Study of Calf Health and Management Problems in Urban and Per-urban Dairy Farms of East Wollega Zone of Oromia Regional State, Western Ethiopia - Abstract
Calf-care is not only essential for sustenance of the dairy industry but is also essential for preserving and maintaining good quality of germplasm. On the contrary, high levels of calf mortality have limited dairy herd expansion and genetic improvement in the study area. Therefore, the study was developed to evaluate the existing calf health and management problems of dairy calves in urban and peri-urban areas and to assess the level of farmers’ knowledge on calf health and management practices in the three selected districts of East Wollega Zone. A cross sectional study design was used and the study districts and peasant association were selected purposely where as the individual household was selected randomly using systematic random sampling method. A total of 50 households were selected from these three districts and detailed questionnaire survey format was designed to generate base line information related to calf health management system with particular emphasis on major health problems. As the study result indicates diseases likes blackleg, pneumonia, internal and external parasites are the most dominant calves’ health problems. About 50% of the respondents informed that mostly calf mortalities occurred due to pneumonia, blacklegs, starvation, heart water, diarrhea and bloat. Even though all calves were getting the access of colostrums feeding, they do not access optimum level. Regarding to calves feeds, natural grass is categorized in first rank where as concentrated feeds (ground maize, grain, noug cake) and food left over (local brewery by product & straw) are placed second and third rank, respectively. Even though all farmers of the study area haves the access veterinary service, they have not equally used the service due variability of remoteness among farmers. In general as the study revealed there have been poor management practice regarding both feeding (concentrate & roughage) and housing of calves in study area. The there is high economic losing in live animal mortality particularly replacement stock like calf. Therefore, identifying economically important animal disease and designing strategic preventive and control measures and improvement of calf management practice is valuable.