Traditional Breeding Management and Morpho Metric Characteristics of Indigenous Harerge Highland Cattle in Eastern Ethiopia

Abstract

The survey and measurements were done to identify traditional breeding management and morpho metric characteristics of the indigenous cattle in Harerge highlands eastern Ethiopia. Structured questionnaire was used to collect data from 120 households. Collected data were analyzed using descriptive statistics and index ranking. Results indicated that the household head stands first as owner of cattle. Tethering and herded grazing were the predominant feeding practice. Crop residue and natural pasture were the predominant basal diet for cattle. River and borehole were the main water sources for cattle. Disease prevention measures used were ethno veterinary medicines (51.3%), veterinary medicines (15.7%) and both (32.9%). Average peak milk yield was 2.43±0.13lt/day. Breeding criteria were found to use cold tolerance, walking capacity, disease resistance, draft power fecundity potential and meat palatability. Breeding bull and breeding cow remains in the farm 3-12 and 6-18 years respectively before culling.  Criteria for culling young individual from the herd existed in three rank equally for male and female the first rank comprised Small body size, slow rate of growth, poor health, and bad temperament the second rank comprised Bad body condition, unfavorable color, and total infertility and third ranked comprised poor growth, inbreeding avoidance and old age.

Keywords: Age at first calving; body measurement; culling criteria; peak milk yield; phenotypic traits.