Ethiopian Sheep Research Articles

Hematological parameters of sheep and goats fed diets containing various amounts of water hyacinth (Eichhornia crassipes).

A major global barrier to increased animal output is nutrition. The use of aquatic plants, which were previously considered to be waste and needed a lot of labor to eliminate, has recently come to light due to the lack of feed during the dry season in the majority of tropical regions of Africa. The objectives of this study were therefore to see how different dietary Eichhornia crassipise inclusion rates affect the hematological indicators of Ethiopian Doyogena sheep and Woyto-Guji goats. Blood samples were taken from the jugular veins of 12 Doyogena sheep and 12 Woyto-Guji goats in a 2 × 4 randomized crossover design with two animal species, four diets, and four random periods (15 - day adaption period followed by a 7- day experimental diet in each period). The dietary inclusion rates E. crassipise were 0, 25, 50, and 75% that was used as a replacement for commercial concentrate mix diet in the treatment groups. The data was analyzed using the SAS software programme PROC GLM, and Pearson's correlation coefficient was calculated between hematological markers. The hemoglobin (Hb), red blood cell count (RBC), packed cell volume (PCV), mean corpuscular volume (MCH), and mean corpuscular hemoglobin (MCHC) results revealed substantial, RDW-SD, and WBC differences between animal species (P < 0.001). Sheep had greater WBC, Hb, RBC, PCV, RDW-SD, and RDW-CV levels, while goats had higher MCH and MCHC values (P < 0.001). For the analyzed hematological measures, the Pearson's correlation coefficient ranged from low to strong in terms of positive and negative associations (P < 0.05). Since all hematological indicators were closer to those of clinically healthy native Ethiopian sheep and goat breeds, feeding water hyacinth to sheep and goats up to a 75% inclusion level in diets without producing sickness may provide a remedy for adverse feed shortages.

Helminth Control Practices in Sheep and Cattle in Urban and Peri-Urban Areas of Adea District, Central Ethiopia.

Gastrointestinal helminth parasitism is an important problem of livestock in many places of the globe. Despite the fact that the disease is one of the leading causes of economic losses, there is little information on the occurrence of the infection in cattle and sheep in Ethiopia. A cross-sectional study was conducted from June 2022 to February 2023 in urban and peri-urban areas of the Ada'a District with the objective of estimating the prevalence of gastrointestinal helminth parasites (GIHPs) in sheep and cattle and to assess the commercial anthelmintic utilization practices and associated risk factors in sheep and cattle. A total of 351 randomly selected fecal samples (192 cattle and 159 sheep) were collected from the rectum and examined using flotation and sedimentation. One hundred respondents were interviewed for questionnaire surveys on anthelmintic utilization practices. The overall prevalence of GIHPs (61.25%) was recorded during the study. Among the animals, 55.21% and 68.55% prevalence of the infection was observed in cattle and sheep, respectively. There was a statistically significant difference (P < 0.05) in gastrointestinal helminth parasite (GIHP) infection between the study animal species, breeds, body condition of the animals, and production systems. However, there were no significant differences in gastrointestinal helminth parasite (GIHP) infection (P > 0.05) according to sex and age of the animals. A higher prevalence of strongyle (55.34%), fasciola (13.48%), and moniezia eggs (10.69%) was recorded. According to a questionnaire survey, ivermectin was found to be the most used anthelmintic drug. This study addresses the challenge of anthelmintic resistance (AR) against currently available anthelmintics; highly prevalent parasitic infections are causing tremendous economic losses to the animal industry.

Investigating the Situation Of Infection With Respiratory System Parasitic Worms in Ethiopian Sheep

Introduction: This study was conducted from October 2019 to April 2020 to determine the prevalence of lungworm infection and to assess some of the determinant risk factors associated with sheep lungworm infections in Ambo, Central Ethiopia. Methods: Fecal samples were collected from randomly selected 349 sheep, kept under extensive management systems, to examine first-stage larvae (L1) using the Baermann technique. Additionally, samples were collected from 44 sheep slaughtered in different restaurants and hotels to explore the presence of adult lungworm parasites. Results: The overall prevalence recorded from fecal and postmortem examinations was 23.2% and 31.8%, respectively. A higher prevalence was observed in females (26.2%) than in males (17.7%). Age-wise, a higher prevalence (29.1%) was observed in animals greater than six months to 2 years old, while the lowest (13.5%) was observed in animals less than or equal to 6 months. The prevalence of lungworm infection during postmortem examination of slaughtered sheep was higher (31.8%) than the result obtained at coprology (23.2%). Conclusion: This study showed that lungworm infection was a common problem among sheep in the study area. Due to its impact on production, emphasis should be given to controlling and preventing lungworm infection in the study area, such as through repeated deworming and grazing management.

