Study on On-farm Dairy Cattle husbandry Practices in Walmera District of Oromia Regional State

of Abstract This study was carried out with the objective of studying on-fam dairy cattle husbandry practices in the Walmera district of Oromia regional state. The dairy cattle husbandry practices were based on field observation, questionnaire survey, focus group discussion and key informant interview. A total of 102 dairy producers were selected by using stratified random sampling technique from purposively eleven target kebeles. The survey result indicated that majorities 72.5% of household heads under investigation were male and the rest 27.5% were females. Majority of the respondents 40.2% had the family size of 7-9 members and about 23.5% had family size more than 10. Literacy wise, nearly half of the respondents (46.1%) were attended elementary education (1-8 grade), whereas 31.4% illiterate and unable to read and write. The breeding method preferred and perceived as more effective for conception by respondents were natural mating (65.7%), AI (20.6%) and others did not identify the difference between natural mating and AI (13.7%). Majority of respondents in the study area fed their dairy and other animals separately (80.4%) and 19.6% of them fed all animal together. Feeding of dairy cows based on the milk yield and separately practiced by 65.7% of the respondents, while the rest were not practiced. Grazing land was decreased from year to year mainly due to urbanization and land used for crop cultivation. However, 63.7% of the farmers did not have experience to establish improved forage but only 36.3% had grown improved forage. Even if, there was no accessibility of agro-industrial by-products because of high price, shortage of supply and far distance from the source agro-industrial center, 98% of respondents were supplementing their dairy animals with agro-industrial by-products and only 2% of respondent had reported unavailability of agro-industrial by-products in the market. Bloating (44.1%), emaciation and bloating (29.4%) and milk fever and bloating (9.8%) were among the most nutritional related diseases hampering dairy production in the study area. Majority (43.2%) of the respondents were used modern barn type constructed from local materials without cattle pen. It could be concluded from the study that in the study area on-farm dairy cattle husbandry practiced by dairy producers are encouraging for future dairy development as a whole with minor improvements.

dairy cattle husbandry practices also helps to design appropriate technologies, which are compatible with the existing system; and to plan development and research activities and bring improvements in productivity. So far, most of the studies were limited to overall livestock management systems and carried out mainly on station; and on-farm dairy cattle husbandry practices have not fully studied yet in the study area. Therefore, it is apparent that there is a need to study on-farm dairy cattle husbandry practices in the Walmera district as a system approach to design appropriate technologies compatible with the existing system and to plan development and research activities aimed at improving dairy cattle production.
Moreover, this study was also furnished essential information and experience for future dairy development efforts. Therefore, this study was intended to amplify and characterize the overall on-farm dairy cattle husbandry practices in the study area.

Description of the Study Area
The study was carried out in Walmera District of West Shoa Zone of Oromia, which is located 30km to the west along the main road to Ambo. Geographically, the district is found 9 o 0' 0''-9 o 10' 0' N latitude and 38 o 25' 0''-38 o 30' 0'' E longitudes. The study area has an altitude of 2400m. asl and receives an average annual rainfall of about 1000mm.The mean minimum and maximum temperatures are 6 and 22 o C, respectively [3]. The mean relative humidity is 59%. The study area obtains short rainy season (March to May), long rainy season (June to September) and dry season (October to February) [4]. The total human population of the district is 104,932 and cattle are the dominant livestock of the smallholder farmer in the area, although limited number of small ruminants and equines are kept [3]. Animals largely depend on natural grazing, which were supplemented with crop residues late in the dry season.

Research Design
Dairy cows raised under small scale production systems in the selected study sites constitute the study population. Cross-sectional type of study was conducted to collect data required for this study from 2016 to 2017 using questionnaire survey, observation and group discussion. The sampling units were defined as households keeping dairy cows.

Sampling Techniques and Sample size
Prior to conducting field survey research, discussion was conducted with the head of Walmera district livestock and fishery resource development office and dairy expert to select sites and respondents. Eleven target kebeles: two from urban area and nine kebeles from rural area were selected purposively based on the number of dairy cows that farmers own, availability of model farmers and ease of access. Sample of respondents from each selected kebeles were selected randomly using stratified random sampling technique. The numbers of respondents in each kebele was selected using proportional to size sampling approach. The sample size to collect data for this research was determined by using [5]

Methods of Data Collection and Analysis
Both primary and secondary data sources were used for this study. Primary data were collected from respondents by pre-tested       [14] in western Oromia.  Two types of breeding method, natural mating and AI were mainly practiced in the study area. Bulls used for two main types of natural mating either for uncontrolled mating (free mating) or controlled mating. In uncontrolled mating, the bull carries out heat detection and cows in heat were mated during each heat period.

