163 research outputs found
Characterization of Sheep Fattening Cooperatives in Ethiopia: Member Satisfaction and Female Participation
No full textCooperatives play crucial roles in economic and social development of both men and women. The study was conducted to determine the participation of sheep farmers in sheep fattening cooperatives (SFC) in four regional states of Ethiopia with a special focus on women. Variables studied included characteristics of members, length of membership (LM), extent of participation in decision making (EPDM), satisfaction of the level of management (SLM), interaction with cooperative officials (ICO), interaction with members (ICM), satisfaction level on interaction (SLI), members taken into consideration (MTC), annual revenue of the cooperative (ARC), share of meetings attended (SMA), Fifty four legally registered SFC were selected purposively based on their current status and their accessibility. Probability proportionate to size (PPS) technique was used to determine the number of producer members to be studied. A total of 314 members and 54 chairpersons of the cooperatives were interviewed using structured questionnaires. Descriptive statistics (mean, percentage and frequency) and econometric model (tobit and logit) were employed for data analysis using Statistical Analytic Software (SAS) ver. 9.2. Results showed that the majority (69.7%) of members in SFC were men. The SFC in this study showed no trend of increasing membership. Members (53.8) participated moderately in decision making, while 38% had a moderate level of satisfaction in the management. There were high levels of interaction as shown by proportions of producer members who interacted with officials (58.8%) and among themselves (60.4). The proportion of members who attended all cooperative meetings was 30.6%. There were no correlations between age of members and length of membership with other variables. EPDM was strongly correlated (P0.05) with ICO. From the result of this study, majority (68.9%) of respondent members have no intention of increasing the number of sheep per fattening cycle. Poor market linkage and information, feed, cash and space ranked 1st, 2nd, 3rd and 4th as factor that limit the number of fattening sheep per cycle. Internal factors were mentioned to have a strong influence on the future existence of SFC as compared to external factors. There was a significantly higher (P< 0.05) proportion of women membership in SFC initiated by NGOs and cooperatives that have women in the leadership positions. There was significantly lower (P<0.001) proportions of women in SFC whereby members buy shares at the start-up. The level of literacy had an effect on women's participation in leadership. Women had a higher chance of being leaders in SFC that were women-based, those with higher proportions of female membership, and those with leaders who have undertaken gender-related training courses. Membership in SFC resulted in improved women's access and control over inputs and resources, training and credit, and participation in decision making and management activities. However, their proportion and participation in leadership of SFC is still limited. Therefore, awareness creation and gender inclusive trainings, access to resources and education should be done and improved in order to involve women effectively in cooperative development
Characterization of Sheep Fattening at Small Holder Level in Different Agro-Ecological Zones of Ethiopia – Amhara Region
No full textThe purpose of the study was to characterize sheep fattening production system at small holder level in rural areas of Ethiopia, based on different agro-ecological zones (AEZs). 108 small holder sheep fatteners were selected by random sampling out of Amhara region. Therefore, three AEZs within Amhara region made a total of 12 study areas, each with about 36 respondents who were selected purposively, based on the relevant activity and accessibility to transportation. The collected data from the questionnaire was analyzed based on software, SPSS. The result of the region showed that the sheep fattening practice in general, in different AEZs, was found relatively more defined in the highlands, than in the mid lands and the low lands, respectively. Better market demand, shorter distance to health center, qualitatively and quantitatively feed resources availability, higher net profit gain, relatively better market value chain were scored in the highlands than the rest, followed by mid land and the least score in low lands. The high temperatures in the lowlands influenced health problem which ultimately resulted in low production. Even so, the fattening production system is semi- intensive even in better scoring areas and declines to extensive in most cases. But in fulfilling the constraints of each AEZ would enable them to have optimum and relatively, similar production potential. Besides, using appropriate breeds, market chains, distribution of industrial by-products and promotion of loans supported with agricultural inputs would encourage the small holder farmers to engage in sheep fattening, consistentl
Evaluation of stocking rate effects with pastures that contain various forbs and grasses being co-grazed by goats and sheep and subsequent performance with an energy-rich diet
No full textProspects to improve the productivity of sheep fattening in Ethiopia: Status, challenges and opportunities
No full textSheep fattening that targets sales during festive seasons has been a common and long-standing
practice by Ethiopian farmers. However, it has not received much research, extension and policy
attention.
Identifying and documenting prevailing sheep fattening practices, type of sheep fatteners involved,
prospects for improving the productivity of sheep fattening and the challenges and opportunities
associated with sheep fattening is a vital step towards designing appropriate intervention schemes
to exploit the potential of the sector.
