Animal Production and Technology

On Farm Phenotypic Characterization and Husbandry Practices of Indigenous Chicken keeping Households in Selected Districts of North Gojjam Zone, Amhara

Sun, 01 Jun 2025 00:00:00 GMT

On Farm Phenotypic Characterization and Husbandry Practices of Indigenous Chicken keeping Households in Selected Districts of North Gojjam Zone, Amhara Yimenu, Amarech The study of Phenotypic characterization of indigenous chicken is essential for sustainable genetic improvement, utilization, and designing conservation strategies of the breed at local, regional, national, and global levels. The objective of the study was to assess the husbandry practices and phenotypically characterize indigenous chickens. The study was conducted in three selected districts of the North Gojjam zone, Amhara region. Three kebeles from each district, a total of nine kebeles, were selected purposively, and the number of respondents and chickens from each village was determined proportionally. A total of 388 respondents were selected using simple random sampling techniques and interviewed using a semi-structured questionnaire. A total of 478 indigenous chickens were randomly selected for the characterization of quantitative and qualitative traits. Quantitative trait data were analyzed using the general linear model (GLM) procedure of SAS version 9.0, whereas qualitative trait data were analyzed using SPSS version 25. The result of the current study indicated that 22% of the respondents were males and 78% were females. The overall mean flock size of chickens in the study area per household was 6.9±1.12, 2.66±0.85, 2.29±0.69, 1.6±0.75, and 1.47±0.69 for young chicks, pullets, cockerels, hens, and cocks, respectively. Overall, 84.8% of the respondents provide supplementary feed for their chickens. All of the respondents (100%) provided water for their chicken with free access (64.2%), twice a day (26.8%), and once a day (8.9%). Majority of the respondents (97.4%) had poultry house within the housing system of separate shelter (21%), perch in the main house (42.7%), perch in other animal house (17.7%), perch in the kitchen (12.4%) and perch in the veranda (6.2%), on the other hand, 6.1% of the respondent had no poultry house. The major constraints of chicken production were disease, with an overall index value of 0.3. Regarding opportunities in chicken production, the market was ranked 1st with an index value of 0.47. Concerning breeding practice, 23.8% of respondents had breeding experience in improving their chicken productivity either by cross-breeding (22.6%), line breeding (45.2%), and by outbreeding (32.3%). The major criteria used for selection of breeding hens were egg number with an overall index value of 0.26, whereas body weight was for breeding cock with an overall index value of 0.36. About 95.8% of indigenous chickens were normal feathered, whereas the remaining 3.9% of indigenous chickens were naked-neck. The dominant plumage color of indigenous chicken was red (39.1%), followed by Grayish/Gebsema (26.4%), Teterma (12.8%), White (9.6%), Black (7.1%), and Multicolor (5.0%). Quantitative measurements indicated that significant differences (P<0.05) were observed between agro-ecology with respect to traits such as wing span, body weight, comb length, comb width, wattle length, and earlobe length. Generally, the phenotypic diversity of indigenous chicken in the study districts indicated the existence of genetic variability and genetic resources, which vary from place to place, that might be due to the early introduction of chicken and various causes of variation in Ethiopia. Therefore, qualitative and quantitative variations were observed among the chicken population in this study area, which suggests that there is an opportunity to improve the genetic

Husbandry Practices of Bovans Brown and Sasso T44 Chicken Breeds Managed Under Smallholder Chicken Management System and Evaluation of Their External and Internal Egg Quality Traits in Sekela District, West Gojjam Zone, Amhara Region, Ethiopia

Sun, 01 Oct 2017 00:00:00 GMT

Husbandry Practices of Bovans Brown and Sasso T44 Chicken Breeds Managed Under Smallholder Chicken Management System and Evaluation of Their External and Internal Egg Quality Traits in Sekela District, West Gojjam Zone, Amhara Region, Ethiopia Kindie, Kefale This study was conducted to evaluate the egg quality traits and assessing the husbandry practices of Bovans Brown and SassoT44 chicken breeds managed under smallholder chicken management system in Sekela district, West Gojjam zone, Amhara region, Ethiopia. A total of 210 randomly selected smallholders having Bovans Brown and sassoT44 chickens in back yard production system were considered for the survey study. Total 300 eggs were collected from Bovans Brown and SassoT44 hens at different age groups under small scale production system, i.e.150 eggs from Bovans Brown and 150 eggs from SassoT44 at 22, 33 and 44 weeks of age with an interval of 11 weeks of laying phase for studying the external and internal egg quality parameters. The collected data were analyzed using descriptive statistics, one way ANOVA and two ways ANOVA in statistical Package for Social Sciences (SPPS 22). The results indicated that the number of eggs per hen per year was 165.22 and 167.25 for SassoT44 and Bovines Brown breeds, respectively in back yard management system. The majority 94.8% of distributed Bovans Brown and SassoT44 chickens were being kept under backyard production system. About 90.5% of the chicken owners provided supplementary feed to their chicken, especially during feed scarcity season in the study area. Grain 80.3 % and food leftover 19.7 % were the most common supplementary feeds being utilized. Most respondents repeatedly mentioned diseases prevalence as the first ranked chicken production constraint whereas predators, feed shortage, lack of knowledge about modern chicken management and lack of market were the 2nd, 3rd, 4th and 5th constraints in the study area. The result of the study indicated that the distribution of Bovans Brown and SassoT44 chicken in the district is increasing from time to time but, the survival rate is found to be too low due to poor management system and high prevalence of disease in the study area. A significant difference in mortality was observed between Bovans Brown 33.28% and SassoT44 breed 28.57%, respectively due to poor management system. The result of the egg quality analysis showed that chicken breed and egg laying phase had a significant effect (P<0.001) on majority of the egg quality traits except for Haugh unit, egg shape index and yolk color. The results revealed that there are variations between the laying phase and breeds on egg quality traits. It is concluded that Bovans Brown was superior to SassoT44 in mast external and internal qualities. However, SassoT44 chicken eggs are found with better yolk weight.

