Content uploaded by Mengistie Taye
Author content
All content in this area was uploaded by Mengistie Taye on Jan 11, 2017
Content may be subject to copyright.
Vol. 11(52), pp. 5192-5201, 29 December, 2016
DOI: 10.5897/AJAR2016.11825
Article Number: D7AFDE162224
ISSN 1991-637X
Copyright ©2016
Author(s) retain the copyright of this article
http://www.academicjournals.org/AJAR
African Journal of Agricultural
Research
Full Length Research Paper
Characterization of production system and breeding
practices of sheep producers in Doyogena district,
Southern Ethiopia
Taye M.1,2*, Yilma M.3, Mengistu S.3, Abiso T.3, Bassa Z.3, Wolde S.3, Rischkowsky B.4,
Dessie T.5, Okeyo M.6 and Haile A.4
1College of Agriculture and Environmental Sciences, Bahir Dar University, P. O. Box 830, Bahir Dar, Ethiopia.
2Department of Agricultural Biotechnology, Seoul National University, Seoul 151-742, Republic of Korea.
3Areka Agricultural Research Center, P. O. Box 79, Areka, Ethiopia.
4International Center for Agricultural Research in the Dry Areas (ICARDA), C/O ILRI, PO Box 5689, Addis Ababa,
Ethiopia.
5International Livestock Research Institute (ILRI), P. O. Box 5689, Addis Ababa, Ethiopia.
6International Livestock Research Institute (ILRI), P. O. Box 30709, Nairobi, Kenya.
Received 13 October, 2016; Accepted 14 December, 2016
An exploratory survey was undertaken in Doyogena district of Southern Nation Nationalities Peoples
region of Ethiopia to understand the sheep production system, the breeding practices, selection criteria
and sheep production constraints in order to develop a sheep breeding strategy. Data were collected
from 107 households using semi-structured questionnaire and group discussion. Descriptive statistics
and index were used to present the data. The agricultural production system of the area was Ensete
ventricosum -crop-livestock production system. Crop production was found to contribute to most of the
households’ food and income followed by sheep and cattle production. The main sheep production
objective was the sale of young and fattened sheep. The mean sheep holding was 4.02±2.58 to which
most (43.5%) were breeding females. Only 47.2% of the respondents own breeding ram and 42.5% of
them use controlled mating. Body size (index = 0.232) and appearance (index = 0.305) were the first
selection criteria used for ewe and ram selection, respectively. Castration of rams and culling of
unwanted sheep through sale, slaughter, and exchange was a common practice. Old age and poor
physical condition were the first culling criteria for female and male sheep, respectively. Castration age
ranges from 12 to 72 months when the ram have been used for breeding. Castrated animals were the
first priority followed by young males to be sold in the flock when the family needs money. Feed
shortage (index = 0.34), lack of input like credit service (index = 0.18), and diseases and parasites (index
= 0.124) were the top three major sheep production bottlenecks in the district accounting for about
64.4% of the total weight. Finally, to fully utilize the potential of the breed and the area, production
constraints need to be addressed along with genetic improvement and appropriate institutional setup.
Key words: Doyogena sheep, Ensete ventricosum -crop-livestock production system, fattening, selection
criteria.
INTRODUCTION
Sheep production is among the most important agricultural activities in the highlands of Ethiopia where
crop production is unreliable (Kocho, 2007; Gizaw et al.,
2013a). Sheep provide farm households with cash
income, meat, fiber, and manure. As compared to large
ruminants such as cattle, sheep have shorter production
cycles, faster growth rate, ease of management, and low
capital investment (Gizaw et al., 2013a; Tadesse et al.,
2015). In addition, they require small space and feed and
therefore are efficient meat and milk producers for the
smallholder in areas where there is no enough grazing
land. These days, there is a general shift in livestock
holding from cattle to small ruminant because of the
consistently dwindling grazing land as a result of crop
encroachment and degradation of communal grazing
lands (Taye et al., 2010).
There is a large number of sheep in Ethiopia (26 million
heads; (CSA, 2008)) and diverse genotype of sheep
populations (Gizaw et al., 2007) maintained in different
agro-ecological zones and ethnic groups. Most of the
sheep (about 70%) are found in the highlands of the
country maintained in the traditional husbandry system
(Mengistu, 2006).
The traditional sheep production system in Ethiopia is
constrained by feed scarcity, disease and parasite
prevalence, lack of market information and technical
capacity, and an absence of planned breeding programs
and breeding policies (Kocho, 2007; Gizaw et al., 2013b).
Because of this, production and productivity is very low
below the biological potential of the animals. However,
since these sheep have been evolved over centuries
through diverse stress full tropical environments, they
have developed different unique adaptive traits (Gizaw et
al., 2013b). Therefore, an attempt to improve the
productivity of animals needs to consider the prevailing
conditions, specific purpose in the production system and
their potential under varying management levels (Otte
and Chilonda, 2003).
