Abstract Brucella spp. and Rift Valley fever virus (RVFV) are classified as priority zoonotic agents in Kenya, based on their public health and socioeconomic impact on the country. Data on the pathogen-specific and co-exposure levels is scarce due to limited active surveillance. This study investigated seroprevalence and co-exposure of Brucella spp. and RVFV and associated risk factors among slaughterhouse workers in Isiolo County, northern Kenya. A crosssectional serosurvey was done in all ...
Abstract/Overview Globally, biosecurity is instrumental in prevention, control and management of livestock dis- eases and protection of human health. It is defined, prescribed, adopted and enforced through global, regional and national frameworks, laws, policies and strategies. There is more biosecurity practice research conducted in developed countries than developing ones. Consequently, the gap between the ideals recommended in biosecurity frameworks and what is practical in under-resou...
Abstract: Dairy farming complements both food and cash crop farming in Kenya. Due to limited land sizes, smallholder dairy farming is popular and dominates the dairy sector in terms of milk production. Low milk production is a major constraint in Tigania East SubCounty despite the fact that the surrounding Sub-Counties produce high amounts of milk. A survey was carried out in Tigania East Sub-County involving 156 smallholder farmers randomly selected across three agro-ecological zones (AEZ1,...
Abstract: Inadequate and erratic rainfall in the arid and semi-arid lands (ASALs) of Kenya that are accompanied by long dry spells lead to drought. This leads to low feed availability. Inadequate quality and quantity of feeds is the major constraint to livestock production in the ASALs of Kenya. It is the major input factor to livestock production and accounts for 60-70% of the production cost. There is therefore a need to introduce climate smart forage species in order to expand the forage ...
Abstract: The poultry industry in Kenya is a key contributor to the local economy as well as food security and income with over 90% of households owning a flock of chicken (Kingori et al., 2010). The main objective of this study was to investigate the challenges faced b y rural and peri urban chicken farmers in Katulani District, Kitui County. The study focussed on understanding the challenges affecting chicken farming, factors affecting technology adoption, access to institutional support s...
Abstract: The scarce and low nutritive livestock forage resource base in semi arid Kenya limits livestock production in these regions. The major factor contributing to this situation is inadequate and erratic rainfall patterns accompanied by long dry spells often culminating into drought. To exploit the full potential of the ASALs for livestock production there is need to expand the forage resource base through introduction of climate smart forage species. This study was carried out to evalu...
Abstract: This study was conducted to evaluate dairy husbandry practices and microbial quality of raw and pasteurized cow milk samples in Wolaita Sodo town. A total of 156 milk producers which had at least one lactating cow were randomly selected from three kebeles were interviewed using a semi-structured questionnaire. From a subset of the surveyed respondents, a total of 70 (200/ml) milk samples and 30 packed pasteurized milk samples ( 500/ml plastic bags) pasteurized milk samples were col...
Abstract: Climate variability is causing the greatest environmental, social and economic threats to all of humanity and across borders in many nations. The purpose of this study was to analyse long term climate variability and explore effects of climate variability on dairy production and identify the existing adaptation strategies in Gabiley district, Somaliland. To achieve the objective appropriate data was collected from 119 household heads from three sample villages, which were selected ...
Abstract: The study was conducted in Deghabur district of Somali Regional State, with the objectives of generating base line information about the livestock husbandry practices, to identify the available feed resources. The study was undertaken in four purposely selected Peasant Associations (PAs) according to their road accessibility and potential for livestock population; total sample sizes of 120 household were used for the study. Semi structured questionnaires were held with pastoralists...
Abstract: This PhD dissertation is based on three studies. The first was a survey work aiming to describe and compare the current pig production practices in and around Bishoftu and Holeta towns, central Ethiopia. A total of 20 and 23 pig farms from Bishoftu and Holeta towns respectively were visited. The second study was aimed at establishing the effects of inclusion of sun dried bovine rumen content (SDRC) as ingredients in diets of pigs during post weaning growth phase for 90 days. A tota...
Abstract: A study was conducted in Adola Reedde district of Guji zone, to asses and identify the major grass species, evaluate their chemical composition, in vitro digestibility, and estimate the biomass yield of the major grass species. A total of 60 key informants taken from the sample kebeles of three agro- ecologies were interviewed to asses and identify common grasses in their vernacular name. Sample collection was done in the mid of September for three consecutive days. A total of 6 ru...
Abstract: The study was conducted at Ambo University using twenty five Horro sheep with initial body weight of 16.84±0.23kg (mean±SD). The objectives of the experiment was to evaluate effect of replacing concentrate mix with Lablab purpureus hay on feed intake, digestibility, live weight gain, and carcass characteristics of Horro sheep fed natural pasture hay as basal diet as well as to assess the economy of replacing concentrate mix with Lablab purpureus(LP)hay. At the end of feeding tria...
Abstract: This study was conducted with the overall aim of estimating genetic and non-genetic effects on reproduction and productive traits of Dorper x Menz crossbred sheep at Debre Berhan Sheep Breeding and Multiplication Center (DBSBMC) and on-farm evaluation of performances of crossbreds in North Shoa Zone of Amhara Regional State. Reproduction and production data were obtained from the center record book collected between the year 2015 and 2020. Total of 650 crossbreed performance record...
Abstract: This study was aimed at identifying breeding objective traits for the Short-eared Somali goat breed in Sitti zone, eastern Ethiopia. Individual interview, own-flock ranking, and group-animal ranking experiments were conducted to identify breeding objective traits. For the individual interview, structured questionnaire was undertaken with purposively selected 120 goat owners, 60 from each district of Erer and Shinnile. The data collected through the individual interviews was analyze...
Abstract: The huge and diverse livestock population, favorable climate for improved high-yielding cattle breeds, increasing demand for dairy products in urban and peri-urban areas and long-standing culture of dairy products consumption make Ethiopia to hold a substantial potential for dairy development. The study was conducted in Gondar district, North Gondar Zone of Amhara Regional State with the objectives: To assess milk production performance and production constraints, milking and proce...