COMPARATIVE PERFORMANCE OF COBB 500 BROILERS FED DIETS BASED ON TWO SORGHUM bicolor CULTIVARS IN BOTSWANA

A study was conducted to compare the performance of broiler birds fed diets made of two sorghum cultivars with that of birds fed commercial maize based diet in Botswana. Two hundred and ten, Cobb 500 day old broiler birds with initial body weight of 45 g were randomly allocated equally to three treatment diets (commercial, Segaolane and Phofu) according to a complete random block design. Each treatment was replicated twice. The period lasted for five weeks in which chicks, feed intake and feed refusals were weighed weekly. Feed intake of broiler chicks fed commercial diets of 5087.6±SE g was significantly (P 0.05). The two sorghum cultivars reduced feed intake, feed efficiency and weight gain of broiler birds. They also had similar nutritive value and effects on broiler birds; therefore, they could be included in poultry feeds and may have fewer adverse effects on broiler birds’ performance since no mortalities were recorded. Since the sorghum diets used in the study were all-mash, there might have been an influence of particle size and texture on the performance of broiler birds, hence there is need to pellet these diets so that the influence of particle size and texture could be removed

The establishment, composition and severity of infection of gastro-intestinal parasites and their impact on productivity of Tswana kids in southern Botswana

The presence of gastrointestinal parasites in Tswana kids ( n = 7) aged 1-3 weeks was studied for a period of 6 months at the Botswana College of Agriculture. The aims of this study were to find the time when they first contracted internal parasite infections, as well as to determine the severity of the infections and also its relation to production indicators (body mass and packed cell volume) of the kids as they grew older. The results indicate that they contracted coccidial and roundworm infections at approximately one month of age or immediately thereafter. The most prevalent internal parasite was coccidia, which occurred throughout the study period, followed by roundworms, and the least was the tapeworm, Moniezia expansa. Generally, the infection levels of all internal parasites were lower than the critical mean log (faecal oocyst/egg count + 1) of 3.3 inferred to cause reduced production in small stock. The correlation coefficients were all positive; 0.4-0.9 for individual internal parasites and production indicators, indicating that these internal parasites did not have any adverse effects on production. It was concluded that there was no need to treat kids of this age group for internal parasites.The articles have been scanned in colour with a HP Scanjet 5590; 600dpi. Adobe Acrobat v.9 was used to OCR the text and also for the merging and conversion to the final presentation PDF-format.Botswana College of Agriculturemn201

The prevalence of internal and external parasites in pigs of different ages and sexes in Southeast District, Botswana

Botswana imports most pig-based products from neighbouring countries. Pig farming is limited by, among other things, the negative effect of parasites and diseases on production. The object of this study was to determine the prevalence of ecto- and endoparasites in pigs of different ages and sexes in the Southeast District of Botswana. Thirty-nine pigs were sampled for endoparasites and 19 for ectoparasites during a period of 2 1/2 months. Of all the pigs sampled, 54,55% were infected with Ascaris suum, 20,45 % with Trichostrongylus spp. and 6,82 % with Trichuris suis. Ascaris suum was found to be the most common endoparasite infesting both mature, i.e. 12 months and older, and young, i.e. less than 12 months old, pigs. Although not significantly different (P > 0,05), the prevalence of this parasite species was slightly higher (68,42 % with an average of 1 023 ± 545 eggs per gram (EPG) of faeces per pig) in mature than in young pigs (55 % with an average of 1 500 ± 846 EPG of faeces per pig). The prevalence of Trichostrongylus spp. was lower in mature (5,26% with 20 ± 14 EPG of faeces per pig) than in young pigs (25 % with 22 ± 9 EPG of faeces per pig). The prevalence of T. suis was also lower in mature (0 % infection) than in young pigs (15 % with 9 ± 4 EPG of faeces per pig). The prevalence of the three endoparasite species was not significantly different between the sexes A. suum (1 020 ± 883 v. 1 503 ± 522 EPG of faeces per pig), Trichostrongylus spp. (24 ± 14 v. 18 ± 8 EPG of faeces per pig) and T. suis (11 ± 6 v. 2 ± 4 EPG of faeces per pig) for male and female pigs respectively. Sarcoptes scabiei was the only ectoparasite identified on the pigs sampled for external parasites. It infested 40 % of all pigs but the infestation on young pigs (70 %) was higher than on the mature ones (33,33 %). Since the infection of internal and external parasites was similar in young and old pigs of both sexes, controlling parasites is of great importance since these generally lead to reduced production and are also of public health concern . It is recommended that a further study be carried out to investigate the effect of internal and external parasites on productivity.The articles have been scanned in colour with a HP Scanjet 5590; 600dpi. Adobe Acrobat v.9 was used to OCR the text and also for the merging and conversion to the final presentation PDF-format.Botswana College of Agriculture.mn201