Doyogena sheep, named as Adilo sheep (Gizaw et al.,
2007), is a breed of sheep reared in Doyogena district of
the Southern Nations Nationalities and Peoples Regional
(SNNPR) state. This breed of sheep is believed to be
among the productive breeds of the country. However,
like other breeds of the country (ESGPIP, 2008;
Getachew et al., 2010a), the productivity level is below its
genetic potential due to different production constraints
and lack of appropriate breeding strategies developed for
the breed in the production system. In an effort to
develop a breeding strategy for a particular community
and breed of sheep, understanding the indigenous
breeding strategies and the resultant mode of livestock
production is very important (Gizaw et al., 2013b). The
objective of this research was to describe the production
systems and objectives of sheep production in Doyogena
Taye et al. 5193
district so as to develop sheep breeding strategy.
MATERIALS AND METHODS
Description of the study area
Survey data collected in Ancha, Serera and Awora peasant
associations (PAs, the smallest administrative unit of Ethiopia) of
Doyogena district was used for the study. Doyogena district is
found in Kembata Tembaro Zone of SNNPR state. The district is
situated at 258 km from Addis Ababa, the national capital, and 171
km from Hawassa, the regional capital. Doyogena district has an
altitude range of 1900 to 2300 m above sea level (m asl), mean
annual rainfall of 1200 to 1600 mm and the mean temperature
varies from 10 to 16°C (Bureau of Agriculture (BoA) 2012,
unpublished). There are two rainy seasons to which the main rainy
season spans from June to September and a small shower falls
from February to May. The major livestock species reared by the
community include cattle, sheep and goat, equines, poultry, and the
honey bee. The major crops grown in the district include Ensete
ventricosum, Faba bean, wheat, barley, field pea and vegetables
and others (Asmare et al., 2016).
Data collection and analysis
The survey district and PAs were purposively selected with an
objective to develop a sheep breeding strategy in the study areas
by Areka Agricultural Research center and International Center for
Agriculture Research in the Dry Areas (ICARDA). Interviewee
farmers who participated in the survey were randomly selected from
those involved in sheep production.
Survey data was collected using questionnaire, focus group
discussion, key informants interviews and visual observations. A
semi-structured questionnaire was used to collect data on
household characteristics, the major production system of the area,
breeding and breeding methods of sheep, feeds and feeding
management of sheep, selection, and culling criteria, and major
sheep production constraints in the study area. Focus group
discussion was held to supplement and verify data collected using
the questionnaire survey. Checklist was prepared and used to
guide the group discussion.
Data collected from the questionnaire survey were coded,
entered, cleaned and analyzed using the Statistical Package for the
Social Sciences (SPSS, 2008) computer statistical program. The
descriptive statistics, frequency and cross tabulation procedures
were used to analyze and present the data. Index was calculated
for different parameters using the following general formula:
Where the numerator is for each commodity/trait under
consideration, while the denominator is the sum of all the
commodities/traits in the index calculation; HH: Household; N is a
number of ranks.
*Corresponding author. E-mail: mengistietaye@yahoo.com.
Author(s) agree that this article remain permanently open access under the terms of the Creative Commons Attribution
License 4.0 International License
5194 Afr. J. Agric. Res.
Table 1. Relative Household income contribution of crop and
livestock in Doyogena district.
Item
Index
Rank
Crop
0.305
1
Sheep
0.248
2
Cattle
0.242
3
Vegetable
0.144
4
Apiculture
0.034
5
Trade
0.015
6
Goat
0.008
7
Poultry
0.003
8
RESULTS AND DISCUSSION
Production system and household characteristics
Most of the respondent farmers were males (89.6%) and
have formal education of grade 4 and above (75.5%).
About 18.9% of them were illiterate. The literacy rate
obtained is higher than other areas reported in the
literature (Kocho, 2007; Getachew, 2008; Gemiyu, 2009),
indicating that there is better access to education than
other areas. This can be taken as an opportunity to
designing of breeding programs and other interventions
in the area since education has an effect on technology
transfer.
The mean age of household heads was 40.89±11.2
years which is in comparison with the results of Kocho
(2007) and Gemiyu (2009) in Halaba district and of
SNNPR. The average family size was 7.66±2.25 (range 3
to 12) of which 3.88±1.47 were male members and
3.78±1.5 were female members. This result is similar to
other results in Alaba area (Gemiyu, 2009). The mean
landholding was 0.776±0.46 hectares. There were
farmers with no farming land. Most (69.2%, 0.53 ha) of
the land was allocated for crop production; fallow
1
land
occupied 0.132 ha (17%) and 0.102 ha (13.4%) was
allocated for private grazing land. The mean landholding
obtained agrees with previous report (Bassa, 2016).