Genetic evaluation of growth and reproductive traits for Dawuro sheep in Ethiopia

This study aimed to estimate genetic parameters and genetic trends for growth, reproductive traits, and inbreeding levels in Dawuro sheep. Data on the studied traits were collected between 2017 and 2022.The genetic parameters were estimated by fitting different univariate models, considering/ignoring maternal effects, using WOMBAT software. The estimated direct heritability obtained from the best-fit models were 0.07±0.03, 0.16 ± 0.04, 0.45 ± 0.27, 0.21 ± 0.07, and 0.48 ± 0.04 for birth weight (BWT), weaning weight (3WT), 6-month weight (6WT), average daily gain from birth to weaning (ADG1), and average daily gain from weaning to 6 months of age (ADG2), respectively. The estimated direct heritability for litter size (LS), lambing interval (LI), and annual reproductive rate (ARR) were 0.10 ± 0.10, 0.001 ± 0.10, and 0.09 ± 0.49, respectively. The trait selected for improvement was 6WT, which exhibited a positive genetic trend and moderate heritability estimates. Positive genetic trend suggests the potential for further enhancement of post-weaning lamb growth traits.

Comparative evaluation of RBPT, I-ELISA, and CFT for the diagnosis of brucellosis and PCR detection of Brucella species from Ethiopian sheep, goats, and cattle sera

BackgroundBrucellosis is an economically devastating animal disease and has public health concern. Serological methods such as Rose Bengal Plate Test (RBPT), Complement Fixation Test (CFT), and Indirect-Enzyme-Linked Immunosorbent Assay (I-ELISA) have been used to detect brucellosis. However, there is limited comparative evaluation studies and lack of molecular confirmation of the causative agents in the study areas. The study was aimed to compare RBPT, I-ELISA, CFT, and confirmation using Polymerase Chain Reaction (PCR). A total of 2317 sera samples were collected from brucellosis-affected areas of Ethiopia with no vaccination history. All sera were subjected to comparative serological assays. Post-cross tabulation, sensitivity, and specificity were determined using Receiver Operating Characteristics (ROC) curve analysis software. PCR was performed on 54 seropositive samples using genus- and species-specific primers.ResultsAmong the 2317 sera tested for comparative serological assays, 189 (8.16%) were positive for RBPT, 191 (8.24%) for I-ELISA, and 48 (2.07%) for CFT. Sensitivity to RBPT was 100% (95%) in shoats and 74% (95%) in cattle. Specificity on RBPT was 98.69% (95%), 99.28% (95%), 100% (95%) in sheep, goats, and cattle, respectively. CFT sensitivity was 4 (95%) in sheep, 9.65 (95%) goats, and 72 (95%) cattle. Specificity on CFT was 100% (95%) for sheep, goats, and cattle. A 223bp Brucella genus-specific and 156bp B. abortus species-specific detected. However, B. melitensis not detected.ConclusionIn this study, I-ELISA was the most sensitive and specific test. RBPT detected all Brucellosis-infected sheep and goats; nevertheless, it showed false positive in sheep and goats and false negative in cattle. The presence of B. abortus in small and large ruminants was confirmed by PCR. This is the first report of B. abortus detection in small ruminant in Ethiopia. B.abortus detected in non-preferred hosts. The findings suggest further study on molecular epidemiology of Brucella species.

Effects of traditional brewery dried residue and field pea hull mixtures supplementation on feed utilization and performance of Washera sheep fed natural pasture grass hay as basal diet.