This report provides an overview of the sheep fattening scenarios in Ethiopia. It presents an
overview of the characteristics of the prevailing sheep fattening activities. It describes the
challenges and opportunities likely to slow or enhance productivity in sheep fattening activities in
Ethiopia and the prospects of improving sustained productivity.
It is based on a survey that consulted sheep fatteners, researchers from various national and
regional research institutes and livestock experts from different offices of the Bureau of Agriculture
in different parts of the country. The scope of the survey did not encompass detailed data collection.
Sheep fattening across the surveyed areas was recognized as a profitable venture. However, the
average number of annual fattening cycles is limited to 2, mainly targeting religious holidays.
Sheep fattening of rams can commence as early as 3 months of age but most respondents across the
country fatten yearling rams. The length of sheep fattening is commonly 3-12 months.
Sheep fattening is constrained by feed scarcity, market access, poor husbandry practices, disease
prevalence and labour shortage.
The sheep fatteners encountered in the survey have diverse production objectives and vary
enormously in the type and use of production inputs such as feed, labour, and housing. Fatteners
also vary in feeding systems, source of sheep for fattening, breed choice, number of annual
fattening cycles, and number of sheep fattened per cycle.
There is minimal progression towards commercial based sheep fattening associated with clear
production objectives and financial capacity and little tendency towards more control on the overall
management as well as control on the choice of sheep types and breeds to be used for fattening.
Based on the data acquired during this survey and the observable variations among fatteners, sheep
fattening activities in Ethiopia can be broadly grouped as i) smallholder rural farmers sheep
fattening systems, ii) peri-urban and urban small scale sheep fattening systems, iii) cooperative
sheep fattening systems and iv) large scale sheep fattening systems. These four broadly categorized
sheep fattening systems need further characterization with detailed and well planned research
Participation of Female-headed Households in Sheep Fattening in Ethiopia
No full textPoster of Participation of Female-headed Households in Sheep Fattening in Ethiopi
Digestibility and growth performance of DorperAfar F1 sheep fed Rhodes grass (Chloris gayana) hay supplemented with alfalfa (Medicago sativa), Lablab (Lablab purpures), Leucaena leucocephala and concentrate mixture
No full textSupplementation of different level of corn silage with linseed meal on performance of black head Ogaden sheep fed grass hay
No full textThe experiment was conducted to evaluate the supplementation effect of different level corn silage (CS) with linseed meal (LSM) on performance of black head Ogaden sheep. Twenty five yearling male sheep with a mean initial BW of 14.85±0.31kg were assigned into five treatments in a randomized complete block design. Treatments were grass hay ad libitum + 60 g DM/day LSM alone (T1) or supplemented with 100 (T2), 200 (T3), 300 (T4) and 400 g DM/day CS (T5). The experiment contains 90 days feeding and 7 days digestibility trials and carcass evaluation. CP (crude protein) content was 10.0, 8.6, and 30.4% and the NDF content was 76.8, 59.6 and 37.0% DM for grass hay, CS and LSM, respectively. Total DM intake was 575, 637, 695, 765 and 844 g/head/day and was in the order of T5> T4> T3> T2> T1 at (p<0.05). Total CP intake followed a similar trend to that of total DM intake. The apparent digestibility of CP 72.4% for T5 was greater (p<0.05) as compared to T1 and T2. ADG was 50, 65, 70, 80 and 80 g/day for T1, T2, T3, T4 and T5, respectively. Among the corn silage supplemented group ADG was lower (p<0.05) for T2 than T4 and T5. Hot carcass weight for T1, T2, T3, T4 and T5 was 6.03, 7.00, 7.35, 7.97, 8.00 kg respectively and dressing percentage on slaughter BW basis was lower (p<0.05) for T1 as compared to T3, T4 and T5. Marginal rate of return (MRR) was lowest for T5 (3.64%) and highest for T2 (22.32%). So considering capital, T2 with the highest MRR would be recommended as being economical. However, if capital is not the limiting factor, T4 would be selected since it fetches better net return and is good in inducing better biological performance of animals in terms of ADG and carcass output.Keywords: Body weight, Carcass weight, Corn silage, Sheep,Supplementatio
Weight Gain and Carcass Characteristics of Adilo Sheep Fed Urea Treated Wheat Straw Supplemented with Enset (Ensete Ventricosum), Atella and Their Mixtures