The livelihood of most of the respondent farmers was
based on agriculture alone (80.2%). Some farmers
diversify their livelihood through trade (16%) and
employment (3.8%) in addition to agriculture. The major
(98.1%) farming activity was crop and livestock mixed
agriculture. The major crops of the area which are
produced by most of the farmers were Enset (96.2%),
vegetable (91.5%), wheat (89.6%) and barley (69.8%).
Other crops grown are faba bean (27.4%), field pea
(10.4%), and maize (5.7%). The production system of the
study area is Enset-crop-livestock production system. E.
ventricosum is a staple food in the area. Every farmer
1
Fallow land – is land left from the cropping land for grazing of livestock for
some time. It is not permanent grazing land.
plants Enset in the homestead. In southern Ethiopia,
Enset based farming system is an indigenous and
sustainable agricultural system (Mulualem and Walle,
2014). Crop production was found to contribute to most of
the households’ food and income followed by sheep and
cattle production (Table 1).
Sheep production and objective
The mean sheep holding in Doyogena district found in
the present study was 4.02±2.58 (Table 2). Most of the
flock composition was comprised of breeding ewes
(43.5%) followed by lambs (19.05%). The mean number
of breeding rams in a household was 0.58±0.8. Castrated
sheep were the least numerous in the flock. Flock
composition is a reflection of the breeding objectives to
which higher proportion of breeding females shows lamb
production (Ibrahim, 1998; Taye et al., 2010). The mean
flock size obtained in the current study was lower than
reports obtained in other areas (Getachew et al., 2010b;
Taye et al., 2011; Edea et al., 2012) which might be
because of the lower landholding in the area (Kocho,
2007; Taye et al., 2010). The small flock size could be an
obstacle to practice within flock selection which calls for
necessitation of some form of collective action for the
wider genetic pool of the communities flock for effective
selection (Gizaw et al., 2013a).
Farmers in Doyogena district keep sheep to get cash
income from the sale of young sheep (index = 0.295)
followed by the sale of fattening sheep (index = 0.207)
(Table 3). Saving and meat consumptions were the third
and fourth objectives, respectively. This kind of sheep
production objective is common in other parts of the
country (Kocho, 2007; Getachew, 2008; Taye et al.,
2010). Farmers in the study area prefer to produce
Doyogena sheep because of their fast growth, attractive
coat color, good physical appearance, adaptability, and
twinning ability characteristics.
Sheep breeding and reproductive performances
Most of the respondent farmers (70%) do not determine
the age at mating for both male and female sheep.
Because there was no seasonal control of mating, there
were lambings in every month of the year. However,
there were peak lambings from October to December
(Figure 1), indicating that most of the conception
occurred during or following the small rains in May. A
similar type of distribution of lambings throughout the
year was reported for other breeds of sheep (ESGPIP,
2008; Taye et al., 2011).
The reproductive performance of Doyogena sheep is
presented in Table 4. The mean age at first mating of
Doyogena sheep obtained in the current study was 8.06
and 8.0 months for female and male sheep, respectively,
which compares with the findings of Kocho (2007). The
Taye et al. 5195
Table 2. Flock size and demography of sheep in Doyogena districts.
Class of sheep
Mean
SD
Min
Max
Mean
4.02
2.58
1.00
19.00
Ewe (breeding female)
1.83
1.17
0.00
7.00
Ram (breeding male)
0.58
0.82
0.00
4.00
Young Female
0.55
0.94
0.00
4.00
Young Male
0.32
0.59
0.00
2.00
Lambs (suckling)
0.80
0.98
0.00
4.00
Castrate
0.12
0.43
0.00
3.00
Table 3. Sheep production objectives in Doyogena district as practiced by
farmers.
Production objective
Index
Rank
Sale of young sheep
0.295
1
Sale of fattening sheep
0.207
2
Saving
0.159
3
Meat consumption
0.156
4
Manure
0.151
5
Skin
0.023
6
Prestige
0.009
7
Figure 1. Lambing seasons of Doyogena sheep in Doyogena district.
mean age at first lambing (13.72 months) obtained is
similar with Afar sheep (Getachew, 2008), lower than
Washera sheep (Taye et al., 2011), and higher than Adilo
sheep (Kocho, 2007). However, it is within the range of
values reported for tropical sheep (Wilson, 1989).
The lambing interval (10.94 months) is longer than the
values reported for other Ethiopian sheep breeds (Kocho,
2007; Getachew, 2008; Taye et al., 2011). With the
lambing interval obtained it is not possible to give birth
three times in two years which is said to be recommended
for tropical sheep (ESGPIP, 2008). The longer lambing
interval might be because, among a number of reasons,
the breeding and herding methods (tethering method of
herding) of the area. Breeding management is the
primary responsible factor for lambing interval variation
(Wilson, 1989).