The major feedstuffs (natural pasture and crop residues) used for sheep in Ethiopia are fibrous and the crude protein (CP) content is less than 7% that is inadequate to meet the maintenance requirement of sheep. These poor quality feeds should be improved and can be improved through supplementation with nutritious feedstuff. Therefore, to overcome this challenge, there is a need to look for some alternatives but locally available and cheap sources of protein. In this regard, traditional brewery dried residue (TBDR) and field pea hull (FPH) could be an important sources of feed for ruminant livestock. This experiment was carried out to evaluate the effects of supplementing mixtures of TBDR and FPH on the feed intake, digestibility, live weight gain, and economic feasibility of the feeding treatments. In a 3-month experiment, 20 yearling intact male Washera sheep were blocked based on their initial BW of 22.1±1.58kg (mean±standard error of mean), and treatment diets were randomly assigned within a block. Treatments comprised feeding natural pasture grass hay (NPGH) ad libitum+50g ground nut cake (GNC) (T1 , control); T1 +supplemented with 25% TBDR:75% FPH (T2 ); T1 +50% TBDR:50% FPH (T3 ) and T1 +75% TBDR:25% FPH (T4 ). The supplement feed was offered twice a day at 08:00 and 16:00 while, common salt lick and water were available all time. NPGH, FPH, TBDR, and GNC in the current study contained 5.7%, 13.4%, 22.2%, and 45.4% CP and 62%, 61%, 34%, and 20% neutral detergent fibre, respectively. Sheep in supplemented treatments had higher (p<0.05) apparent digestibility percentage of dry matter and nutrients than those in T1 . Among the supplemented treatments, sheep fed T4 recorded 4.49kg extra (p<0.0001) body weight as compared to that fed T1 by growing at an average of 49.8g/day and returned the highest net income (255.8 Ethiopian birr) CONCLUSION: Thus, based on the highest body weight gain and net return, the combinations of 75% TBDR and 25% FPH (T4 ) appeared to be recommendable for poor farmers.

Productive and reproductive performance of Dawuro highland sheep managed under community-based breeding program in Ethiopia.

The objective of this study was to evaluate growth and reproductive performance of highland Dawuro sheep population managed under a community-based breeding program in Ethiopia. Records used in the study were collected over 6 years (2017-2022). In the current study, 3554 records were considered. Studied traits were birth weight (BWT), 3-month weight (WWT), 6-month weight (SMWT), daily gain from birth to weaning (ADG0-3), daily gains from weaning to 6-month age(ADG3-6), litter size(LS), lambing interval (LI), and annual reproductive rates(ARR). The data were analyzed using general linear models of SAS software. The overall least squares mean (LSM± SE) for BWT, WWT, SMWT, ADG0-3, and ADG3-6 were 2.69±0.02; 14.6±0.49, 22.8±0.22 kg, 128.05±2.27 gram (g), and 71.5±0.23 gram respectively. Site difference exerted significantly on BWT, WWT, and SMWT. The result of WWT and SMWT results of Dawuro sheep were comparable with previously reported known Ethiopian sheep breeds. The overall least squares mean ± standard error of LS, LI and, ARR were 1.67±0.04 lambs, 239±31.91 days, and 2.19±0.06 lambs, respectively. WWT and SMWT traits showed good responses to selection. The general implication of the result to future improvement program was continue selection, strengthening the existing breeder cooperatives, integration of full animal health, feed packages, conservation of prolific flocks, improving the management of animals, expanding the current CBBP to adjacent potential kebele, create market linkage and scaling out the existing best practice to a new sites.

Investigation of wool fiber yield and moisture regain properties of four Ethiopian sheep breeds

Ethiopia has indigenous breeds of sheep such as Washera, Menz, Farta, and Tikur. Small-scale enterprises are using the wool fibers from these breeds to produce local products such as rugs, socks, sweaters, quilts, and mattresses. This study investigates four Ethiopian sheep breeds wool fiber yield and moisture regain properties. Four hundred total sheep, of which 50% males and 50% female sheep, were included in the study. The result revealed that the average wool fiber yield according to the IWTO CWC standard of male sheep for Washera, Menz, Farta, and Tikur were 89.29%, 88.29%, 73.33%, and 81.74%, and for female sheep were 88.75%, 81.91%, 73.23%, and 80.80%, respectively. The selected Ethiopian wool fiber yield showed higher as compared to other sheep breeds of some countries. The study also revealed that the raw wool fiber moisture regain values of Washera, Menz, Farta, and Tikur were 10.67%, 16.91%, 11.11%, and 10.71% for male sheep and 11.92%, 15.91%, 11.83%, and 9.22% for female sheep, respectively. This shows that the Ethiopian wool fiber having good fiber yield and moisture regain can be used as a source of manufacturing different wool products.