Assessment of Forage Seed Sources, Storage Methods, and Quality analysis in East Belessa, Central Gondar, Ethiopia

Tue, 01 Jul 2025 00:00:00 GMT

Assessment of Forage Seed Sources, Storage Methods, and Quality analysis in East Belessa, Central Gondar, Ethiopia Betelhem Atena Both the required amount and quality of forage seed are a key input for ensuring higher forage productivity. Access to certified seeds of improved forage varieties remains a challenge for smallholder farmers. This is particularly a bottleneck in areas where drought is common. This study was conducted with the objectives to assess the forage seed sources and storage methods, and to examine the effect of forage seed sources and storage methods on the quality of the forage seed. The study was carried out in 2024 in the East Belessa district of the Central Gonder zone of the Amhara region. The study included both household surveys, monitoring of forage seed storage methods, and laboratory experiments on the sampled forage seeds. Survey data was collected from 120 farmers using a structured questionnaire and leveraged from key informant interviews. Cowpea sample seeds were collected from forage seed sources and storage methods from 54 farmers while mung bean sample seeds were from both forage seed sources and storage methods from 42 farmers. Descriptive statistics and analysis of variance were employed for the survey and laboratory works, respectively. R-package and SPSS (v27.0) software were employed for data analysis. Only 20% and 24% of the respondents accessed the forage seeds from the Bureau of Agriculture (zonal/woreda office) and research centers, respectively. On the other hand, nearly 66% of them got the seed from informal sources, including their own saved seed, farmers, relatives, and neighbors. Farmers don’t access sesbania and pigeon pea seeds from formal sources. The laboratory analysis shows that there are significant variations (p<0.05) between formal and informal seed sources both for cowpea and mung bean for seed purity, seed germination, thousand seed weight, seedling dry weight, speed of germination, and vigour index two. The variations between cowpea formal and informal sources were significant for seedling shoot length and vigour index one, but not for mung bean. On the other hand, the difference between the formal and informal sources for seedling root length, both for cowpea and mung bean is not significant. Concerning the different storage conditions for cowpea and mung bean seeds, the study indicates non-significant variations between storage conditions for most of the quality parameters. This shows, that in the study area, the quality of cowpea and mung bean seed is not significantly influenced by storage facilities. Actively seek and use high-quality seed sources, including certified seed formal sources from research centers and agricultural offices, and adopt modern storage techniques (e.g., hermetic storage) to enhance seed viability, and train farmers on best practices for seed storage to minimize deterioration. Furthermore, policymakers assist farmers in accessing improved seed varieties through partnerships with NGOs and private enterprises.

Evaluation of Nutritional Value of Korch (Erythrina Abyssinica) and its Utilization as Livestock Feed in Sekela District, Amhara Region, Ethiopia.

Tue, 01 Oct 2024 00:00:00 GMT

Evaluation of Nutritional Value of Korch (Erythrina Abyssinica) and its Utilization as Livestock Feed in Sekela District, Amhara Region, Ethiopia. Taye Getachew This study aimed to evaluate the nutritional value of Korch (Erythrina abyssinica) and its utilization as a livestock feed in the Sekela district, Amhara region, Ethiopia. The experiment was done during the dry season (February to April 2024). Data were collected using semi-structured questionnaire interviews, field observations, key informant conversations, and focus group discussions. The study area was divided into two agroecologies: the highlands and the midlands. A total of 357 respondents, 231 from the highlands and 126 from the midlands were chosen randomly and given one-on-one interviews. E. abyssinica samples were collected from two altitudes, and the chemical composition and in vitro digestibility were assessed. Data were gathered and examined using statistical procedure for social sciences (SPSS) version 26 (SPSS, 2011). The results of the study showed that a mixed crop-livestock production system was the dominant farming system in both altitude regions. The mean total land holding was 3.81±0.069 ha per HH. The average livestock holding size per HH was 7.01±0.11TLU and was significant (p<0.01) varied across agroecologies. The major feed resources were crop residues, natural pasture, aftermath grazing, atela, and hay. The major constraints related to livestock production were feed shortage, diseases, poor genetic potential, shortage of veterinary service, and water shortage. The feed utilization practice of E. abyssinica in the area was cut and carrying system. Many farmers appreciate the benefits of E. abyssinica for improving animal performance. According to farmers' perceptions in the study area, E. abyssinica can improve the growth rate and productivity of ruminant animals such as sheep, goats, and cattle. And also, their perception indicates that E. abyssinica can partly fill the deficient nutrients available in low-quality feeds during the dry season. Generally, E. abyssinica is very important for ruminant animal production and productivity if farmers provide timely and properly The DM and CP content is 93.38% and 22.06% respectively and there was no significant difference (p>0.05) among agroecologies. IVDMD (57.09%) and estimated biomass yields (2.85±0.038Kg) were significantly higher (P<0.05) in the highland. Its ME (8.32 MJ/kg) was not significantly different (p>0.05) among agroecologies. In general, due to its high crude protein contents, better digestibility, and low fiber content E. abyssinica is able to be a dry season supplemental feed to increase ruminant performance and to maximize the utilization of low-quality feed resources when feed is in short supply.