Twinning rate obtained (1.45±0.45) is higher than the
values reported for other sheep breeds in the country
(Mukasa-Mugerwa et al., 2002; Taye et al., 2011) and
even from tropical African sheep (Wilson, 1989).
5196 Afr. J. Agric. Res.
Table 4. Reproductive performances of Doyogena sheep in Doyogena district.
Reproduction parameters
N
Mean
Std. Dev.
Range
Age at first mating of female sheep (month)
97
8.06
2.75
4.00-18.00
Age at first mating of male sheep (month)
100
8.00
2.61
5.00-18.00
Age at first lambing (month)
93
13.72
2.34
10.00-24.00
Lambing interval (month)
84
10.94
2.47
7.00-18.00
Twinning rate (head per ewe lambing)
101
1.45
0.45
1.00-3.00
Reproductive age of ewe (year)
97
8.31
3.00
3.00-17.00
Life time productivity (head)
96
10.05
3.43
4.00-20.00
Twinning rate, a combination of ovulation rate, fertility
and embryo survival, is an important trait in small flock
production to which sale of lambs is an objective (Taye et
al., 2011), which makes use of the available resources
efficiently. The higher twinning rate obtained might be
because of the farmers’ interest to consider the trait when
selecting their breeding ewe, and the small flock size they
own. Since genetic improvement in twinning rate is
possible through selection (ESGPIP, 2008), selection of
breeding rams towards twinning rate can bring a better
and fast improvement.
Ram ownership and mating practice
About 47.2% of the respondent farmers own ram for
breeding only (17%), fattening only (30.2%), breeding
and fattening (27.4%) and breeding and prestige (1.8%),
while the rest of the farmers get service from their
neighbours (40.6%), and ram given from Areka
Agricultural Research Center (13.2%). The mean ram
ownership was 1.28±0.64. On average a ram serves for
about 21.71±9.67 months in the flock. Some farmers
keep up to four rams which were ultimately used for
fattening. More than half (52.8%) of ram owners give
special management for the ram like supplementation
and separate housing from the flock. About 42.5% of the
ram owners control mating by isolating the ram from the
flock and mix them when needed (34.9%) and/or by
castrating unwanted rams (6.6%). The rest of the farmers
(57.5%) do not control mating because of the reasons
including sheep graze together (40.55), lack of ram
(3.8%), lack of awareness of the consequences of
uncontrolled mating (9.4%), and herding problem (6.6%).
Most (61.3%) of the respondent farmers in the study
area understand the effect of inbreeding as stunted
growth (58.5%), poor health performance (8.4%), and
abortion (4.7%). To control inbreeding, farmers change
their ram and ewe (43.5%), separate their breeding ram
from those related in the flock by tethering and castrating
unwanted rams (8.5%). More than 56.6% of the
respondent farmers control mating of related animals like
the mating of ram with his mother, daughter, and sister
while allowing mating their ram with other flocks and
other rams with their flocks (72.6%). The result indicates
that, when designing a breeding program for a
community, the indigenous knowledge on breeding and
mating methods and the herding system should be taken
into consideration.
Breeding ewe and ram selection
Table 5 and Figure 2 present selection criteria of sheep in
Doyogena area. Almost all (99.1%) respondents select
their breeding ewes in which body size (index = 0.232)
was the most important ewe selection trait followed by
lamb growth (index = 0.175). During the group
discussion, farmers indicated that horned ewes give more
milk than polled animals supporting better lamb growth.
Sheep with toggle are selected against the trait because
they are not productive, in farmers view.
Among the respondents, 96.2% of them select their
breeding ram from their own flock (71.7%), neighbors
flock (46.2%) and purchase from the market (42.5%).
Appearance (index = 0.305) and color (index = 0.254) of
the ram accounted for more than half of the selection
weight used as selection criteria. Likewise, Getachew et
al. (2010b) reported that appearance of ram is an
important trait for Menz and Afar sheep ram selection.
Therefore, these qualitative traits also need to be given
special attention when making selection decisions.
Castration practice
Most (84%) of the respondent farmers practice castration
of rams for the sake of controlling unwanted mating
(43.4%), fattening (77.4%), and improve temperament
(39.6%). Similar reason for castration of sheep is
reported in the literature (Getachew et al., 2010b). Some
(36.8%) of the farmers castrate only during the dry
season because they believe that the air condition is
conducive than the wet season, and others (35.8%)
castrate their rams during the wet season. Only a few
practice castration regardless of the season. Castration
was done using burdizzo (31.4%) or traditional method of
castration using a stone and wood (32.6%), while 36% of
Taye et al. 5197
Table 5. Ewe and ram selection criteria as practiced by the sheep producers.
