A Cross-sectional Study of Reproductive Performance of Smallholder Dairy Cows in Coastal Tanzania

Performance evaluation of existing dairying is important to design relevant dairy development strategies and implement context specific interventions for future development of the dairy enterprise. The present study was carried out to evaluate the clinical trends (reproductive performance and disorders) of dairy cows of Rajshahi district, Bangladesh. A total of 500 cows randomly selected and data were collected directly from the dairy farms owners from 6 upazilas and 4 metro thanas of Rajshahi district by using questionnaires and diagnosis of reproductive disorders (RD) was made on the basis of history, clinical signs and response to treatment. The average reproductive performance (RP) were recorded as age at puberty 26.42±0.22 m, age at first calving 35.48±0.22 m, post-partum heat period 121.85±3.48 days, service per conception 1.93±0.04, days open 136.80±3.57 days and calving interval 401.04±3.94 days. The better RP was found at metro thanas compared to upazilas, though no significant difference was found except on service per conception (p<0.05). The overall prevalence of RD was 78.6% in Rajshahi district. Among the reproductive and productive disorders, anoestrus 24.6% was the highest prevalent disorders followed by abortion 13.4%, repeat breeding 11.4%, retained placenta 10.2%, dystocia 5.4%, mastitis 4.4%, vaginal prolapse 2.4%, pyometra 1.8%, metritis 1.6%, uterine prolapse 1.4%, milk fever 1.2% and still birth 0.8%. The highest occurrence of RD was recorded in Tanore upazila (92%) and the lowest in Poba upazila (62%). In comparison between the upazila and metro thanas the minimum occurrence of RD was recorded in metro thanas (31%) than upazilas (47.6%). Asian J. Med. Biol. Res. June 2020, 6(2): 340-350

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Dairy cattle lameness prevalence, causes and risk factors in selected farms of southern Ethiopia

Ethiopian Veterinary Journal ◽

10.4314/evj.v25i2.3 ◽

2021 ◽

Vol 25 (2) ◽

pp. 27-42

Author(s):

Desie Sheferaw ◽

Rahmeto Abebe ◽

Bekele Megersa ◽

Kebede Amenu ◽

Fufa Abunna ◽

...

Keyword(s):

Risk Factors ◽

Early Detection ◽

Dairy Cows ◽

Cross Sectional Study ◽

Southern Ethiopia ◽

Sectional Study ◽

Cross Sectional ◽

Essential Components ◽

Associated Risk Factors ◽

Causes And Risk Factors

A cross-sectional study was conducted from October 2018 to December 2019 to estimate the prevalence of lameness in dairy cows, to assess the causes and associated risk factors in southern Ethiopia. A total of 2009 dairy cows were visually and clinically examined, and the overall prevalence of lameness was found to be 14. 1% (95% CI=12.7-15.7). The prevalence of lameness was significantly (P< 0.05) higher in Arsi Negelle, Yirgalem, and Wolaita Sodo than in Wondo Genet and Hawassa. The prevalence of lameness was also associated with the stages of pregnancy and parity (P < 0.05). Generally, the prevalence of lameness in dairy cows was increasing with the increase in parity and stage of pregnancy. The main abnormalities observed in this study were hooves overgrowth (6%), lesions between hooves (4%), lesions on legs (2.2%), trauma (0.6%), arthritis (0.5%), and a sole ulcer (0.3%). Most of these abnormalities were mainly due to faulty management. Hence, based on this finding it is recommended that hoof management and trimming are very essential components of lameness control. Furthermore, early detection and treatment of lame cows; training of the owners on hoof management; and improvement of the housing are helpful to keep lameness at a lower level.

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Factors associated with leg cleanliness of smallholder dairy cows in Kenya

East African Journal of Science, Technology and Innovation ◽

10.37425/eajsti.v1i1.58 ◽

2019 ◽

Vol 1 (1) ◽

Author(s):

Peter Kimeli ◽

Dennis Makau ◽

John Van Leeuwen ◽

George Gitau ◽

Joan Muraya ◽

...

Keyword(s):

Dairy Cows ◽

Animal Welfare ◽

Cross Sectional Study ◽

Ordinal Scale ◽

Cross Sectional ◽

Housing Design ◽

Factors Associated ◽

Lactating Cows ◽

Potential Risk Factors ◽

Smallholder Dairy

Dairy cow cleanliness provides information about animal welfare, along with risk of diseases and quality of housing environments. This study determined animal- and farm-level factors associated with upper hind leg cleanliness in smallholder dairy cows. All lactating cows (n=234) on 118 randomly selected zero-grazing fams participated in this cross-sectional study between May to August 2015 in the Naari area of Meru County, Kenya. Cleanliness scores of hind legs were assessed visually on a 1-4 ordinal scale (clean to very soiled). Potential risk factors for poor leg cleanliness were evaluated by inspection of cows and their housing, along with a questionnaire about herd management. Descriptive statistics, and univariable and multivariable logistic regression were used to determine factors associated with soiled legs (cleanliness score>2) in the analyses. Prevalence of soiled legs was 59.0% (137/234). In the final model, factors positively associated with soiled legs included failure of the knee wetness test on the stall floor (OR=11.2; 95%CI: 5.1, 24.7), animal restlessness in the stall (OR=4.9; 95%CI: 1.8, 13.5), and milk production in kg/cow/day (OR=1.09; 95%CI: 1.02, 1.16). Protective factors for soiled legs included having stalls without excessive space (OR=0.25; 95%CI: 0.11, 0.57), and having an intact stall roof (OR=0.34; 95%CI; 0.15, 0.76). Our results suggest that farmers should address both housing design (especially the roof and stall size) and management issues (especially stall cleanliness) to enhance leg cleanliness and animal welfare.

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