Control of these infections is likely to be of importance in future development planning

Seroprevalence of Brucella abortus infection in the crossbred dairy cattle in Tigray Region, Northern Ethiopia

No AbstractBulletin of Animal Health and Production in Africa Vol. 55 (3) 2007: pp. 195-19

Study on Gastrointestinal Helminthes of Backyard Local Chickens in East Shoa Zone of Oromia Regional State, Ethiopia

A study was conducted to determine the prevalence of gastrointestinal helminthes in chickens raised under traditional management system in three selected agro ecological areas of East Shoa namely Akaki, Ada’a and Adama. The study showed that 517 (86.17%) of the examined chickens (n= 600) were found to be infected with various helminthes. Out of 600 chickens, 370 (61.65%) carried nematodes including Ascaridia galli (45.2%), Hetrakis gallinarium (18.2%), Capillaria spp (0.66%), Trichostrongylus tennis (1%) and Subulura spp (9%). The predominant cestodes recovered included Ralletina tetragona (21.8%), Ralletina echinobothria (32.9%), Ralletina cesticulus (5.7%), Davina proglottina (1.8%), Amoebotaenia sphrnoides (2%), Choanotania infundibulum (2.2%) and Hymenelopsis spp (1.6%). The over all mean (+ SD) nematode burden per chicken was 9.5+ 8.6. The highest mean ((± SD) nematode count per chicken obtained was 12.1± 10.8 from Ada’a (Mid altitude) where as the over all mean (± SD) cestode burden per chicken was 10.0± 9.7. The highest mean cestode count per chicken was 10.6±10.4 from Ada’a. Mixed infection of both nematode and cestode was encountered in 195 (32.5%) of the cases

Seroprevalence Study Of Bovine Brucellosis In Extensive Management System In Selected Sites Of Jimma Zone, Western Ethiopia

The prevalence of bovine brucellosis was measured in cross sectional study in Jimma zone, Western Ethiopia using Rose Bengal Plate Test (RBT) and CFT from October 2003 to April 2004. The study animals consisted of 1305 local breed found in extensive system in five districts of in the zone. The overall individual animal prevalence and herd prevalence of 0.77% and 2.9% were recorded in five districts, respectively. Higher prevalences were observed in larger herd size (P< 0.001); older age groups were affected more than younger animals (