Characteristics
Ewe selection
Characteristics
Ram selection
Index
Rank
Index
Rank
Body size
0.232
1
Appearance
0.305
1
Lamb growth
0.175
2
Colour
0.254
2
Colour
0.144
3
Horn
0.133
3
Twinning ability
0.123
4
Character (Temperament)
0.057
5
Mothering ability
0.099
5
Growth
0.132
4
Lamb survival
0.092
6
Libido
0.039
6
Lambing frequency
0.077
7
Age at first maturity
0.039
6
Age at first maturity
0.036
8
Pedigree
0.030
7
Milk yield
0.015
9
Adaptability
0.007
8
Horned
0.008
10
Tail length
0.004
9
Figure 2. Preferred type of: (a) Ewe with her suckling twin lambs; (b) Breeding ram (Photo courtesy: Mengistie Taye).
the farmers use both methods, as available. The reason
farmers use local methods of castration is because they
do not have access to burdizzo castration (31.1%), ram
response is better (9.4%), and because of tradition
(7.5%).
Castration age differs depending on whether the ram
has been used for breeding or not. The mean age of
castration if the ram was used for breeding was after
28.68±11.15 months and if the ram was not used for
breeding, it was at 12.09±4.10 months of age. Ram
lambs could be castrated from 4 to 24 months of age
when they are not selected for breeding. Some farmers
castrate their young male sheep at an early age to control
breeding and improve temperament while others tend to
wait until the sheep gets matured for better body
development and fattening. If the ram was used for
breeding, castration age ranges from 12 to 72 months.
Sheep fattening
Sheep fattening is a common practice in the study area
that 92.5% of the respondent farmers fatten sheep
usually for market (77.4%), and for market and home
consumption (13.4%). They fatten sheep by providing
concentrate feed (79.2%), restricting movement (43.4%),
and simply keeping the sheep for a long time (12.3%).
About 56.6% of the sheep fattening farmers fatten from
their own flock while 54.7 and 40.6% of them use animals
purchased from the market and culled animals,
respectively. Among the respondent farmers, 34.9% of
them fatten in the dry season, 17.9% in the wet season
and 28.3% of them during any time of the year as per the
availability of feed and fattening animals. Sheep fatteners
prefer to fatten sheep with light yellow and red coat
colour (56.60%), castrates (13.21%), sheep with big horn
(17%), mature (15%), large and well framed (60.38%),
and long tailed (11.32%).
Farmers on average fatten 1.89±0.80 sheep in about
1.81±0.71 rounds per year. Duration of fattening was
from two months to as long as 30 months with a mean of
9.65±5.96 months. Farmers prefer to fatten castrates
(index = 0.384) with an age ranging from 12 to 60 months
followed by intact males (index = 0.342). The mean age
of fattening animals obtained was 29.22±10.09,
21.04±10.84 and 40.79±22.97 months for castrates,
a)
b)
5198 Afr. J. Agric. Res.
Table 6. The culling reason for female and male sheep in Doyogena district.
Reason
Female sheep
Male sheep
Index
Rank
Index
Rank
Old age
0.187
1
0.162
4
Poor physical condition
0.167
2
0.210
1
Stunted growth
0.151
3
0.192
3
Sterility
0.121
4
0.028
7
Poor mothering ability
0.120
5
-
-
Disease
0.095
6
0.096
5
Low milk yield
0.093
7
-
-
Bad colour
0.064
8
0.207
2
Poor libido
-
-
0.084
6
Table 7. Priority of class of sheep for sale.
Class of sheep
Index
Rank
Castrate
0.190
1
Young male
0.187
2
Male lamb
0.182
3
Old ewe
0.155
4
Female lamb
0.134
5
Young Female
0.099
6
Ram
0.028
7
Ewe
0.024
8
males and female animals, respectively.
Culling practice
Most (90.6%) of respondent farmers practice culling of
both ewes and rams using different criteria (Table 6).
Farmers cull unwanted sheep through sale (88.7%),
slaughter (36.8%) and exchange with other farmers
(2.8%). Culling can be during the dry season (28.3%),
wet season (26.4) and any time especially during
holidays (34.0%). Old age, poor physical condition, and
stunted growth were the first three culling reasons used
for female sheep with an index of 0.187, 0.167 and 0.151,
respectively (Table 6). For male sheep, poor physical
condition (0.21), unwanted color (0.207) and stunted
growth were the first three culling criteria used. More than
half of the farmers add value to culled animals before
selling them. Farmers castrate (index = 0.338) and/or
fatten (index = 0.429) male sheep before selling, whereas
they fatten (index = 0.575) female sheep before selling.