Phenotypic and genetic characterization of indigenous Tswana goats

Tswana goats that were kept in communal systems in three agro-ecological regions in Botswana were characterized according to phenotypic measurements and genotypic data. Objective measurements for 123 goats included bodyweight (BW), body length (BL), heart girth (HG), height at withers (HW), and tail length (TL), while qualitative traits included coat colour and presence or absence of horns and beards. Age was estimated based on dentition. Hair samples were collected from 48 of the phenotyped animals in the largest region (central region) and genotyped with the Illumina Goat50K SNP chip. Mixed coat colour was predominant and across regions 95% of the goats were horned and bearded. Goats in the northwest region had the lowest BW and significantly higher HG values in all age groups compared with other regions. Goats over four years old in the central and northwest regions were significantly longer in body compared with the ones from the southern region. The average expected heterozygosity and inbreeding coefficient were 0.423 ± 0.03 and 0.009 ± 0.05, respectively. Principal component analysis clustered most animals, with a few outliers. The effective population size has decreased over time and at 13 generations ago was estimated at 266. There were high genetic and phenotypic variations in the indigenous Tswana goats, which should be exploited to increase performance through within-breed selection and structured crossbreeding.Botswana University of Agriculture and Natural resources (BUAN) and Organisation of Women in Science for the Developing World (OSWD).https://www.sasas.co.za/resources/sa-journal-animal-scienceam2019Animal and Wildlife Science

CHARACTERISTICS OF SMALL-HOLDER DAIRY GOAT PRODUCTION IN THREE DISTRICTS OF BOTSWANA

Small-holder dairy goat production systems are potentially important among the avenues of food production and provides a regular income and work for the less resourced households. Dairy goat production in Botswana has not gained much popularity due to the fact that dairy goats and goat milk has not been the subject of much research and development and is not among the local milk production improvement schemes. The objectives of this study were to describe the smallholder dairy goat production in Central, Kgatleng and Kweneng districts of Botswana, identify their production challenges and marketing opportunities; and suggest strategies that can be used to increase local dairy goat milk yield. Data were collected using structured questionnaires and through direct observations. There were only 12 dairy goat farmers in the study area. The results showed that majority of dairy goat farmers held a junior degree qualification (9/12) and had less than five years keeping dairy goats. Fifty-two per cent (52%) of the 100 dairy goat breeds kept by farmers were the Saanen, 30% indigenous x exotic crosses, 12% Toggenburg and 6% British Alpine. Dairy goat farmers practised a semi-intensive production system with average milk production estimated to be 2kg/d milk per goat at peak lactation. Insufficient quality feeds, unavailability of breeding stock, and lack of financial assistance to dairy goat farming were the major constraints to dairy goat farmers. The opportunities that were available to dairy goat farmers included the high local milk demand, potentials for dairy goat stud breeding and fodder production. In conclusion, local dairy goat farmers should be up skilled on the management principles of dairy goat production. They should also adopt proper breeding strategies and feed local affordable quality feeds in order to increase the productivity of dairy goats in Botswana. We recommend the government to promote dairy goat production and consider it as an economic diversification derive by including goat milk production in local milk production improvement schemes

The impact of traditional management on seasonal internal parasite burdens and productivity of indigenous Tswana goats in southern Botswana

