Assessment of Dairy Cattle Feed Resources and Milk Yields Under Smallholder Farmers in Kersa Malima Woreda
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Date
2014-06
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Addis Ababauniversity
Abstract
This study was conducted at Kersa Malima woreda, South West Shawa Zone, Oromia Region , Ethiopia, with the aims of assessing dairy cattle feeding and production practices of smallholder farmers; assessing milk yields of dairy cows under a smallholder system; and characterizing major available feed resources using proximate composition.
One hundred dairy cow owners in study area were included in the study. The common dairy cow feeds identified at the five study kebeles were: natural pasture (100%), wheat straw(75.66%), barley straw(59.0%), teff straw (70.46%), hay (66.68%), maize straw and stover(19.34%), ‘Atela’(26.62%). Dairy cattle production system in the area is crop-livestock integrated production system and the dominant breed in the area is local dairy cattle, which, can produce, in average 1.15litres/day. The study further indicated that crop pasture production and improved forage utilization is not practiced; and free grazing system was major feeding system. The type of feeds used little varied across the study area and common feeds were collected and assessed for their proximate entities. Accordingly, DM content of the feeds ranged from 95-99% and ash values from 6-11%. In the same token, CF, CP, EE and Ca ranged from 33-46%, 4-17%, 0.8-2.5% and 1.3-17%, in that order. The CP concentration of teff straw and barley straw varied significant (P<0.01) across kebeles. On the contrary, there is no significant difference (P>0.05) in ash, CF, EE and Ca contents of teff and barley straw. The concentration of CP of wheat straw and hay was not significantly varied (P>0.05) across study area. Moreover, the results showed feed type difference and feeding practice variability based on feed availability and season of the study area. Conclusions were made on assessment of feed resources and milk yield, production system and characterization of main feed and appropriate recommendation were forwarded
Keywords; dairy cow, feed, feeding practice, milk yield
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Keywords
dairy cow, feed, feeding practice, milk yield