REVIEW ON THE REPRODUCTIVE AND LACTATION

PERFORMANCE OF DAIRY CATTLE IN ETHIOPIA

BY:
ABDELA HUSSEIN BATI
( Vet/001/10)
 

A paper presented to Faculty of Veterinary Medicine for the course, senior seminar on
Animal Health (VetM5223).
  
Hawassa University
Faculty of Veterinary Medicine
 
 
 1. INTRODUCTION

2 Ethiopia is believed to have the largest livestock population in

Africa.
 Ethiopia due to this its holds large potential for dairy development
due to its large livestock population, which comprises 59.5 million
cattle
 From the total cattle in the country 98.59% (57.01million) are local
breeds and
 Remaining are hybrid and exotic breeds that accounted for about
1.19% and 0.14% respectively.  
 Dairy production is one of the major sustenance factors for the rural
economy of Ethiopia.

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 Cont.'s ……..

3 The subsector contributes about 16.5% of the national
Gross Domestic Product (GDP).
 It’s contributes about 35.6% of the agricultural GDP of
country.
 It also contributes 15% of export earnings and 30% of
agricultural employment.
 The livestock subsector currently support and sustain
livelihoods for 80% of all rural population.
 Generally the Ethiopia dairy production system largely
depends on indigenous breeds ( local breeds).

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 2. Dairy cattle production in Ethiopia
4 The Ethiopian dairy production system is established on
predominantly indigenous zebu cattle.
 Though no complete identification and characterization work has
been conducted, it’s suggested that,
 There are above 25 types/breeds of native cattle but the most
popular breeds in Ethiopia are including Boran, Horro, Fogera, Arsi,
Karayu and Nuer.
 Based on their locations dairy cattle production classified into four
broad categories as:-
 Pastoralism
 urban and per-urban
 intensive (commercial) and
 rural dairy production system.
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 a) Rural small holder production system.

5 The highest source of milk in Ethiopia is traditional

dairy cattle production while cattle are kept for drought
power.
 They are not giving any focus to develop the milk
production but focuses on butter production.
 Rural dairy production system is part of the subsistence
farming system that contributes up to 98% of the total
milk production includes:-
 Pastoralists
 agro-pastoralists

 mixed crop-livestock producers

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 Cont.'s……..
 system predominantly exists in the highland agro–
ecological zone, where the climate favors both
6

crop cultivation and


livestock rearing as complementary enterprises
b) Urban and pre –urban production system
 This system is developed in and around major cities
and towns.
 In most towns of Ethiopia, it can be practiced with
slight or no natural resources for the production and
sale of milk.
 It’s the most market oriented as compared to other
production systems
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 Cont.'s …..
 The main feed resources are agro-industrial by products and
purchased roughages.
7
 The system comprises small and medium sized dairy farms that own
crossbred dairy cows.
 Farmers use all or a part of their land for forage production.
c) Intensive (commercial) production system.
 This is a more specialized dairy cattle farming practiced in state sector
and extremely few individuals on commercial basis.
 The above three dairy farmers produce 2% of the whole milk
production.
 Technical challenge
 institutional policy and
 the country policy
 Milk is that the main source of farm income 5/23/2022
 d) Dairy cattle production under Pastoralism.

8
  Pastoralism as a system mainly operating in the
rangelands where the peoples involved follow animal-
based lifestyles.
 Its move from place to place seasonally based on feed
and water availability.
 For food, pastoralists mainly depend on milk.
 Their accumulated wealth and savings are in the form
of live animals.
 Milk production under the systems is strictly seasonal
and range condition-dependent.

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 3). Reproductive and lactation performance of dairy cattle

9
 Reproductive performance is one in every of the main
factors that affect productivity dairy cows.
 Poor reproductive performance is caused by
failure of the cow to become pregnant
primarily as a result of anestrus .
failure of the cow to keep up the pregnancy
and
calf losses.

This causes delay in age at initially calving and

long calving interval.
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 Cont.'s ……
 Reproductive and lactation performance of dairy cows
10
is decided by traits like :-
age at first services
age at first calving
calving interval
days open
number of service per conception
average daily milk yield
lactation length

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 a) Age at first service
 The age at which the breeding heifers reach for sexual
11 maturity and accepting mating for the initial period .
 The AFS of zebu and Horro cattle are 53 and 55 months
respectively.
b) Age at first calving
 The period between birth and first calving
 Its influences both reproduction and lactation performance
of dairy cow through effects on calf and milk production
 It’s affected by various factors like
 Breed
 nutritional status
 management differences of dairy cows
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 c) Calving interval
 Calving interval is that the interval between
12
consecutive calving ideally should be 12 to 13 months.
 Long calving intervals would indicate prevalence of

reproductive problems or poor management of the herd.