Breeding Methods, Types and Source of Bull
In controlled mating systems, the farmers carry out heat detection and timing of service, and each cow mated once or twice during each heat period. In addition, for AI the farmers carry out heat detection and timing of service and each cow inseminated once or twice during each heat period. Most of the farmers in the study area bred their dairy cows using natural mating and AI (50%), natural mating (46.1%) and only AI (3.9%) ( Table 4). In contrast to this, Blen [9] reported dairy producers bred their animals using artificial insemination (89.0%) and few use natural method (bull) (11.0%) in Bishoftu. Besides, dairy producers were used crossbred bull (68.6%), pure exotic (21.5%), crossbred and local bull (4.9%), only AI service (3.9%) and local bull breed (2%) for breeding. The source of bulls was from neighbors (62.7%), uses own bull (29.4%), and uncontrolled mating (3.9%) ( Table 5). MY=Milk Yield

Breeding Method Preference, Ai Service Provision and Accessibility in Study Area
On-farm breeding methods preferred by small scale dairy producers in the study area were depicted in (Figure 3). Even if, AI offers several advantages over the natural service, it was not found to be as effective and efficient as that of natural mating. AI is a means of genetic improvement, cost effectiveness, disease control, safety breeding, flexibility, and fertility management [7]. However, AI includes poor conception rate due to poor heat detection and inefficiency of AI technicians, dissemination of reproductive diseases and poor fertility rates, if AI centers are not equipped with appropriate inputs and are not well managed [8]. In the study area, due to similar reason most of the respondents prefer natural mating. All the respondents repeatedly told that most of the AI service provided by the government technician was not easily accessible for the farmers. In the current study, only 24.5% of the respondents had easy access to AI service and the rest did not have easy access to AI service; hence government should design strategies to address the interest of the farmers [10].

Animal Feeds and Feeding Practice
All of respondents feed their cows both roughage and agroindustrial by-products (concentrate) ( Table 6). The respondents feed roughage like grazing pasture, hay and straw (78.4%) as basal diet for dairy cows. Similar finding was reported by Mustefa [11] in

Grazing Land and Establishment of Improved Animal Forage
In the present study, grazing land was decreased from year to year in the study areas. However, 63.7% of the farmers did not have experience to establish improved forage but only 36.3% had grown improved forage ( Table 7). Majority of the respondents who had experience to grow improved forage, they utilize the forage through grazing the animal directly along with cut and carry system (21.6%) and cut and carrying system alone (14.7%).

Common Types of Crop Residues and Way of Storing
There was only one cropping season in study area and then the crop residues produced only once year. Almost all of the respondents (91.2%) in the study area properly store crop residues under shade while the few (8.8%) stored outside without shade (

Feeding Agro-Industrial by Products
As the survey result indicated in study area, all the respondents supply agro-industrial by-products for their animals (Table 9). Even if, there was no accessibility of agro-industrial by-products because of high price, shortage of supply and far distance from the source agro-industrial center, 98% of respondents were supplementing their dairy animals with agro-industrial by-products and only 2% of respondent had reported unavailability of agro-industrial byproducts in the market. In contrast to Mohammed [12]

Source of Water and Frequency of Watering Dairy Cows
In the study area, the sources of drinking water and frequency of watering were depicted in Figure 4. During the dry season 16.7% of farmers were get water from well. From the result, in the study area, it could understand that there was no problem of drinking water.

Health Care Practice
In the study area most, common nutritional related disease occur was bloating (44.1%) that the respondent facing on the farm, emaciation and bloating (29.4%), emaciation (9.8%), milk fiver and bloating (9.8%), milk fiver (3.9%) and 2.9% of the respondents reported that they were not face any nutrition related disease (

Housing System
In the study area, all of the respondents house their animal in different types of houses. About 43.1% of the respondents were used modern barn type constructed from local material without individual cattle pen, 24.5% modern barn with individual cattle pen, 18.6% traditional barn with partition and 13.7% traditional barn (free stall). Similar results were reported by Mustefa [11] in Sululta and Walmera districts. Currently the types of roof the respondents in Walmera district had rain proof corrugated iron (66.7%), rain proof by local material covered (31.4%) and (2%) not rain proof barn. The floor types were built by stone (40.2%), concert (32.6%) and earthen floor (21.6%). This showed that there were many improvements in the dairy production system in the district [14].

Conclusion and Recommendation
It could be concluded from the study that in the study area on-farm dairy cattle husbandry practiced by dairy producers are

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encouraging for future dairy development as a whole with minor improvement on breeding strategies, identifying types of feeds along with types of dairy cows to be fed, and deep awareness and training on most nutritional related diseases. Therefore, appropriate intervention in nutritional related diseases and prevention activities, breed improvement strategies, deep and regular training on basic principle of animal feeds and feeding are highly recommended so as to improve sustain productivity of dairy cows and being benefited from the existing market and high demand of products.