Genetic diversity and within-breed variation in three indigenous Ethiopian sheep based on whole-genome analysis

The objective of this work was to study genetic diversity by comparing whole genome sequence data of Rutana, Gumuz and Washera sheep found in Amhara and Benishanguel gumuz regional states of Ethiopia. We employed variant calling format tools version 0.1.15 to calculate some genetic diversity indices such as observed heterozygosity, expected heterozygosity, inbreeding coefficient, and nucleotide diversity. The results revealed that, observed heterozygosity ranged from 0.33 in Gumuz to 0.34 in Rutana and Washera sheep. Expected heterozygosity ranged from 0.37 in Rutana to 0.38 in Gumuz and Washera sheep. Expected heterozygosity was found to be higher than observed heterozygosity. Higher inbreeding coefficient (0.12) was recorded for Gumuz sheep compared to 0.09 of Rutana and Washera sheep. Mean nucleotide diversity values were 0.0029, 0.0030 and 0.0028 for Gumuz, Rutana and Washera sheep, respectively. Higher values of nucleotide diversity were recorded. Population structure analysis using principal component analysis revealed no clear separation between Gumuz, Rutana and Washera sheep populations with possibility of gene flow attributed to geographical location proximity. The smaller population size, closed breeding system, genetic drift and uncontrolled (non-random) mating might lead to higher rate of inbreeding in Gumuz, Rutana and Washera sheep, requiring timely intervention. This intervention helps to prevent inbreeding depression and extinction of these valuable breeds of sheep, which helps in sustaining the livelihood of sheep keepers in lowlands and highlands. Nevertheless, the whole-genome analysis revealed high within-breed variation. Uncovered areas of studies like mapping quantitative trait loci, identifying genes underpinning productivity traits such as carcass quantity and meat quality could be carried out on diversified sheep resources identified by the current study. Identifying the genomic regions and biological pathways that contribute to explaining variability in these traits is of great importance for selection purposes. Designing conservation-based within-breed sheep selective breeding programs are recommended considering economically important traits into account.

Analysis of tail morphology and osteology in Ethiopian indigenous sheep

Sheep adaptive diversity, including tail morphology, has been shaped by various factors, including natural and/or artificial selection for different traits. The Horn of Africa has historically been a major livestock entry point on the African continent from the Near Eastern centers of initial domestication. Ethiopia, in particular, possesses a marked sheep diversity, including the presence of breeds with four distinct tail morphotypes (short fat-tail, long fat-tail, fat-rump, and thin-tail) that do not co-exist elsewhere. The origin and development of the fat-tail, as well as the fat-rump, are still poorly known, and the osteological and metrical differences between the fat-tail morphotypes have never been studied. Here, we characterized the phenotypic diversity of Ethiopian sheep tails from morphological and osteological perspectives. Three tail measurements and 14 osteological traits were recorded in six breeds (Menz, Washera, Afar, Blackhead Somali, Bonga, and Gumz), representative of the four sheep tail morphotypes. Both linear discriminant and principal component analyses categorize the six sheep breeds into four distinct tail morphotypes. Analysis of variance of the morphological and osteological traits shows significant differences (P < 0.05) between the four tail morphotypes. The highest mean values of tail length, total caudal vertebrae length and the number of caudal vertebrae were recorded in the thin-tailed sheep, followed by the long fat-tailed sheep, whereas the lowest average values were recorded in the fat-rumped and short fat-tailed sheep. These traits are significantly and positively correlated with each other. Based on regression model analysis, it is possible to use tail length alone as a predictive tool to estimate the sheep tail osteology without killing the animal. Moreover, based on measurements of sheep caudal vertebrae, the osteologist can estimate other osteological traits and the tail length of that sheep, further differentiating its tail morphotypes. Significant differences (P < 0.05) were also observed in individual caudal vertebra length and breadth, tail breadth and tail circumference, and flat and concave-shaped caudal vertebrae between the short-tailed and long-tailed sheep. Our results provide important phenotypic baselines for genome diversity and adaptation studies and an osteological baseline for archeozoological work aiming to understand the history of sheep farming and breed development in past societies.