No full textThe experiment was carried using twenty-five male intact yearling Adilo sheep with average body weight of 16.5 ± 3.5 kg to determine the effects of Enset ventricosum, atella and their mixture supplements to urea treated wheat straw (UTWS) on body weight gain (ADG) and carcass parameters. The experiment consisted of ninety days of feeding followed by carcass evaluation. The experimental design was randomized complete block design, and animals were blocked based on their initial body weights. Treatments were UTWS fed ad libitum alone (T1) or with 300 g/d atella (T2), 200 atella+100 g/d enset (T3), 200 enset +100 g/d atella, (T4) and 300 enset (T5). Results of laboratory analyses for CP (6.4, 18.2 and 7.6 %) and NDF contents (72, 51 and 62 %) were for UTWS, atella and enset respectively. The result revealed that sheep fed on supplemented feed achieved greater (P<0.05) ADG (-8.9, 47.8, 34.4, 30 and 24.4 (± 3.35) g for T1, T2, T3, T4 and T5, respectively). The value of ADG was greater for T2 among supplemented groups. Hot carcass weight was 5.4, 8.2, 7.2, 6.7 and 6.6 (± 0.25) kg for T1, T2, T3, T4 and T5, respectively and followed similar trend like that of ADG. Results of this study highlighted that supplementation of urea treated wheat straw with enset and atella to have a positive effect on, ADG and carcass parameters. However, the effect is more pronounced for atella than enset or the two mixtures possibly due to the higher CP content of atella. Keywords: Atella, Carcass, Enset, Sheep
Potential of Dietary Citric and Malic Acid Supplementation on Biological Performance and Economic Efficiency by Replacing Conventional Antibiotics in Cobb500 Broiler Chickens
No full textThis study aimed to evaluate the synergistic effects of dietary citric and malic acids supplementation on biological performance and economic efficacy by replacing conventional antibiotics in cobb500 broiler chickens. A total of 280 one-day-old chickens were randomly assigned to five dietary treatments with four replicates in a completely randomized design. The dietary treatments included a basal diet without supplementation (T1), 60 mg/kg oxytetracycline (T2), 16 g/kg citric acid (T3), 8 g/kg malic acid (T4), and a mixture of 8 g/kg citric acid and 4 g/kg malic acid (T5). At the end of the feeding trial, eight broiler birds per treatment were slaughtered for carcass evaluation and gut morphology. The results revealed that the average daily weight gain of chickens was significant (P<0.05) among the treatments during the starter and grower phases; the organic acid-supplemented groups presented greater (61.98 to 64.30 g) weight gain than did the T1 group (59.58 g) but comparable to the T2 group (64.06 g) in terms of daily weight gain in all phases. A better feed conversion ratio (FCR) was obtained in the organic acid-supplemented groups. The highest (P<0.05) dressed carcass yields were recorded in T2 and T5. Similarly, better relative economic efficiency was recorded in T5. Dietary supplementation with a mixture of citric and malic acids is a more effective antibiotic replacement strategy than individual acid supplementation; it improves the growth performance, carcass characteristics, and economic efficiency of Cobb500 broiler chickens
Effect of Different Levels of Dried Sugar Cane Tops Inclusion on the Performance of Washera Sheep Fed Basal Diet of Grass Hay, Ethiopia
No full textCopyright: © 2015 Worku A, et al. This is an open-access article distributed under the terms of the Creative Commons Attribution License, which permits unrestricted use, distribution, and reproduction in any medium, provided the original author and source are credited. Background: Ruminants feed largely on crop resides as their basal diet. Despite their vast use as a livestock feed, crop residues are naturally of low quality and do not fulfill the nutrient requirement of animals. Thus, the deficit in the basal feed of quantity can be covered with sugar cane tops that are potential feed for better performance of animals. This study aimed with to evaluate the effect of different level of Dried Sugar Can tops inclusion on carcass characteristics and Economic Feasibility of Washera sheep fed a basal diet of grass hay. Methodology: A study was conducted at Bure Agricultural Technical Vocational Educational Training (ATVET) College using twenty yearling Washera sheep with initial body weight (BW) of 18.15 ± 1.85 (mean ± SD). The experimental design was randomized complete block design, and sheep were blocked into five blocks of four animals based on their initial BW and randomly assigned to one of the treatments within a block. Treatments were hay ad libitum+100 g/head/d CM for T1 and an additional 120 g, 240 g and 360 g SCT per head/day on dry matter basis for T2, T3 and T4, respectively. The experiment consisted 90 days of Growth trials followed by evaluation of carcass components at the end
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