Assessment on production situation and breeding practices of ‘Horro sheep’ under traditional management in Horro Guduru and East Wollega Zones, West Ethiopia

Abstract

Hundie Demissu and Geleta Gobena

A preliminary survey was conducted with the objective of assessing the effect of non-genetic factors on reproductive performance and breeding practices of Horro sheep, and to identify constraints that affect productive potential of this local breed with respect to different agro- ecology. 120 smallholder farmers possessing at least one female sheep during and one year before the study time were included in the study. The farming communities in the study area were living mainly on crop-livestock production where 95.8% (n= 115) respondents depended on both crop and livestock production. Only 1.7% (n= 2), 0.83 %( n=1) and 1.7% (n=2) live solely on crop production, livestock production and off farming respectively. The overall means and SD of flock size per household analyzed in the present study was 9.28 ±7.98 where there was highly significant difference at (P>0.001) among the three districts. Traits studied for reproductive performance were litter size (LS), lambing interval (LI) and number of service per conception(NSPC) and fixed effects were district, parity and ecologic situation. The overall means and SD of LS, LI and NSPC was 268.87± 42.77, 1.57±0.52 and 1.27±0.56 respectively where these traits were significantly affected at (P>0.001) by district and agro-ecology. Parity at lambing had nonsignificant effect on lambing interval, where as litter size and number of service pre conception were significantly affected at (P>0.01) by parity at lambing.