Assessment of On-Farma Reproductive Performance and Sheep Breeding Practice: A case of Dubulk District of Borana Zone

Abstract

This study aimed to assess on-farm reproductive performance, sheep breeding practices, and breeding objectives in
the Dubulk district. In the current study, 150 households were selected and included in the survey. A total of 450
sample sheep were monitored for three months to collect quantitative data per 15-day interval. The data was
gathered through structured questionnaires, focus group discussions, field observations, quantitative data collecting,
and assessment of secondary data sources. The Body weight, body measurements, and qualitative records were
taken and observed from each sheep. Within each sex group, the main effects of breed and dentition were fitted to
the model for quantitative data analysis. In the Dubulk district, breeding was mostly uncontrolled mating without
record keeping. The sheep population in the study area were plain, patchy, pied, body white, and blackhead.
Accordingly, in Karsa damb, Lafto, and Dubulk center Kebele, male and female sheep were dominant coat colors
of body white and black head, with proportions of 87.5 %, 80 %, 74.3 %, and 66.96 %, 73.04 %, and 66.1
%, respectively. Body weight was significantly affected (p<0.05) by the Sex and age of the sheep. In general, body
weight and body measurements were higher for males than females and also increased as the age increased from the
pairs of permanent incisors (0PPI) to the oldest age group (>2PPI). Feed shortage, frequent drought, and disease
were the most important sheep production constraints. It was concluded that pastoral indigenous knowledge of the
sheep breeding system needs to integrate the trait preference of pastoralists. Furthermore, lamb mortality and
disease prevalence were among the most important constraints limiting the productivity of sheep breeding.