On Farm Phenotypic Characterization of Indigenous Goat and Their Breeding and Husbandry Practices In Tach Gayint and Ebinat Districts of South Gondar Zone, Amhara Region, Ethiopia

Abstract

The study was conducted to phenotypically characterize and assess husbandry and breeding practices of indigenous goat population in Tach Gayint and Ebinat districts of South Gondar Zone. The study was performed based on household survey, focus group discussion field observation and field measurements. For household survey, 144 households (72 from each district) were involved and 300 (≥3PPI) matured goats (female 200, male 100) were sampled for quantitative trait measurement. Whereas, a total of 420 goats (1PPI to≥3PPI) were used for measurement of growth trend and qualitative trait. Dentition was used to estimate the age of the goats. The study result indicated that mixed crop livestock was the main production system in the study area. Among the livestock species, goat accounted for the largest proportion in the study area and the average goat flock size 14.33±1.04 per household in Ebinat was significantly (p<0.05) higher than those observed 10.06±0.71 in Tach gayint. Natural pasture, shrub and bushes and crop residue both in dry and wet season were the major feed resources in the study area. The primary reason of keeping goat was for cash income both in Tach Gayint and Ebinat district. Body size/appearance was the primary preference in both districts for male and female. Farmers in the study area mainly practice natural and uncontrolled mating systems. The major constraints of goat production in the study area were disease and parasite, nutritional deficiency and predator. The overall age at first service of female, age at first kidding and kidding interval of indigenous goat were estimated to be 7.51±1.01, 13.26±1.46 and 6.74±0.64 months, respectively. The main frequently observed coat color pattern of goats were plain (67.1%) and the main dominantly observed coat color type were white (33.8%) and mixed color of white and red (16.7%) for Ebinat district and red (29%), brown (19.5%) and white (16.7%) for Tach Gayint district. Presence of horn was common in the study area with dominant straight shape and backward orientation. All the quantitative variables were significantly affected by the sex of the animals except ear length. The district effect was significant (p<0.05) for some measurements. Age classes of animals also contributed for the significant differences of body weight and some of linear body measurements. In the study area, the overall mean of matured goat (≥3PPI) heart girth, height at withers and body weight were 73.87 cm, 70.38 cm and 32.75kg, respectively. The correlation coefficient between body weight and other linear body measurements were positive and significant both for male and female goats, except for ear length and body condition score. Heart girth was the best fitted model for male goat, whereas heart girth and body length the best fitted model for female goats. The observed production system and morphological traits among the sample populations coupled with their adaptive traits would indeed justify the need for designing breed improvement programme for indigenous goat breed in the study site. Therefore, this finding could be used for understanding about characteristic features of goat population, goat husbandry and breeding practices of the community to implement breeding strategy through appropriate breeding program.