A cross sectional study was conducted in and around Mekelle, Tigray, Ethiopia from November 2013 to May 2014 with the aims to assess reproductive performance and prevalence of reproductive problems in crossbred (Holstein Friesian x Zebu) dairy cattle. A questionnaire survey methodology was used. The study sampled 177 randomly selected dairy farms comprising 1013 crossbred dairy cattle (736 cows and 277 heifers). The mean age at first service, age at first calving, first postpartum estrus and calving interval were 24.8 months, 35.3 months, 114.5 days and 401.5 days, respectively. Prevalence rates of reproductive problems recorded in the study area were anestrus (37.8%), repeat-breeding (21.0%), dystocia (11.6%), retained fetal membranes (11.5%), endometritis (6.6%), abortion (6.4%), prolapsed uterus/vagina (2.9%), stillbirth (2.0%) and freemartin (0.2%). Incidence of abortion did not vary with parity and stages of gestation. Breeding and the possible causes of missing insemination/mating while animals were in estrus are problematic. In conclusion, this study has revealed that the reproductive performance of crossbred dairy cattle was not optimal, and anestrus, repeat-breeding, dystocia, retained fetal membranes, endometritis and abortion were the major reproductive problems. More effective breeding and reproductive health management should be considered to improve the fertility of this crossbred cattle herd. Awareness and training should be provided to the farming community to improve the productivity in the region.
| Published in | Animal and Veterinary Sciences (Volume 3, Issue 3) |
| DOI | 10.11648/j.avs.20150303.14 |
| Page(s) | 94-101 |
| Creative Commons |
This is an Open Access article, distributed under the terms of the Creative Commons Attribution 4.0 International License (http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/4.0/), which permits unrestricted use, distribution and reproduction in any medium or format, provided the original work is properly cited. |
| Copyright |
Copyright © The Author(s), 2015. Published by Science Publishing Group |
Crossbred Dairy Cattle, Reproductive Performance, Reproductive Problems
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APA Style
Alemselam Birhanu Mekonnin, Christopher R. Harlow, Goitom Gidey, Desalew Tadesse, Gidena Desta, et al. (2015). Assessment of Reproductive Performance and Problems in Crossbred (Holstein Friesian X Zebu) Dairy Cattle in and Around Mekelle, Tigray, Ethiopia. Animal and Veterinary Sciences, 3(3), 94-101. https://doi.org/10.11648/j.avs.20150303.14
ACS Style
Alemselam Birhanu Mekonnin; Christopher R. Harlow; Goitom Gidey; Desalew Tadesse; Gidena Desta, et al. Assessment of Reproductive Performance and Problems in Crossbred (Holstein Friesian X Zebu) Dairy Cattle in and Around Mekelle, Tigray, Ethiopia. Anim. Vet. Sci. 2015, 3(3), 94-101. doi: 10.11648/j.avs.20150303.14
AMA Style
Alemselam Birhanu Mekonnin, Christopher R. Harlow, Goitom Gidey, Desalew Tadesse, Gidena Desta, et al. Assessment of Reproductive Performance and Problems in Crossbred (Holstein Friesian X Zebu) Dairy Cattle in and Around Mekelle, Tigray, Ethiopia. Anim Vet Sci. 2015;3(3):94-101. doi: 10.11648/j.avs.20150303.14
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Download@article{10.11648/j.avs.20150303.14,
author = {Alemselam Birhanu Mekonnin and Christopher R. Harlow and Goitom Gidey and Desalew Tadesse and Gidena Desta and Tadesse Gugssa and Simon C. Riley},
title = {Assessment of Reproductive Performance and Problems in Crossbred (Holstein Friesian X Zebu) Dairy Cattle in and Around Mekelle, Tigray, Ethiopia},
journal = {Animal and Veterinary Sciences},
volume = {3},
number = {3},
pages = {94-101},
doi = {10.11648/j.avs.20150303.14},
url = {https://doi.org/10.11648/j.avs.20150303.14},
eprint = {https://article.sciencepublishinggroup.com/pdf/10.11648.j.avs.20150303.14},