Genome-Wide Genetic Diversity and Population Structure of Local Sudanese Sheep Populations Revealed by Whole-Genome Sequencing

Local Sudanese sheep populations inhabiting diverse environmental conditions and holding opposing morphologies provide opportunities for molecular-genetic research. Characterizing their genome is crucial for sustainable breeding improvement and targeting favorable genes in breeding programs. However, the genome of these sheep populations, which comprises several subtypes, remains uncharacterized using whole-genome sequence data. This study aimed to elucidate genome-wide genetic diversity and population structure of 11 local Sudanese sheep populations, namely, Hammari, Kabbashi, Meidobe, Ashgar, Dubasi, Watish, Bega, Naili, Fulani, Zagawi, and Garag. Ninety whole blood samples were collected, and we extracted DNA using a Qiagen DNeasy® extraction kit. We used the Illumina HiSeq 2000 platform to sequence all the DNA samples. We included whole-genome sequence data of three Ethiopian sheep (Doyogena, Kefis, and Gafera) and one Libyan sheep (Libyan Barbary) in the study to infer the genetic relationships of local Sudanese sheep populations from a continental perspective. A total of 44.8 million bi-allelic autosomal SNPs were detected; 28.5% and 63.3% occur in introns and intergenic regions, respectively. The mean genetic diversity ranged from 0.276 for Garag to 0.324 for Kabbashi sheep populations. The lowest FST estimates were observed between Kabbashi and Ashgar and the highest between Bega and Fulani local Sudanese sheep populations. The principal component and population structure analyses of the 11 local Sudanese sheep populations indicated three separate genetic groups categorized following their tail morphotype, geographical distribution, and population subtype. The thin-tailed local Sudanese sheep populations exhibited independent clustering from the fat-tailed Ethiopian and Libyan sheep. We also observed distinct clustering between the fat-tailed Ethiopian and Libyan sheep. The present study’s findings demonstrated the population structure and principal components related to tail morphotype, geographical distribution, and population subtype of local Sudanese sheep populations. A clear signature of admixture was observed among the studied local Sudanese sheep populations.

Acacia nilotica leaf meal - potential supplement to 25% dorper crosses of local sheep fed a basal diet of natural pasture hay

This research was conducted to evaluate the replacement potential of Acacia nilotica dried leaf meal for Noug Seed Cake (NSC) to supplement low quality grass hay in the diet of crossbred sheep (25% Dorper). In doing so, four treatments were set up in such a way that 0%, 33%, 67%, and 100% NSC is replaced with dried leaf of Acacia nilotica from a conventional supplement while the treatments were kept isonitrogenous. The experiment was set up in a Randomized Complete Block Design, with initials weight used as the blocking factor. Twenty animals were allocated to the four treatments. The experiment consisted of hundred days of feeding trial followed by evaluation of carcass components at the end. In addition, the experimental feed ingredient was studied in vitro for gas production, methane (CH4) production, fractional rate of degradation (Kd), and in vitro dry matter digestibility (IVDMD). In view of chemical composition, grass hay contained lower crude protein (CP = 3.2% DM) and high cell wall contents that makes it lower quality feed. On the other hand, Acacianilotica leaf meal was moderate in quality (CP = 14.3% DM) that can support moderate level of ruminant production. In an in vitro study, Acacia nilotica was found to have lower (P < 0.01) levels of CH4, total gas, kd, and IVDMD compared to the other feed ingredients. This indicates that tannin have an effect on Acacia nilotica feed. Partial and complete replacement of NSC with Acacia nilotica leaf meal significantly increased total dry matter intake (TDMI) (P < 0.001). Average daily gain (ADG) and dressing percentage was also higher for leaf meal supplemented groups. Hot carcass weight was in the range of 14.8–17.8 kg, which is higher than the national average carcass weight for Ethiopian sheep, and it was also found to be higher when NSC was partially (33%) as well as completely replaced by the leaf meal. In general, NSC can be replaced either partially or completely with Acacianilotica leaf meal in the diet of 25% Dorper crosses while weight gain as well as carcass yield is promoted. The maximum inclusion level of Acacia nilotica was 61.3% or 319.2 g per day for 25% Dorper cross sheep fed natural pasture hay as a basal diet.