Sheep marketing
Farmers in Doyogena district sell sheep any time in the
year when they need cash. However, sheep fattening
farmers fatten and sell during holidays. Castrates (index
= 0.19) were the first to be sold followed by young male
(index = 0.187) and un-weaned male lambs (index =
0.182) in the flock (Table 7). Breeding ewes and breeding
rams were the last choices for sale. Farmers do not want
to sell breeding animals unless they are forced to do so.
Doyogena sheep, named as Adilo, has a premium
market in Addis Abeba and other nearby markets.
Medium and large traders collect fattened male animals
to present at Addis Ababa and Shashemene markets
during holidays (Kocho, 2007). The mean marketing age
for male sheep was 6.11±2.72 months (1 to 12 months)
and 6.87±2.55 months (2 to 18 months) for female sheep.
Sale of sheep at an early age is common in other areas
too (Kocho, 2007; Taye et al., 2010). This, the sale of
young animals, has a negative effect on flock productivity
that fast growing and good looking lambs could be
removed out from the flock before reaching breeding age
and replacing themselves (Taye et al., 2010), and
therefore drains the genetic pool of the flock. However,
the practice can be taken as an efficient method of
removing less productive and unselected animals out of
the system, if properly managed. Therefore, care should
be taken to retain productive animals while removing
those with unwanted traits.
Feed and water resources for sheep
Crop aftermath, private grazing land and Amicho (E.
ventricosum) were the first three feed resources for
sheep in the dry season with index of 0.194, 0.180 and
0.171, respectively, while private grazing (0.286),
improved forage (0.193), and Amicho (0.166) were the
most important feed resources in the wet season (Table
8). Farmers stated that feed shortage is a critical problem
for sheep because of small landholding to allocate for
private grazing and lack of communal grazing land, to
which detail analysis is required on this aspect.
About 88.7% of sheep holders supplement Amicho and
purchased concentrate to their sheep during different
Taye et al. 5199
Table 8. Wet and dry season feed resources of sheep in Doyogena district.
Feed resources
Dry season
Wet season
Index
Rank
Index
Rank
Crop aftermath
0.194
1
0.006
8
Private grazing
0.180
2
0.286
1
Amicho1
0.171
3
0.166
3
Concentrate
0.152
4
0.114
5
Communal grazing land
0.119
5
0.159
4
Crop residue
0.111
6
0.041
6
Improved feed
0.062
7
0.193
2
Hay
0.011
8
0.030
7
1Enset, Ensete ventricosum
Table 9. Priority of classes of sheep for feed supplementation.
Class
Index
Rank
Suckling ewes
0.319
1
Castrate
0.277
2
Lambs
0.137
3
Pregnant ewes
0.118
4
Breeding ram
0.077
5
Breeding ewes
0.072
6
times of the year: 62.3% supplement at all times of the
year while 23.6% only during the dry season and 2.8%
only during the wet season. Suckling ewes were the first
classes of sheep in the flock to get supplement followed
by castrates and lambs (Table 9). 40.6% of the
respondent farmers give salt to their sheep at different
times of the year with and/or without feed. Spring water
(38.7%), stream (34%) and tape water (34.9%) were
important sources of water for sheep both in the wet and
dry seasons.
Herding of sheep
Most of the farmers herd their sheep with other livestock
(63.2%), while 36.7% of them herd separately. About
61.3% of the farmers mix their sheep with other sheep
flocks, because they use communal grazing land
(50.0%), have labor shortage (7.6%) and during watering
time (6.6%). For those mixing their flocks, on average
6.68 (2 to 30) households flocks mix together during
grazing time.
Most of the respondents tether their sheep (90.6%) in
the wet season to avoid crop damage while they freed
them (67.9%) to roam around during the dry season. The
use of tethering has an implication on the performances
of the flock. While tethering is a means to control
breeding allowing selected males to mate with female
sheep coming to heat, when breeding is uncontrolled and
when there is no follow-up, ewes might not be mated as
they come to heat and this elongates lambing interval
and in turn overall productivity. Therefore, the method of
herding should be considered in the development of a
breeding strategy.
Housing of sheep
All the farmers in the study area house their sheep to
prevent them from theft, wild animals and environmental
calamities in most (82.8%) of the cases with shelter
constructed inside the main house. Only 10.3% construct
separate house for their sheep and 6.8% of them house
their sheep with open barn. About 78.3 and 55.7% of the
farmers shelter lambs with adult sheep and sheep with
other livestock, respectively. The practice is similar to
other findings in the country (Taye et al., 2010; Mekuriaw
et al., 2012).
Disease and disease control
The major diseases and parasites of sheep in the study
area are presented in Table 10. There was less disease
load in the area which is reflected in the low number of
death of sheep during the year (only 1 to 3 farmers have
lost their sheep due to disease). The major diseases of
the area were respiratory diseases which usually cause
morbidity. Farmers use different local treatments using
usually ginger, garlic, and tobacco leaf. More investigation
is however needed as some of the parasites, for
example, may cause a substantial economic loss in terms
of weight loss.
