ASSESSMENT OF CATTLE BREEDING, HUSBANDRY PRACTICES AND EVALUATION OF ARTIFICIAL INSEMINATION EFFICIENCY AFTER ESTRUS SYNCHRONIZATION IN HADIYA ZONE, SOUTHERN ETHIOPIA

Abstract

This study was conducted to assess cattle breeding and husbandry practices of the communities, to evaluate the efficiency of artificial insemination after estrus synchronization of cattle, and to assess the perception of the communities about AI and synchronization in Mirab and Misrak Badawacho districts, Hadiya zone. Data were collected using structured questionnaires and focus group discussions. A total of 90 respondents were randomly selected from the two districts (45 from each) and 6 kebeles (3 kebeles each and 15 households from each kebeles). A total of 90 cows (46 local and 44 crossbred) were injected with a single dose of prostaglandin to evaluate the effectiveness based on estrus induction, conception rate, and the number of services per conception. The dairy cows were selected by using random sampling methods. Descriptive statistics, frequency distribution procedures, and chi-Square tests were used to interpret the data. The survey results indicated that the average age at first service for female native and crossbred cows were 41.9±5.3 and 30.9±3.1 months, average daily milk yield for local and crossbreds were 1.7±0.5 and 6.31±1.2 liters, average lactation length for local and crossbred were 8±1.0 and 9.71±1.0 months, average age at first calving for local and crossbred were 50.85±3.95 and 39.35±8.1 months, average calving interval for local and crossbred were 23.4±4.2 and 21.4±2.85 months, average days open for local and crossbred were 208.2±36.2 and 148.4±36.8, respectively. Natural pasture and crop residue were dominant feed sources for both agro-ecologies. In study areas’ respondents prefer animal housing together with household members. The purpose of rearing cattle in the study area is milk followed by the source of income, meat, traction, and manures. Most of the respondents (85.6%) were used the pond as a source of water for their animals in both districts. Natural mating was the common mating method of the study areas. The study indicated that the respondents selected female animals based on their milk yield, followed by breeding ability, growth rate, feeding behavior, good temperament, disease resistance, and coat color. Major reproductive problems in dairy cows were failure to cycle (non-cycling cows) and poor conception rate in the study areas. Overall estrus rate in this study was 100% and all were inseminated. After 60+ day’s of pregnancy diagnoses, 52 cows conceived from 90 inseminated and the overall conception rate was 57.8%. Conception rate has not shown a significant difference at P<0.05 between the district, age, and Body Condition Score (BSC), but there was a significant difference between breed, parity, and time of insemination. This low pregnancy rate is due to different factors related to management, heat detection problem, semen quality, and artificial insemination time. Appropriate animal selection for OSMI, AI technicians, and farmers’ awareness to detect heat should be considered for effective synchronization and efficiency to AI.