Effect of processed sweet lupin (Lupinus angustifolius) grain supplementation on growth performance and socioeconomic feasibility of Doyogena sheep in Ethiopia.

BackgroundThe experiment evaluated the effect of supplementing sheep fed natural pasture hay withprocessed sweet lupin grain on growth performance and its economic feasibility. The finding revealed that use of steamed lupin shown to improve the nutritivevalue of the grain and sheep performance.MethodsThe experiment was carried out using 24 yearling lambs with initial body weight of 27.53 ± 2.67 kg (mean ± SD) for 126 days (21 days quarantine, 15 days of adaptation and 90 days growth trial followed by 7 days digestibility trial). The experiment was laid out in a randomised complete block design consisting of four treatments and six blocks. Treatments comprised the feeding of natural pasture hay ad libitum + concentrate mix 440 g (T1), natural pasture hay + 440 g/day roasted, coarsely ground sweet lupin grain (T2), natural pasture hay + 440 g/day sweet lupin grain soaked in water for 72 h (T3), natural pasture hay + 440 g/day steamed sweet lupin grain (T4).ResultsThere was improvements in total dry matter intake and digestibility coefficients of dry matter, organic matter, crude protein, neutral detergent fibre and acid detergent fibre in sheep supplemented with processed sweet lupin grains compared (T4) by 58.49%, 24.66%, 39.39%, 22.97% and 39.68%, respectively, over the control group. Specifically sheep supplemented with T4 had significantly higher (p < 0.001) average daily gain (by 51.04%), feed conversion efficiency (46.34%) and daily weight gain (144.78 g/day) compared to the control treatment, respectively. All processing methods resulted in favourable average daily gain and net return, thus can be employed in feeding systems depending on their availability and relative cost.ConclusionsSupplementing sheep fed natural pasture hay with 440 g/day steamed sweet lupin grains improved growth performance and fattening economics of Doyogena sheep compared to T2 (roasted sweet lupin grain), T3 (soaked sweet lupin grain) or the control (T1).

A Review on Evaluation of Productive and Reproductive Performance and Major Constraints of Indigenous Sheep: An Ethiopian Perspective

The objective of this paper is to evaluate the productive and reproductive performance and major constraints of indigenous sheep in Ethiopian perspective. Ethiopia is home for at least 9 breeds and 14 traditional sheep populations. Sheep are the second most important species of livestock next to cattle in Ethiopia. The productivity of sheep mostly based on the reproductive performance of sheep. The age at first sexual maturity may be affected by weaning season and post weaning nutrition and thus through good management age at first sexual maturity could be substantially improved. Arsi Bale and Horro sheep have short lambing interval from other indigenous sheep. Litter size of Ethiopian sheep breeds like Menz and Afar sheep breeds is low (which is almost close to one lamb per lambing while breeds like Horro and Washera are more prolific with litter size of 1.35 and 1.2, respectively. Ethiopian indigenous sheep are characterized by slow growth, late maturity and low production performances. Feed shortages, both in quality and quantity, high prevalence of diseases and parasites, shortage of water; lacks of markets are the major constraints sheep production in Ethiopia. As the conclusion reproductive performances like litter size, age at first lambing and lambing interval are important traits of sheep production. Ethiopian indigenous sheep are characterized by slow growth, late maturity and low production performances. Therefore, on farm performance evaluation of sheep is required to understand effect of seasons and year on productive and reproductive of small ruminants. Keywords: Constraint; indigenous sheep; productive; reproductive; performance DOI: 10.7176/JNSR/13-13-02 Publication date: July 31 st 2022

Genetic parameters and trends of growth traits in community-based breeding programs of Abera sheep in Ethiopia