Farmers in the study area reported that they have
access to vaccination (35.8%), diagnosis service (23.6%)
and treatment (63.2%) when their sheep get sick from the
government health clinic.
Slaughtering of sheep
About 91.5% of the farmers slaughter sheep for home
5200 Afr. J. Agric. Res.
Table 10. Major diseases of sheep in Doyogena district (the common name is based on the symptoms seen).
Local name
Common name
Symptom
Local treatment
Elamosso
Pink eye disease
Swelling of orbit of eye, eye discharge, loss
of vision, reddening and whitening of eye
Washing with water, treat
with eye ointment
Samibicho
Respiratory
syndrome
Coughing, diarrhea, loss of appetite, weight
loss
Drenching garlic, ginger,
Tenadam, Emboy
Gansho
Pneumonia
Coughing, Mucus discharge, Sneezing
Garlic, ginger, lemon,
Tobacco
Table 11. Sheep production constraint in Doyogena district.
Constraint
Index
Rank
Feed shortage
0.340
1
Lack of input
0.180
2
Disease and parasite
0.124
3
Extension service
0.105
4
Land shortage
0.068
5
Water shortage
0.066
6
Labour shortage
0.065
7
Market problem
0.037
8
Genotype
0.015
9
consumption during festivals (86.8%), during occasions in
the family like a wedding, births, circumcision, and funeral
ceremony (83.0%) and whenever sheep for slaughter is
available (2.8%). Farmers slaughter intact males (61.1%),
females (4.5%), castrate (10.4%) and all types (18.9%).
The mean age of sheep used for slaughter was 10.16 (4-
36) months for males, 10.14 (4 to 24) months for females
and 34.5 (24 to 48) months for castrates.
Sheep production constraint
Like other sheep producing areas of the country (Taye et
al., 2010; Hailemariam et al., 2013), sheep production in
Doyogena district has production constraints (Table 11).
Feed shortage (index = 0.34), lack of input like credit
service (index = 0.18), and disease and parasite (index =
0.124) were the three major sheep production
bottlenecks in the district accounting for about 64.4% of
the total weight. Unlike other areas (Getachew, 2008),
genotype is not a problem. This might be partly because
of lack of knowledge of the farmers about the availability
of other better-producing breeds and the fact that their
animals could be improved as there exists within breed
variability.
CONCLUSION AND RECOMMENDATION
Sheep production is an integral component of the E.
ventricosum-Crop-Livestock mixed production system of
the area. Sheep are an important livestock species for
the area. There is an established practice of selecting
breeding rams and ewes by farmers. To help farmers in
selecting ewes and rams and make a selection based on
recorded data simplified methods of recording should be
introduced. Farmers practice controlled breeding which
needs to be encouraged and supported by introducing
breeding control methods. The effect of tethering method
of herding on the reproductive performances of sheep
should be considered in developing the breeding
strategy. Castration of rams and culling of unwanted
sheep are common practices. Farmers in Doyogena
district fatten sheep before selling. Feed shortage, lack of
input, and disease and parasite are among the major
sheep production bottlenecks in the district. To fully utilize
the potential of the breed and the area, production
constraints should be addressed along with genetic
improvement and appropriate institutional setup.
Conflict of interests
The authors have not declared any conflict of interests.
ACKNOWLEDGEMENTS
The field research was financed by International Center
for Agricultural Research in the Dry Areas/International
Livestock Research Institute (CARDA/ILRI). The authors
would like to acknowledge the staff of Areka Agricultural
Research Center who participated in the study and those
enumerators at Doyogena. They are grateful for
household farmers who were willing to participate in the
interview.
REFERENCES
Asmare B, Demeke S, Tolemariam T, Tegegne F, Wamatu J, and
Rischkowsky B (2016). Determinants of the utilization of desho grass
(Pennisetum pedicellatum) by farmers in Ethiopia. Trop. Grasslands-
Forrajes Trop. 4(2):112-121.
Bassa Z (2016). Determinants of Improved Forages Adoption in
Doyogena District of Kembata Tembaro Zone, in Southern Nations,
Nationalities Regional State, Ethiopia. Glob. J. Sci. Front. Res. 16:3.
CSA (2008). Summary and statistical report of the 2007 population and
housing census. In: G. o. E. Central Statistical Agency (ed.), Addis
Ababa, Ethiopia.
Edea Z, Haile A, Tibbo M, Sharma A, Sölkner J, Wurzinger M (2012).
Sheep production systems and breeding practices of smallholders in
western and south-western Ethiopia: Implications for designing
community-based breeding strategies. Livest. Res. Rural Dev. 24:7.