abstract = {A cross sectional study was conducted in and around Mekelle, Tigray, Ethiopia from November 2013 to May 2014 with the aims to assess reproductive performance and prevalence of reproductive problems in crossbred (Holstein Friesian x Zebu) dairy cattle. A questionnaire survey methodology was used. The study sampled 177 randomly selected dairy farms comprising 1013 crossbred dairy cattle (736 cows and 277 heifers). The mean age at first service, age at first calving, first postpartum estrus and calving interval were 24.8 months, 35.3 months, 114.5 days and 401.5 days, respectively. Prevalence rates of reproductive problems recorded in the study area were anestrus (37.8%), repeat-breeding (21.0%), dystocia (11.6%), retained fetal membranes (11.5%), endometritis (6.6%), abortion (6.4%), prolapsed uterus/vagina (2.9%), stillbirth (2.0%) and freemartin (0.2%). Incidence of abortion did not vary with parity and stages of gestation. Breeding and the possible causes of missing insemination/mating while animals were in estrus are problematic. In conclusion, this study has revealed that the reproductive performance of crossbred dairy cattle was not optimal, and anestrus, repeat-breeding, dystocia, retained fetal membranes, endometritis and abortion were the major reproductive problems. More effective breeding and reproductive health management should be considered to improve the fertility of this crossbred cattle herd. Awareness and training should be provided to the farming community to improve the productivity in the region.},
year = {2015}
}
TY - JOUR T1 - Assessment of Reproductive Performance and Problems in Crossbred (Holstein Friesian X Zebu) Dairy Cattle in and Around Mekelle, Tigray, Ethiopia AU - Alemselam Birhanu Mekonnin AU - Christopher R. Harlow AU - Goitom Gidey AU - Desalew Tadesse AU - Gidena Desta AU - Tadesse Gugssa AU - Simon C. Riley Y1 - 2015/06/04 PY - 2015 N1 - https://doi.org/10.11648/j.avs.20150303.14 DO - 10.11648/j.avs.20150303.14 T2 - Animal and Veterinary Sciences JF - Animal and Veterinary Sciences JO - Animal and Veterinary Sciences SP - 94 EP - 101 PB - Science Publishing Group SN - 2328-5850 UR - https://doi.org/10.11648/j.avs.20150303.14 AB - A cross sectional study was conducted in and around Mekelle, Tigray, Ethiopia from November 2013 to May 2014 with the aims to assess reproductive performance and prevalence of reproductive problems in crossbred (Holstein Friesian x Zebu) dairy cattle. A questionnaire survey methodology was used. The study sampled 177 randomly selected dairy farms comprising 1013 crossbred dairy cattle (736 cows and 277 heifers). The mean age at first service, age at first calving, first postpartum estrus and calving interval were 24.8 months, 35.3 months, 114.5 days and 401.5 days, respectively. Prevalence rates of reproductive problems recorded in the study area were anestrus (37.8%), repeat-breeding (21.0%), dystocia (11.6%), retained fetal membranes (11.5%), endometritis (6.6%), abortion (6.4%), prolapsed uterus/vagina (2.9%), stillbirth (2.0%) and freemartin (0.2%). Incidence of abortion did not vary with parity and stages of gestation. Breeding and the possible causes of missing insemination/mating while animals were in estrus are problematic. In conclusion, this study has revealed that the reproductive performance of crossbred dairy cattle was not optimal, and anestrus, repeat-breeding, dystocia, retained fetal membranes, endometritis and abortion were the major reproductive problems. More effective breeding and reproductive health management should be considered to improve the fertility of this crossbred cattle herd. Awareness and training should be provided to the farming community to improve the productivity in the region. VL - 3 IS - 3 ER -
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