2023/11/07 by Jergefa Oncho, Tujuba, Kebamo, Mulugeta
#Boranaa #Calf mortality #Ethiopia #Reproductive performance
paper · doi:10.20372/star.v8i1.02
This study was performed in Dida Tuyara Government Ranch in Boranaa Zone, Oromia Regional State, with the objective of assessing the epidemiology and factors associated with calves’ mortality and reproductive performance of the Borana cattle breed. The study was based on the retrospective epidemiological record of calves, heifers, and cows. The data was taken from 1994–2010 on the calf mortality rate and 1994–2005 on the reproductive performance of the breed on the ranch. The retrospective data collected over the years was used to identify factors associated with calf mortality or death to see if the motto of the farm was attained in rearing a sufficient number of calves, improving replacement heifers and bulls for the ranch, and redistributing pure line breeding for the community. The retrospective data collected was analysed with Microsoft Excel version 20 and generated descriptive statistics of the parametric variables. A chi square test of significance was used for the non-parametric variables for associated risk factors for calves’ mortality and reproductive performance. The mortality rate of calves before and after weaning was 13.3% and 11.2%, respectively. Age, sex, and birth weight of the calf had a significant effect on the mortality rate. The overall mean values of age at first service, age at first calving, calving interval, days open, and gestation length were 42.52, 51.67, 20.67, 11.30, and 9.30 months, respectively. Parity had a significant effect on both the calving interval and days open. Gestation length was not significantly affected by parity, sex, or the birth weight of the calf. In conclusion, from the present study, it can be concluded that the excess calf mortality rate and inefficient reproductive performance factors were found to be major problems for the ranch not to achieve its pre-established objective of producing sufficient replacement calves and bulls for the pastoralists and need to be corrected if selection-based breeding of the Boranaa breed is to be successful.