ABSTRACT The objectives of the current study were to estimate the genetic parameters and genetic trends for growth traits, and to assess inbreeding levels of Abera sheep under community-based breeding programs (CBBPs) in Ethiopia. General linear model consisting of the fixed effects of sex, breeder cooperative, season and birth type was used to analyze growth traits. Variance components and genetic parameters were estimated within each breeder cooperative following univariate animal model based on the restricted maximum likelihood method. All fixed effects influenced (P < 0.05) the growth traits. Multivariate analysis was also employed to compute correlation estimates among growth traits. Based on the best fitted models, the direct heritability for weaning weight (WWT) and six-month weight (SMWT) in the six breeder cooperatives were in the ranges of 0.12 ± 0.12–0.38 ± 0.17 and 0.20 ± 0.10–0.49 ± 0.01, respectively. Range of positive genetic progress in WWT (0.15–0.44 kg) and SMWT (0.21–0.57 kg) was achieved in Abera sheep breeder cooperatives during selection years.

Breeding Objectives and Trait Preferences of Farmers for Sheep in Ethiopia

Ethiopian farmers perform breeding by putting different objectives to satisfy the need and to fulfill trait such as body size, body conformation, mothering ability, lambing interval, age at puberty and fertility. Farmers put different selection criteria for both sexs. For example, selection criteria for are rams body size, coat color and tail type and for ewes body size, coat colour and mothering ability are best for selection criteria. There are different sheep breed in Ethiopia and their geographical distribution insured throughout the countries. Breeding practices confirmed by natural mating method and sheep are served randomly by any intact male in the flock. For effective utilization of existing sheep resource the production system determine its effectiveness according to its geographical distribution production and there are different production systems such as sheep-barley or sheep production system, mixed crop-livestock system and Pastoral production system. Ethiopia has large livestock population in Africa but the uses of the resource not proportional and the reason for this linked with different constraint. As we know the major constraints to sheep Production in Ethiopia are disease, feed shortage, market, water, and lack of trained personnel and absence of recording. So due this the current objective of the paper is to review breeding objectives and trait preferences of farmers for sheep in Ethiopia. To use existing sheep resources the farmer should use appropriate breeding strategies and this can used for many trait.

Effects of Supplementing Finger Millet (&amp;lt;i&amp;gt;Eleucine coracana&amp;lt;/i&amp;gt;) Straw with Grass Pea (&amp;lt;i&amp;gt;Lathyrus sativus&amp;lt;/i&amp;gt; L.) Hulls and Concentrate Mixture on Feed Intake, Digestibility and Body Weight Change in Washera Sheep

The productivity of sheep in Ethiopia is very low mainly due to a serious shortage of feedstuff. As a result, it is necessary to look for cheap locally available feedstuffs to sustain sheep production in the country. Non-conventional feeds like grass pea (Lathyrus sativus L.) hulls (GPH) could partly fill the gap in the feed supply, decrease competition for food between humans and animals and reduce feed cost. Therefore, this experiment was designed to evaluate effects of different proportions of grass pea hulls and concentrate mixture (CM) supplementation on feed intake, digestibility, and growth of Washera sheep fed finger millet straw (FMS) as a basal diet. Diets consisted FMS alone fed ad libitum (T1), 100% CM (T2), 30% GPH mixed with 70% CM (T3), 30% CM mixed with 70% GPH (T4), and 100% GPH (T5). For all treatments, FMS was fed ad libitum. Experimental sheep were arranged in a randomized complete block design and treatment feeds were assigned to the animals within a block. The results showed that FMS contained 5.5% CP and 68.9% NDF. The supplements contained 21%, 20%, 16% and 14% CP; and 36%, 43%, 52% and 59% NDF for T2, T3, T4 and T5, respectively. Supplementation improved (p resulted in the lowest ADG (p . While, animals in T1 lost a bodyweight of 5.6 g/day. As the proportion of GPH supplementation was greater than 30%, there was reduction (p T2 > T4 > T5. Therefore, from biological point of view as well as based on partial budget analysis, T3 was found to be recommendable for smallholder sheep producers.

