Dr. Ashenafi Mengistu, Prof. Berhan TamirMichaele, Yirdaw2018-11-292023-11-082018-11-292023-11-082018-05http://etd.aau.edu.et/handle/123456789/14688PhD ThesisThe study was conducted in Tahtay Adyabo Wereda of Tigray National Regional State with the objectives of assessing sheep production system and determines feed intake, digestibility, body weight change, carcass characteristics and semen quality of Begait rams. To collect the quantitative and qualitative data, questionnaire, group discussions and field observation were employed. A total of 108 households owning Begait sheep were individually interviewed. The experiment was carried out at Humera Begait Cattle and Small Ruminants breeding and Multiplication Ranch of Tigray Regional Government. This study was designed to assess the effects of replacing cotton seed cake by Dried Acacia saligna, Sesbania sesban or Vigna unguiculata on production performance and semen quality of Begait rams fed grass hay as basal diet and wheat bran as energy source. Twenty four yearlings Begait male sheep with an average initial body weight of 25 ± 1.39 kg (mean ± SD) were used in randomized complete block design (RCBD) that lasted for 90 days. Treatments consisted of ad libitum feeding of grass hay plus 200g DM wheat bran and additionally supplementing with 100g, 250g, 140g and 180g DM per head per day of cotton seed cake, Acacia saligna, Sesbania sesban and Vigna unguiculata forages for T1, T2, T3 and T4 respectively, each calculated to give 67.6g CP on isonitrogenous basis. Rams were categorized into six blocks of four Rams in each block based on their initial body weight and the four feed treatments were randomly assigned to each animal in a block, giving six animals per treatment. The survey result indicated that, mixed crop-livestock production system was the dominant farming system. Farmers reared sheep primarily for two main purposes, for cash income and home consumption. On average, one household had 13.6 ±2.15 heads of Begait sheep. The major feed resources were natural pasture and natural pasture (standing hay) in wet and dry season respectively. Feed shortage, water scarcity and health problem were the major factors hampering sheep production in the area. Results related to the feeding trial showed that, the hay DM intake was lower (P < 0.05) for T2 as compared to the other three treatments. Total DM and OM intakes appeared to be highly impacted by the supplemental DM intake. Digestibility of CP was in the order of T1 > T3 >T4 > T2, the value in T2 was significantly different (P < 0.05) with T1 and T3 (74.6, 60.4, 72.2 and 67.9 for T1, T2, T3 and T4, respectively). T1 and T3 resulted in higher (P<0.05) final body weights than T4; However, the results of BWC, ADG and FCE in T1, T2 and T3 were not significantly different (P > 0.05) from each other. There were also similarities among T2 and T4 in BWC, ADG and FCE. Hot carcass weight ranged from 14 kg to 16 kg. Slaughter weight, empty body weight and dressing percentage on slaughter body weight were higher in T1 (cotton seed cake), T3 (S .sasban) and T2 (A .saligna) as compared to rams supplemented with T4 (Vigna unguiculata) while T4 was not significantly different with T2 and T3. Body condition, semen volume, mass motility, live and dead count and percent did not show significant difference (p>0.05). Scrotum Circumference was 27.4, 26.6, 27.9 and 26.0cm for rams in T1, T2, T3 and T4, respectively. Testicle size and scrotum circumference were statistically different (P < 0.05) between T3 and T4. The supplements were comparable in their potential to supply nutrients to improve the productivity of sheep. Therefore dried A. saligna and S. sesban foliages can be used to replace protein sources commercial concentrate feeds.enBegait sheepcotton seed cakefeed intakeThesis