ESGPIP (2008). Sheep and Goat Production Hand book for Ethiopia.
Brana Printing Press, Addis Ababa, Ethiopia.
Gemiyu D (2009). On-farm performance evaluation of indigenous sheep
and goats in Alaba, southern Ethiopia. MSc thesis, Hawassa
University, Awassa, Ethiopia.
Getachew T, Haile A, Tibbo M, Sharma A, Kifle A, Terefe E, Wurzinger
M, Sölkner J (2010a). Morphological characters and body weight of
Menz and Afar sheep within their production system. Ethiop. J. Anim.
Prod. 9(1):99-115.
Getachew T, Haile A, Tibbo M, Sharma A, Sölkner J, Wurzinger M
(2010b). Herd management and breeding practices of sheep owners
in a mixed crop-livestock and a pastoral system of Ethiopia. Afr. J.
Agric. Res. 5(8):685-691.
Getachew T (2008). Characterization of Menz and Afar indigenous
sheep breeds of smallholders and pastoralists for designing
community-based breeding strategies in Ethiopia. MSc thesis,
Haramaya University, Ethiopia.
Gizaw S, Abegaz S, Rischkowsky B, Haile A, Mwai A, Dessie T
(2013a). Review of sheep research and development projects in
Ethiopia. Nairobi, Kenya: International Livestock Research Institute
(ILRI). 60 pp.
Gizaw S, Getachew T, Edea Z, Mirkena T, Duguma G, Tibbo M,
Rischkowsky B, Mwai O, Dessie T, Wurzinger M (2013b).
Characterization of indigenous breeding strategies of the sheep
farming communities of Ethiopia: A basis for designing community-
based breeding programs ICARDA working paper., Aleppo, Syria.
47pp
Gizaw S, Van Arendonk JA, Komen H, Windig J, Hanotte O (2007).
Population structure, genetic variation and morphological diversity in
indigenous sheep of Ethiopia. Anim. Genet. 38(6):621-628.
Hailemariam F, Melesse A, Banerjee S (2013). Traditional sheep
production and breeding practice in Gamogofa Zone, Southern
Ethiopia. Int. J. Livest. Prod. 1(3):26-43.
Ibrahim H (1998). Small ruminant production techniques. ILRI (aka ILCA
and ILRAD).
Taye et al. 5201
Kocho T (2007). Production and marketing systems of sheep and goats
in Alaba, southern Ethiopia. MSc thesis, Hawassa University,
Hawassa, Ethiopia.
Mekuriaw S, Mekuriaw Z, Taye M, Yitayew A, Assefa H, Haile A (2012).
Traditional management system and farmers’ perception on local
sheep breeds (Washera and Farta) and their crosses in Amhara
Region, Ethiopia. Livest. Res. Rural Dev. 24:11.
Mengistu A (2006). Country Pasture/Forage Resource Profiles. Ethiopia
View Article PubMed/NCBI Google Scholar.
Mukasa-Mugerwa E, Anindo D, Sovani S, Lahlou-Kassi A, Tembely S,
Rege J, Baker R (2002). Reproductive performance and productivity
of Menz and Horro sheep lambing in the wet and dry seasons in the
highlands of Ethiopia. Small Rumin. Res. 45(3):261-271.
Mulualem T, Walle T (2014). Farmers indigenous knowledge and
assessment of enset (Ensete ventricosum Welw. Cheesman)
cultivars for major insect pests in Ojojia water shade Kembata-
tembaro zone, South Ethiopia. Sky J. Agric. Res. 3(6):112-119.
Otte J, Chilonda P (2003). Classification of cattle and small ruminant
production systems in sub-Saharan Africa. Outlook Agric. 32(3):183-
190.
SPSS (2008). Statistical Package for Social Science for Window,
Version 16.0.
Tadesse E, Negesse T, Abebe G (2015). Sheep production and
marketing system in southern Ethiopia: the case of Awassazuria
district. Trop. Anim. Health Prot. 47(7):1417-1425.
Taye M, Abebe G, Lemma S, Gizaw S, Mekoya A, Tibbo M (2010).
Traditional management systems and linear body measurements of
Washera sheep in the western highlands of the Amhara National
Regional State, Ethiopia. Livest. Res. Rural Dev. 22(9).
Taye M, Abebe G, Lemma S, Gizaw S, Mekoya A, Tibbo M (2011).
Reproductive Performances and Survival of Washera Sheep under
Traditional Management Systems at Yilmanadensa and Quarit
Districts of the Amhara National Regional State, Ethiopia. J. Anim.
Vet. Adv. 10(9):1158-1165.
Wilson R (1989). Reproductive performance of African indigenous small
ruminants under various management systems: a review. Anim.
Reprod. Sci. 20(4):265-286.