Enzymatic and fecundity evaluation of Fasciola hepatica exposed to different doses of γ- irradiation in Ethiopian sheep

The upshot of γ-irradiated Fasciola hepatica infection on the activity of plasma glutamate dehydrogenase (GLDH) and γ-glutamyl transpeptidase (GGT) was evaluated in 36 sheep infected with a single dose of 30, 60, 120, and 240 grays and those kept as negative and positive control over 17 weeks. During this period, serum and faecal samples, as well as body weight gains, were taken at weekly intervals. Furthermore, the effects of the irradiation dose (500) for oral vaccination and on the recovery of adult flukes were assessed following primary infection. Eggs were first detected in the faeces of infected sheep on week 8 post-infection. The parasite viability was severely affected by doses of γ-irradiation of 120 Gy or 240 Gy. In the aforementioned doses, relatively low numbers of mature flukes of about 60 (17.1%) and 38 (10.8%) were recovered than the control group, respectively. The sensitized lambs also showed less hepatic damage compared with the controls as indicated by lower levels of the serum enzyme glutamate dehydrogenase and γ- glutamyl transferase significant body weight loss was observed between weeks 6 and 8 post-infection followed by a steady increase of the mean weight of infected animals across time. In conclusion, vaccination of sheep with γ irradiated metacercariae of F. hepatica appeared to affect the number and development of the fluke population resulting in reduced hepatic damage during migration, reduced fecundity after patency, as measured by worm and egg counts, levels of serum glutamate dehydrogenase and γ- glutamyl transferase.

Feasibility of heart girth models in estimating live weight of fat-long-tailed sheep.

Fat deposition in the brisket of Ethiopian fat‐long‐tailed sheep may interfere with the correlation between heart girth (HG) and live weight (LW), bringing into question the accuracy of HG models for LW prediction that are currently in use. This study assessed the accuracy of published HG‐based prediction models of the live weight of Ethiopian sheep breeds. Furthermore, the study identified accurate and robust models that predict the LW of the sheep using HG. Live weight and HG of 1,020 sheep from Bonga, Adilo and Horro breeds were measured. First, data collected from the study was used to gauge the preciseness of previously published prediction models of each breed. Second, the data of individual breeds were divided into a calibration set for model construction and a validation set for model validation. Live weight was regressed on HG to construct simple linear, Box‐Cox, quadratic and allometric prediction models. Prediction error of published models was >20%. Models constructed for each breed did not differ in R2. However, only simple linear models with transformed LW (Adilo: Log10(LW) = 0.408 + 0.015*HG, Bonga: Log10(LW) = −36.6 + 0.882*HG, Horro: LW0.5 = −1.26 + 0.085*HG) had homogenous residuals and prediction error of ≤ 10%. Heart girth models currently used to predict LW of Adilo, Bonga and Horro sheep of Ethiopia are not sufficiently accurate as they have PE higher than 10%. Prediction models generated by the current study could replace the published models for an accurate estimation of LW of the three breeds for husbandry, marketing and veterinary purposes.

Whole-Genome Sequence Data Suggest Environmental Adaptation of Ethiopian Sheep Populations.

Great progress has been made over recent years in the identification of selection signatures in the genomes of livestock species. This work has primarily been carried out in commercial breeds for which the dominant selection pressures are associated with artificial selection. As agriculture and food security are likely to be strongly affected by climate change, a better understanding of environment-imposed selection on agricultural species is warranted. Ethiopia is an ideal setting to investigate environmental adaptation in livestock due to its wide variation in geo-climatic characteristics and the extensive genetic and phenotypic variation of its livestock. Here, we identified over three million single nucleotide variants across 12 Ethiopian sheep populations and applied landscape genomics approaches to investigate the association between these variants and environmental variables. Our results suggest that environmental adaptation for precipitation-related variables is stronger than that related to altitude or temperature, consistent with large-scale meta-analyses of selection pressure across species. The set of genes showing association with environmental variables was enriched for genes highly expressed in human blood and nerve tissues. There was also evidence of enrichment for genes associated with high-altitude adaptation although no strong association was identified with hypoxia-inducible-factor (HIF) genes. One of the strongest altitude-related signals was for a collagen gene, consistent with previous studies of high-altitude adaptation. Several altitude-associated genes also showed evidence of adaptation with temperature, suggesting a relationship between responses to these environmental factors. These results provide a foundation to investigate further the effects of climatic variables on small ruminant populations.