 Estimates of calving interval ranges in indigenous

breeds from 11 to 15 and Holsteins is range from 12 to

13 months
 Calving interval can be influenced by major factors:-

Nutrition
Health of animals
 breed and season of calving
 days open and managements   5/23/2022
 e) Number of service per conception
 Its one amongst the measurements for reproductive
13
efficiency
 expresses the fertility level of cows and depends largely
on the breeding system.
 NSPC greater than 2 should be considered as poor.
f) Days open
 It’s the interval between date of calving and date of
successful conception. Its effects CI.
 Nice in urban than rural and per-urban production
system.

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 g) Lactation length
 It’s refers to the time of period from when a cow starts to
14
secrete milk to the time of drying off.
 Lactation length of 305 days usually accepted as a
standard (benchmark).
 lactation length of crossbred exotic dairy cow was
significantly longer in urban than in rural respectively
due to good management.
h)Average Daily Milk Yield
 Its the amount of milk produces per day per cow
throughout the lactation period
 It’s combination of milk yield and lactation length
 The average milk production of local and crossbred cows
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was about 2.5 and 13 liters, respectively.
 4). Factor influence reproductive and
lactation performance of dairy cattle
15 Factor that affecting the reproduction and lactation performance
of dairy cows are vary from one production system to another
and vary from on location to another
 Factors affecting reproductive performance are associated to
either to the management factors and cow factors such as
 Shortage of feed and water resource
 animal health problems
 climatic factors
 genotype of animals
 inadequate veterinary service
 major reproductive disorders and season of calving

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 1) Shortage of feed and water resource
 Feed shortage in terms of quality and quantity and reduce
16
access to water during the dry season was the key
challenge.
 Energy and protein are the most important nutrients
required within the greatest amounts.
 Minerals and vitamins can’t be neglected and must be
optimum within the diet.
 Inadequate supply of feed for indigenous cattle breeds are
the most factors limiting reproduction and lactation of
dairy cow.
 These constraints resulting such as low milk and meat
yield, high mortality of young stock, longer parturition
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interval and low animal body weight.
 2) Animal Health Problems
 

 Diseases in dairy animals affect reproduction, milk

17
production, milk quality and cause for mortality and
morbidity of dairy animal and calves
 The total diseases occurrence was reported 46.8% in urban
and 33.6% in per-urban in the central highlands
 It have negative impacts on dairy production in various
ways like
 premature death and reduced weight of animal
 reduced fertility and milk yield
 reduced capacity for work and overall production
efficiency of animals

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 3). Climatic factors
 Rainfall variability greatly influenced herd dynamics in
18
terms of herd die-offs and lower birth rates.
 It’s also considerably affected milk production for
household consumption and sale of milk.

4) . Genotype of animals
 About 99% of the cattle population in Ethiopia are
indigenous but the capacity for the production has low.
 Exotic and Cross breeding has been less than 2% of the
59.5 million cattle population of Ethiopia.

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 5).Inadequate veterinary service provision.
 


19
The occurrence of different animal diseases such
as,
 tick borne diseases
 internal and external parasites and
infectious diseases affect dairy development
 Because of the animal health services provided
are inadequate, the price of medication is
incredibly high and the diagnostic services aren’t
readily available to the dairy farmer.

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 6). Season of calving

 Season of calving in dairy cows affects :-

20  milk yield per cow
 herd replacement rates
 culling rates
 Cow calves in summer become more pregnant in winter

and spring than calved in fall

 Cow calved winter and spring become more pregnant

than calved in fall

7) major reproductive disorders
 Reproduction is a complex processes where by

individuals produce their off spring to continue life.

 The average of estrus cycle of dairy cattle are from 17 to
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24 but most commonly it occur in 20 or 21 days.
 Regular breeding depends upon the conventional
function of the reproductive system.
21

 So as to breed regularly, the cow has got to have

 functional ovaries
 display estrous behavior
 mate conceive
 sustain the embryo through gestation and calve
 resume estrous cyclist and restore uterine
function after calving

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  The most major reproductive problems that have
direct impact on reproductive performance of dairy
22
cows are classified as
 before gestation (Anoestrus and repeat
breeding)
 during gestation (abortion and dystocia) and
 after gestation (retained fetal membrane and
uterine prolapse and
 mastitis also occur most commonly after birth
and during birth

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  Mastitis is inflammation of the parenchyma of mammary
gland
 Anoestrus is the complete sexual inactivity with no
23
manifestation of oestrus quite two months
 Repeat breeder is one of the most infertility problems of
herds.
 Abortion is that the premature expulsion of the fetus from the
dam and regularly occurs because the fetus has died in utero
 Dystocia is abnormal or difficult birth within which the
primary or especially the second stage of parturition is
prolonged markedly for over than 6 hours and also the cow
requires assistance .
 RFM are a condition within which a cow fails to expel her
fetal membrane (after birth) within 12 hours after parturition
 Uterine prolapse is that the beginning of the uterus with or
without vagina and cervix through the vulva5/23/2022
commonly shortly
after parturition t
24 THE END

THANK YOU
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