Data collected monthly over a period of two years were live weight, packed cell volume (PCV), nematode faecal egg counts (FECs) and coccidial oocyst counts from faecal analyses for 100 mixed age (3-7 years) indigenous Tswana does. The aims of this experiment were to determine seasonal FECs and coccidial oocysts in these goats and quantify the relationships of these burdens to liveweight and PCV. FECs significantly ( P<0.05) varied with season, with the warmer seasons viz spring, summer and autumn having higher log (x+1) parasite burdens than the cooler winter, while seasonal trends for coccidial oocysts were not obvious. PCV was also significantly ( P<0.05) lower in the warmer seasons than winter. FECs and coccidial oocysts in all seasons were less than the mean log (x+1) of 3.3 inferred to reduce production in small stock. Correlation coefficients were strongly negative: -0.95 for FECs and liveweight and -0.84 for FECS and PCV, indicating that these worms had a negative impact on productivity. A further study should be conducted to quantify the effects of controlling these parasites during the warm seasons on productivity.The articles have been scanned in colour with a HP Scanjet 5590; 600dpi. Adobe Acrobat v.9 was used to OCR the text and also for the merging and conversion to the final presentation PDF-format.Botswana College of Agricultur

Phenotypic and genetic characterization of indigenous Tswana goats

Tswana goats that were kept in communal systems in three agro-ecological regions in Botswana were characterized according to phenotypic measurements and genotypic data. Objective measurements for 123 goats included bodyweight (BW), body length (BL), heart girth (HG), height at withers (HW), and tail length (TL), while qualitative traits included coat colour and presence or absence of horns and beards. Age was estimated based on dentition. Hair samples were collected from 48 of the phenotyped animals in the largest region (central region) and genotyped with the Illumina Goat50K SNP chip. Mixed coat colour was predominant and across regions 95% of the goats were horned and bearded. Goats in the northwest region had the lowest BW and significantly higher HG values in all age groups compared with other regions. Goats over four years old in the central and northwest regions were significantly longer in body compared with the ones from the southern region. The average expected heterozygosity and inbreeding coefficient were 0.423 ± 0.03 and 0.009 ± 0.05, respectively. Principal component analysis clustered most animals, with a few outliers. The effective population size has decreased over time and at 13 generations ago was estimated at 266. There were high genetic and phenotypic variations in the indigenous Tswana goats, which should be exploited to increase performance through within-breed selection and structured crossbreeding.Keywords: Botswana, genomic diversity, morphometric, population size, Single nucleotide polymorphism

Body weight, body condition score and heart girth in indigenous Tswana goats during the dry and wet seasons in southeast Botswana

Body condition scoring (BCS) is a simple and easy technique, which allows subjective assessment of an animal’s body composition to help in adopting appropriate management strategy. Information on BCS is not available for indigenous Tswana goats. The aims of this study were to establish the relationships among body weight, body condition score and heart girth in indigenous Tswana goats raised under extensive and semi-intensive management during the dry and wet seasons in southeast Botswana. A total of 100 indigenous Tswana goats, owned by farmers and managed extensively, in wet and dry seasons, were used in Experiment 1; while 50 mature indigenous Tswana goats from the Botswana College of Agriculture were used in Experiment 2 in the dry season only under semi-intensive management. In both experiments, data were collected fortnightly on body weight, body condition score and heart girth for 12-20 weeks. Season significantly affected BCS, with lower scores (2.17±0.10 to 2.65±0.10) in the dry season than in the wet season (3.17±0.10 to 3.79±0.11), but has no effect on body weight or heart girth. Management did not significantly affect body condition score. There was no apparent relationship between body weight and condition score. Body weight was closely correlated with heart girth under extensive management in the wet season but not in the dry season. It is concluded that BCS is a more useful indicator of seasonal nutritional effects in goats than body weight or heart girth

The impact of traditional management on seasonal internal parasite burdens and productivity of indigenous Tswana goats in southern Botswana

Data collected monthly over a period of two years were live weight, packed cell volume (PCV), nematode faecal egg counts (FECs) and coccidial oocyst counts from faecal analyses for 100 mixed age (3-7 years) indigenous Tswana does. The aims of this experiment were to determine seasonal FECs and coccidial oocysts in these goats and quantify the relationships of these burdens to liveweight and PCV. FECs significantly (P < 0.05) varied with season, with the warmer seasons viz spring, summer and autumn having higher log (x + 1) parasite burdens than the cooler winter, while seasonal trends for coccidial oocysts were not obvious. PCV was also significantly (P< 0.05) lower in the warmer seasons than winter. FECs and coccidial oocysts in all seasons were less than the mean log (x + 1) of 3.3 inferred to reduce production in small stock. Correlation coefficients were strongly negative: -0.95 for FECs and liveweight and -0.84 for FECS and PCV, indicating that these worms had a negative impact on productivity. A further study should be conducted to quantify the effects of controlling these parasites during the warm seasons on productivity