Begait Goat Production Systems and Breeding Practices in Western Tigray, North Ethiopia

• 作者: Hagos Abraham Mengistu Urge Solomon Gizaw
• 来源期刊: 动物科学期刊(英文)
• 学科: 医学
• 关键词: FARMING System HUSBANDRY Practice MARKETING Production Constraints
• 年，卷（期）: 2017,（2）
• 页码范围: 198-212
• 页数: 15页
• 分类号: R73

摘要

A study was undertaken to characterize production system, breeding practices and production constraints of Begait goat in Kafta humera district, northwestern lowlands of Ethiopia. Personal observations, focus group discussions and a detailed structured questionnaire were used to collect data from 150 respondents (99 small-scale and 51 large-scale farmers). Mixed crop-livestock production system was found to be the dominant farming system in the study district. The farmers kept a variety of livestock species including goats, sheep, cattle, chickens and donkeys. Small ruminants are the most numerous and are of great importance in the area. Goats are herded with sheep in the open fields by the young boys in the family/hired grazers. They have a number of roles though mainly kept as a source of cash income. Breeding was generally uncontrolled. Size, growth rate and libido were the most frequently reported traits in selecting bucks, whereas does were selected based on size, twining ability and milk yield. Effective population size and rate of inbreeding were calculated by considering random mating and flocks were not mixed. The major constraints hampering goat production in the area were water scarcity, feed and grazing land shortages and insufficient veterinary services among the others. Therefore, addressing these constraints is important to design a successful genetic improvement scheme in the area for goat.